What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the act of living in the present, by taking notice of and appreciating the present moment.
There is a lot of evidence of the benefits of mindfulness for your mental health and emotional wellbeing. In fact, mindfulness is a key part of “Take Notice”, one of the 5 Ways of Wellbeing. It can help you feel better if you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed, and can even improve your mood generally through regular practice.
You can practice mindfulness by engaging in mindful exercises that can be as short as a few breaths, and by incorporating mindfulness into your regular routine you can live mindfully and feel all the benefits!
Want to try mindfulness for yourself? Read on for our top mindfulness tips…
Mindfulness tip no. 1
Take notice of your surroundings.
Take the time to really pay attention to where you are and the things that surround you. Use all of your senses: Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell and Taste.
By focusing on your senses and surroundings, you are grounding yourself to the present moment. This allows you to slow down and appreciate the present, and take charge of any worries and negative thoughts you may have.
Here are a couple of mindfulness exercises that can help you take notice of your surroundings:
5 Things: 5 Senses
Try to notice 5 things about your surroundings, one for each sense you have. For example, you could see a tree outside your window, feel the chair you’re sitting on, hear the rain outside, smell the freshly washed jumper you’re wearing, and taste the glass of water you have beside you.
Explore an object
Pick one thing nearby, and explore it with any many senses as possible. For example, if you are near an apple you could pick it up and feel how it feels in your fingers, look at it’s shape, take a bite out of and notice what that sounds and tastes like.
Mindfulness tip no. 2
Take notice of your thoughts
Practise observing how you feel and what you are thinking at any one time.
By focusing on your thoughts in this way, you become more aware of yourself in that moment. This gives you insight to how and why you feel the things you do, gives you more control over your thoughts, and allows you to start making yourself feel better.
These mindfulness exercises can help you practice taking notice of your thoughts:
Thought-watching
Observe your thoughts passing through your mind. Don’t focus too much on any one thought, and don’t push them away. Just take notice of them. It’s a little like watching the world go by outside a car window, or sitting in the park watching birds flying overhead.
Name your thoughts
As part of observing your thoughts, try describing what you’re observing. Look at your thoughts as objectively as possible, but without judgement, and give them names that sum up what they are and how they affect you.
Mindfulness tip no. 3
Take notice of your body
Take the time to just exist in your body, becoming aware of what it’s doing and how it relates to the world around you.
Being aware of your body in this way can make you feel more relaxed and grounded, and make you feel more present in the here and now. These techniques can be incorporated into other mindful exercises, tried just before going to sleep, and can be really helpful if you feel overwhelmed or stressed.
Here are a couple of mindful exercises that can help you learn to take notice of your body:
Mindful Breathing
Focus on how you’re breathing. Breath in through your nose, deep and slow, and breath out through your mouth. Notice how the air feels as you inhale and exhale, and how your chest and body move with your breath.
Body Scan
Starting at the top of your head and working your way down to your toes, focus on each part of your body. Notice any tension you find on the way down, and consciously relax each part in turn. Notice how each part feels – how the floor feels against your feet, how your seat feels against your back, or even just how the air feels on your face.
Mindfulness Tip no. 4 Create a Mindful Routine
Mindfulness can be really helpful in the moment, especially if you’re struggling with stress or anxiety. But, you can take that benefit and make it last much longer, by practicing mindfulness regularly.
You can do this by building yourself a mindful routine:
Find a regular time to practice mindfulness.
Choose an exercise that resonates with you, and put aside time in your schedule to practice it regularly. This can be as little as 2 minutes every week if that’s all you have time for, or it can but half an hour every day if you really get into it.
Make your everyday mindful.
Mindfulness doesn’t have to done as specific set exercises. You can incorporate mindfulness into everyday activities. Next time you go for a walk, leave your distractions at home and take notice of your surroundings. At your next mealtime, try eating mindfully, and really observe your senses. When you’re doing mundane household chores, like washing up, allow yourself to observe your thoughts in an mindful way.
The more you do, the easier it will get, and the more you’ll feel the benefit.
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