Mindfulness is actually a way of life, but this is easier for some to achieve than others. There is a reason there are mindfulness courses to learn mindfulness. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to practice mindfulness regularly until it becomes a habit.
Therefore, in this article, I will give you 11 tips on how to use mindfulness for every day.
Mindfulness ensures that you are also in the here and now with your thoughts. That your attention is with the moment and the activity you are currently engaged in. This is very important to reduce stress.
Research shows that 47 percent of the time when people are awake they are thinking about something other than what is happening at the time. Does this sound familiar to you?
That we, unlike most animals, can think of something other than the here and now is very special, but this has emotional consequences. We often think about things from the past or expectations for the future. So we do this almost half the time.
A study followed people and that gave them the signal several times a day so the subjects (as many as 2,500) could note what they were doing, what they were thinking about and how they were feeling. This showed that if they were thinking about something else this did not make them happy.
Another interesting finding was that only during sexual acts was the subjects' attention in the here and now.
Since we cannot have sex all day, it is still important to have your attention at other times as well. This can already make you 10 percent happier while a fun activity only affects this by about 5 percent. Mindfulness is the way to have your attention in the here and now and so these tips do come in handy.
1. Mindfulness bubble
Especially while working, your mind sometimes wants to wander. To work still on the to-do list, for example. If you have a smartphone or computer handy at work, you can install a mindfulness bubble on it.
The bell rings every so often and then you can perform a mindfulness exercise. This is the time when you can quiet your chaotic thoughts through work.
2. Mindfulness while eating
Mindfulness doesn't stop after work. Eating moments can also be used for mindfulness. By eating mindfully, you create a moment of calm and you can also enjoy your food better. This automatically allows you to eat healthier.
In addition, mindful eating also has a variety of benefits for people with diabetes.
3. Mindfulness as you walk
Especially when you take a quick walk to your car or bike after work, your mind can wander. Often you don't even realize you are walking. These are also the moments when you make some kind of judgment about how the day went and can trigger negative emotions.
Applying mindfulness walking helps you stay in the moment and thoughts have less influence on your emotions.
4. Mindfulness as your environment changes
Do you ever get that? That you walk into a room and promptly forget why you even went to that room. For example, I have very often when I need to grab something from the kitchen and then automatically walk to the refrigerator, when I just needed tape from the junk drawer.
It's like changing your environment also does something to your brain. To make mindfulness a real habit, you can incorporate a mindfulness moment every time your environment changes, such as every time you go outside, sit in a car/public transportation, get on a bike, walk up the stairs. To take a moment to feel your body on the ground or chair, to become momentarily aware of your breathing, emotions and thoughts.
5. Mindfulness after waking up
Another time you can use mindfulness directly is the moment immediately after waking up. This is also the moment when most of the stress of the day occurs. Because you wake up and then you start thinking about all the things you have to do that day. These thoughts immediately release all kinds of stress hormones in the body.
Instead, you can wake up calm with mindfulness. Stay in bed for two more minutes, sitting is also okay, and focus only on your breathing. If any thoughts about the day do surface, let them go and shift your attention back to your breathing.
6. 10 minutes of mindfulness when you arrive at work
You can do this for 10 minutes in your car, or the first 10 minutes at your desk. It depends a bit on the work you do and how undisturbed you can do it.
You close your eyes and sit up straight. Shift your attention to your breathing. Breathe in and out deeply and stay focused on that. To make this easier, you can count each time you exhale. If you get distracted by a thought, let it go and regain focus on your breathing.
The rest of the day, people and activities are all going to demand attention, but these 10 minutes are yours.
7. Focus on your task
Mindfulness can also help you do your job better or at least with more focus. Just think about how often you get distracted by your e-mail and maybe even social media during your workday.
By applying mindfulness while working, you recognize tendencies that interrupt your activities and distract you from the goal you need to accomplish. This makes it easier to ignore the mail, news or that Facebook pop-up and finish your task. As a result, if you finish earlier, you can still reward yourself with Facebook, news and email time.
8. Prioritize mindfulness
Especially when you are busy, you may think that mindfulness is "not convenient right now." In that way, it is very difficult to apply mindfulness in your life. Mindfulness does not have to last long, that 30 seconds of mindfulness after the mindfulness bell is not going to mess up your whole day. You're probably also busy with something else than what you're busy with for 30 seconds.
By applying mindfulness just once in a while, you will find that other tasks are also more easily accomplished. By prioritizing mindfulness, you can really work at it.
When you begin you will find that you will be distracted each time that mindfulness. This is not a bad thing and it is part of the process. It is especially important not to judge that, but to practice letting those distractions go. This allows you to grow and it becomes easier and easier to focus on the here and now.
9. Give attention to nature
Okay, you don't have to go to the beach or the woods every day to pay attention to nature, but when you are outside notice for a moment the flowers that are there, the green on the trees. The breeze blowing through your hair. This allows you to enjoy your surroundings more, and that's what mindfulness is made for.
10. Don't make excuses why mindfulness isn't right for you
If you're already telling yourself you can't do it, because you can't even just sit still yet. Just then, mindfulness is for you. If you find yourself too busy, precisely with mindfulness you can find the peace you need.
Also, if halfway through a mindfulness moment you get a thought of "this is not for me" let the thought go and focus on your breathing again. Eventually you'll find that it is for you.
11. 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge
It is difficult to learn a new habit, but it is especially important with mindfulness. To make mindfulness a part of your daily life, you can do a 30-day challenge to make it a habit. In fact, multiple studies show that if you want to learn a new habit you have to repeat it for 28 days before it is in your system.
That's why all these 30-day challenges are so popular. For the 30-day mindfulness challenge, you pick a tip that you will do for 30 days in a row. Then that tip is already in your system and you can use a new tip for the next 30 days for the next 30 day mindfulness challenge. That way you slowly build a life with mindfulness.
Want to learn more about how mindfulness can improve your life? Then stop by a seminar or check out Hypnosis Institute Netherlands' training programs.
Sources:
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/wandering-mind-not-a-happy-mind/
