One of the best ways to stay in the moment is to be more mindful. There are many small things you can do to practice mindfulness and we will now look at a couple of tips on how you can do just that.
Firstly, always start when you’re not stressed. There are lots of people who want to start mindfulness when they are dealing with challenging situations and loads of stress. Unfortunately, this is not the best time to actually learn how to be mindful since its like trying to score a home run when you’ve never played baseball before. So, try to start when things are fine and then you’ll have the skills necessary when life gets difficult.
Everyday, you should pay attention to at least one thing that you do. So, choose one or two things that you do daily such as traveling to work or even combing your hair or preparing breakfast. Once you’ve chosen a particular activity, simply strive to pay as close attention to what you’re doing while you’re doing it. Of course, your mind will likely start to wander in the first couple of seconds when you start. However, don’t worry about it and simply re-focus your attention on the activity.
Be curious when dealing with various situations. If you’re feeling upset or simply don’t know how to deal with a particular situation, then you should try to shift your emotions and become more curious. This will shift your emotions since its not possible to be upset and interested simultaneously. This simple shift will change your emotions and help you to clear your headspace. It will give you much needed clarity so that you can make the best choice that you can.
Transitions, teatime, toilet and telephone – the four T’s. This particular idea is an expansion of Meena Srinivasan who wrote the book on developing mindfulness in the classroom as well as out of it. The entire point is that while you transition from one task to another such as going to the toilet, drinking tea, looking at your phone etc, you should breathe deeply a few times so that you can become more mindful of the present moment.
Practice breathing whenever possible. One of the most important mindfulness practices is breathing. This is due to the fact that we’re always breathing and by actually focusing on it, you can become more rooted in the now. So, breathe in and out 3 – 4 times and be very mindful of each breath. This will help you to become more focused and relaxed.
Grounding. You shouldn’t just pay attention to your breathing, but also pay close attention to where you’re sitting and how the chair actually feels. Notice how the table feels when you place your hands on it. Pick up a stone and pay attention to how it feels when you slowly rub it. By paying attention to these small actions, you will become more aware and rooted in the present moment.
For more information on practicing mindfulness visit Claritychi.com.
