16 Tips on How to Practice Mindfulness

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This post has been contributed by Amy from Health Mind Body Australia

How often do you practice mindfulness each day?

If it is something you have been meaning to start implementing into your life but don’t
quite understand what mindfulness is and how to find time in your busy day, then you
are in the right place.

I have created this article to help you practice mindfulness and highlight how easy and
simple it can be without requiring a lot of your time.

What is Mindfulness?

As per the Dictionary, Mindfulness is defined as -‘a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique’.

Practicing mindfulness involves developing the skill of focusing your attention to whatever is happening in the present moment. Mindfulness is paying attention, taking your time, engaging, and allowing yourself to be focused and to be fully present and engaged.

Practicing mindfulness is the ability to understand your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and the environment around you. As mentioned on Wikipedia, Clinical studies have shown by practicing mindfulness can have both physical and mental health benefits. Evidence also suggests that engaging in mindfulness may influence physical health.

Further, research indicates that mindfulness may favorably influence the immune system. Mindfulness is a practice that has been around for thousands of year. Mindfulness is used in many religious settings such as Buddhism and has become a
widely popular practice in mental health because of its proven positive benefits for
mental health and well-being.

When Mindfulness is mentioned, yoga and meditation are probably one of the first
things that comes to mind. As these activities are a widely popular and easy way to
practice mindfulness which can also double as your self care routine by taking time for
yourself each day by practicing yoga, meditation or simply reading a book.
Another way you can implement mindfulness into your day is to practice mindful eating
which means being mindful of what you are eating and how it makes you feel both
physically, mentally and emotionally.

How To Start

There are many ways to start and implement mindfulness into your day. Mindfulness and the way you choose to incorporate into your daily routine is a personal choice and a practice that suits with your lifestyle.

Mindfulness can be as simple as sitting in silence for a few minutes. It can be practicing calming breathing techniques or even trying yoga from lounge room.
Mindfulness is about having an open mind, being patient, and letting go of judgement.
There is no right or wrong way, it’s what works for you and how you feel when you have
mindfulness incorporated in your everyday life.

Attitudes for Mindfulness

The attitudes for mindfulness are important for building the foundation and in order to
live a mindful life.

The four attitudes involved in mindfulness are:

Trust

Trust is the attitude of believing and trusting yourself and that of others.
Building and maintaining trust is an important part of mindfulness as it helps to build and
maintain the qualities in our own abilities and feelings.

It also means having trust in others around you, including friends, family, and work
colleagues.

Acceptance

Acceptance is the attitude of being content and seeing things as they are in the present
moment.

Practicing acceptance can help with your ability to accept each moment as they happen without being overcome with fear, anger or stress.

Open Mind

Having an open mind is the attitude of being open to new ideas, thoughts and the
changes happening around you without judgement.

This means that by having an open mind can bring many benefits including learning
new things, growing as a person and can help you become more resilient to face
challenges in your life.

Patience

Patience is the kind of attitude you can learn through practicing mindfulness to help with
your ability to accept the timing of things that are happening within your life and also
around you.

As they say, “patience is a virtue”. In our busy lives these day we could all use some
mindfulness and practice patience to help slow our minds down and embrace the
current moment. If you’re looking forward to have more guidelines on having patient, here is a complete guide on having patient and building calm composure. I really recommend checking out this article as I’m sure that it will help you a lot to have more patience and step up your mindfulness journey.

Self Guided Activities

Incorporating mindfulness into your day can be simple and easy to adapt to your
lifestyle.

It can be practiced for as little as 5 minutes if time is a factor and can be done by
performing simple breathing techniques, taking a yoga class or taking a walk in nature.
The key is to not overthink it, to relax, take in your surroundings, be present, and to slow
down.

Also Read : 10 Ways To Love Yourself More

Meditation

Meditation would have to be one of the first thoughts along with yoga that comes to
mind when mentioning mindfulness and for good reason.

When practicing meditation you are focusing on being aware of yourself, your senses
and your feelings in that present moment.

Meditation can have positive benefits on both your physical and mental health. It can
help manage stress, anxiety and depression to name a few.

Yoga

Yoga is another popular mindfulness technique. When practicing yoga you are able to connect with your body and mind.

Like meditation, yoga also has positive benefits on your mental health and helps reduce and manage stress, can help improve eating habits and sleep quality.

Breathing Techniques

Breathing techniques can be an easy and quick way to practice mindfulness. Without the need of any equipment, breathing techniques can be performed from anywhere and at any time.
This technique requires little time and effort and is perfect for beginners and all ages.

Nature Walk

There’s something quite therapeutic about nature and fresh air. A nature walk is a simple way to connect with the environment around you while incorporating some physical exercise all while outside breathing in the fresh air and absorbing Vitamin D.

Benefits include physical sensations like increasing your heart rate to hearing the
sounds and smelling the air and the environment around you.

Mindful Mini Breaks

Mindful mini breaks should be periodically spread out throughout your day.
By doing this will help to improve and increase your concentration, allow your eyes and
mind to rest, and allow you to regain and reenergise your body and mind.

I recently took a girls weekend away for one night with no children and no partners. You
can read more here on the Importance of a Girls Weekend Away for Busy Mums.

I can truly say that after taking this time out for myself, I felt new again. I had almost
found myself again. It gave me time to rest and recharge in a way that I haven’t in
years.

Writing in a Journal

Journaling is another daily technique I practice and love. Writing in a journal or diary is an easy and beneficial technique to implement. Journaling can allow you to express your feeling and emotions, practice positive affirmations, sharpen your mind and focus, and can also help with memory. I have an article you can read 6 Important and Beneficial Reasons to use a Journal.

Mindfulness Apps

Using a mindfulness app can help to provide you with guided techniques to help you
practice mindfulness. Using an app can also help beginners learn how to perform
mindfulness correctly and routinely.

Podcast

Similar to reading, listening to a podcast can be a useful technique to practice
mindfulness by helping you to relax, reduce stress and anxiety and clear your mind.

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is the practice of incorporating mindfulness while eating by paying
attention to your body physically and emotionally through your senses, feelings and
emotions while you are eating.

You can also read 14 Simple Tips: To Achieve Healthier Eating Habits for your Health,
Mind and Body here to find some simple tips to help with mindful eating and staying
healthy.

Final Thoughts : –

Mindfulness can be practiced by everyone no matter your age and no matter your
experience. The benefits you receive by incorporating mindfulness into your day can not only benefit you physically and mentally but can be felt by others around you.

Feeling well and having a positive outlook on life while embracing the world around you
and living in the moment are all positive outcomes you learn from engaging in
mindfulness.

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