8 tips for more mindfulness in everyday life
European Business Listicle 07/2019
Are you stressed and have the feeling you’re missing the good things in your life while stress prevails? Have you lost sight of your self-care? We have a few tips for how you can develop more mindfulness for yourself and for the moment being experienced – for less stress, more enjoyment of life and more satisfaction.
1. Mindful breathing
Inhaling and exhaling deeply and consciously into the belly is relaxing and lets ease of mind set in. Start your day by being mindful of your breathing for a few minutes. You can also use this little exercise before you start a bigger project – that way you dispel distractions and can concentrate on the task at hand.
2. Avoid multitasking
Concentrate on just one thing and ignore everything else. That also applies to things that we don’t often see as an activity, such as eating. Don’t read any emails on the side; just eat. You’ll surely find a lot of things in your daily life that you take care just on the side. Deliberately try to tackle these things individually in the future.
3. Break out of your routine
Mindfulness means being attentive and observing what is happening within and around you. That’s not possible when you reel off the same routine every day that your mind does on autopilot. Make yourself aware of your routine and keep trying to change small things or regularly develop a completely new routine altogether. That will keep your mind on task.
4. Walk mindfully as often as you can
Pay attention to walking throughout your day. Concentrate on your breathing and take every step consciously. Walk slowly and reel in your thoughts when they go astray. You can fit this little meditation in on the short paths in everyday (working) life: the way to the copier, the restroom, the coffee machine.
5. Train your senses
Mindfulness can be trained. Use your senses and make yourself aware of what is around you. How does your food taste and smell? What is its consistency? How does the air smell outside and inside? What sounds are around you? What colours are around you? Take time throughout the day and really appreciate these impressions. The “training effect” is reinforced when you write down your impressions.
6. Turn off distractions
Being with yourself and focusing your thoughts is easier when distractions are turned off. Is the TV on in the background all evening at your house? Consciously spend some time away from your smartphone, the television or other distractions every day. A timeout from media will calm your thoughts.
7. Turn towards whatever does you good
There are things in our lives that we see as bothersome, time-consuming or exhausting. On the other hand, there are things that are energizing and fulfilling. The more clarity we have about what does us good, the more we can turn to those things. You will never be able to ignore the less nice things completely, but by pursuing the positive things, you’ll have more energy to handle them.
8. Clean up after yourself
Try to leave a place the way you found it. If you drop something, pick it up. If you’ve maybe spilled on the furnishings, wipe it up. If you’ve used dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher. It will result not only in tidier surroundings; it also awakens your mind to deal with what effects we have on our surroundings.