We are busy people and daily life is demanding. It’s no wonder we can become overwhelmed, anxious and burnt-out. Which is why wellness professionals and well-being advocates, such as myself, have been encouraging mindfulness as an antidote to combat life’s stresses.
What is mindfulness?
“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us”
Mindful.org
Essentially it’s about allowing yourself to exist in the moment, to not ruminate about the past or worry about what’s to come.
I’ve written a full guide to mindfulness, which you can access here.
Commonly there are two ways to practice mindfulness, one through meditation and the other through undertaking multiple mindful moments throughout each day.
What is a mindful moment?
This is the great part! You can make any moment in your day mindful, it’s all about the way you approach it. Whether it’s something mundane such as washing your hands or a longer activity such as mindful colouring, you can use it as an easy opportunity to be mindful (present in the moment) and reap heaps of well-being benefits.
Why will doing activities mindfully increase your well-being and make you feel happier?
When you take part in an activity ‘mindfully’ you’re actively working to:
- Reduce stress-levels
- Take charge of your life; controlling what is controllable and letting go of the rest
- Increase the density of grey matter in the areas of your brain related to memory, regulation of emotions and learning
- Allow yourself to be at peace in the moment
- Improve your mental health
Becoming more aware of the present moment can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better. And when it comes to making our activities more mindful, we’re gifting ourselves the opportunity to experience afresh things (and people) we may have been taking for granted.1
1 Source: NHS
Now, although I’ve said any activity can be mindful, there really is an approach I’d recommend you take to ensure you get the maximum well-being benefits from each and everything you try.
How to make activities more mindful:
01. Be Present
Whichever activity you undertake, you have to give it focus and allow yourself to be fully present in the moment. A way to help with this is to remember the 4 S’s: Sensations, Sights, Sounds and Smells.
Sensations: Hone into the physicality of what you’re doing. If you’re walking, how does your body feel? Can you feel your heartbeat? How do your feet feel in your shoes as they touch the pavement?
Sights: What can you see? If you’re colouring, what colours are you using?
Sounds: What can you hear? Can you hear people walking by outside your home? Can you hear a clock ticking? Or a dog barking?
Smells: What can you smell? If you’re baking, can you smell your creation as it rises in the oven?
Good to know: It’s absolutely OK for your mind to wander. Our brains process thousands of thoughts every day, it’s natural for them to come and go. This isn’t an exercise in blocking thoughts and feelings, in fact in mindfulness, we welcome them. They’re an integral part of your mindful practice – they allow us to realise our mind has wandered from the present and provide us with the opportunity to gently bring ourselves back.
02. Be curious
Mindful activities are perfect for allowing our curiosity to grow. In a curious state, we’re encouraging more fun into our lives, more playfulness, more awareness.
If you’re listening to music, what happens if you close your eyes for a bit? Does the music become louder, or affect how it makes you feel more?
As we’re trying these things, we’re giving heightened focus, grounding ourselves firmly in the moment and ultimately making activities more mindful.
03. Take some deep breaths
My mindfulness teacher always said to me ‘breathing is your anchor in any storm.’ It’s something we all need to do to survive and something we can rely on- hence why in any moment, it can provide a grounding anchor.
Before (or during) an activity you intend to make more mindful, take a few deep breaths. It’s a signal to your body and mind to come into the present and to focus.
RELATED: What I Learnt About Happiness From A Buddhist Monk
04. Clear Distraction
It’s difficult to give focus and be present if you’re surrounded by distraction. Whilst mindful activities neither need to be completed in isolation or silence, things that will pull you out of the moment are not helpful.
Do you need your phone on? Could you put it on silent for a while? Is the TV in the background helping to ground you or pulling your attention?
05. Do what interests you
This is so important. You’re not going to focus if you’re really not interested in what you’re doing. Find activities you want to explore and it will be a whole lot simpler to make them mindful.
Features writer and Lifestyle blogger Sunna Coleman has shared her suggestions for activities to try to increase your well-being during lockdown over on her blog, Inspired in the City. All of her suggestions can easily be turned into mindful activities right now which is a double-win for your well-being!
06. Act with self-compassion
Mindfulness is about cultivating self-compassion. As we become more aware, we should also become kinder to ourselves. With this being said, please don’t judge yourself negatively whilst being mindful.
So what if you don’t colour in the lines or your baking isn’t worth a Hollywood handshake – it really doesn’t matter. Don’t berate your mind for wandering either, as I said before this is perfectly natural.
Top tip: Set an intention before undertaking any practice – basically take a second to reflect on the reason you’re practising mindfulness, such as ‘I’m doing this to be kind to myself’ or ‘I’m doing this for the greater good of myself and for all’. Starting with a compassionate intention helps you carry it through.
By approaching activities in this way, you’ll be able to make any activity mindful…
This is great because it means you won’t have to really alter your routine, invest any money or take up any more of your precious time – all things that can be a barrier to you adopting a new habit.
Just going about what you do, but doing it mindfully will deliver all the well-being benefits to you.
And remember, the more you practice, the easier it gets and the better equipped you’ll be to handle and process whatever life throws at you, making you ultimately (and perhaps most importantly) happier.
Head to Inspired in the City to discover 6 Activities to Boost Your Well-Being During Lockdown
Related: 5 Useful Ways Mindfulness Helps in Your Everyday Life
Do you practice mindfulness? Have you ever tried a mindful activity before? How did you get on? Whatever you’d like to say – or ask! – do! Simply leave me a comment in the box below. I’m happy to help and I always love to hear from you.
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I’ve definitely got better at being mindful, but I think I need a little alarm on my phone to remind me at points throughout the day as I find it really therapeutic. Lovely post hun – we could all do with being ‘in the moment’ on a regular basis xx
That’s a really good tip – thanks for sharing it, I think it’s a great idea xx
Hi Alex! I am working on my mindfulness and being in the moment this year. I love being outside and listening to the different sounds while watching the birds fly or the squirrels run across my fence. Sometimes that is when I do my best writing! xo
I can definitely see how that helps you to feel more creative Sandy – I love it – thanks for sharing xxx