Mindfulness has a slew of positive benefits such as helping to relieve stress, lowering the risk of disease, improving sleep quality, and increasing positive emotions. Yet, it can be difficult to place our awareness on the present moment when we’re bombarded with distractions in our modern age.
That’s why we’re here to help by offering 5 tips to be more mindful in daily life. Practicing these tips will make being present throughout the day as simple as scheduling a move with Black Tie Moving, so let’s get right into it.
Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude helps to reduce negative feelings, improves sleep quality, and it’s one of the simplest ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. When you’re expressing gratitude, your attention and focus are on the positive feeling you have when you’re being thankful for something you have in your life.
Focus On Your Breath
Breathwork is an effective method to be more mindful throughout the day. When you focus on your breath, you’re brought into the present moment. Instead of being trapped in your mind with thoughts or distracted by social media, you’re allowing yourself space to observe and embrace the present moment when your awareness is on your breath.
Notice Your Sensations
Stop and smell the flowers! Placing your attention on the sensations your body is picking up is an effective way to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is all about stopping and remaining deeply aware of the moment in front of you, which is what makes focusing on your sense perceptions such a powerful way to step into the present. Throughout the day, take time to notice what your eyes are seeing, your nose is smelling, and your ears are hearing. It’s one of the easiest entryways into mindfulness.
Scan Your Body
Body scanning is a great method to become more mindful. Body scanning is when you either sit down or lay on your back and place all your attention on different parts of your body. Typically, you start with simply noticing your forehead and work your way all the way to the soles of your feet. You could say things during your body scan like, “Breathing in, I’m aware of my forehead. Breathing out, I smile to my forehead.” This practice gets you in touch with the present, and it’s a simple way to be more mindful of your body throughout the day – even when the practice is over.
Observe Your Thoughts
It’s estimated that people have around 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. Of course, we can’t notice all of the thoughts we have, but that doesn’t mean we can’t notice some of them. Usually, we only notice thoughts that are unpleasant or evoke strong emotions. When you’re working to become more mindful, it’s crucial that you learn to observe your thoughts in an objective and non-judgmental way – simply noticing a thought that comes up and releasing it. You can think of your thoughts like clouds passing through the sky.
