Ways to Incorporate Mindfulness in Your Daily Life
Mindfulness is “Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
When you see this do you start to feel tense and think, “If someone tells me to breathe and let go one more time…”? I get it. When I first started adding mind body practices into my life, it was hard. I thought I had to sit still, relax, and have a blank mind. Instead, racing thoughts continued, I kept fidgeting, and started to judge myself for “being bad at meditating”. Luckily, I had support that encouraged me to give it another try and I’m so glad that I did. Now I incorporate mind body practices on a daily basis and it’s made a huge impact on my life.
What is Mindfulness?
So, what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is maintaining a present moment awareness of thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, or surrounding environment without judgment. To me mindfulness is noticing, being curious, and being gentle and compassionate with ourselves. Mindfulness is a practice, not something to be good or bad at. Not something to check off of our self-care list. It is not meant to change or “get rid of” our thoughts and feelings. It is instead changing the relationship we have with our thoughts. Mindfulness creates a pause for a response rather than a reaction.
Mindfulness is “Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Here are some potential benefits of mindfulness based on recent research:
Increased feelings of safety
Reduced stress
Reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD
Increased self-awareness
Increased emotional regulation
Improved sleep
Improved attention and focus
Increased self-compassion
Ways to Start Practicing Mindfulness Today
If you have experienced anxiety or panic attacks you may think, “Umm, absolutely not,” when you hear me say to lean into the discomfort and “just notice”. It’s okay to start small. Start with practicing being more present in your environment. We can work up to noticing sensations and feelings in the body. Can you set a timer for 1 minute and notice what sounds you hear around you? If you feel comfortable close your eyes. If not, just rest your gaze on one spot in the room. Could you walk your dog and pay attention to what you see, smell, and hear? What does the breeze feel like on your skin? If you have a 5-minute break at work try to find something of every color of the rainbow in your workspace. Listen to your favorite song and notice how you feel.
When you feel ready try one of the practices at the links below:
*If you have experienced events that have left you feeling unsafe in your body or experience a lot of physical discomfort in your day to day, I recommend trying this with a trained professional first.
Some apps if you’re interested in giving this a try:
All of these apps have a free version. I like insight timer because in addition to guided meditations it has a meditation timer that does not feel as jarring as a phone alarm clock.
If you don’t think meditation is for you, here are some online yoga resources:
