Do you struggle to stay present at work or at home? Are you distracted by your thoughts and unable to focus? Do you spend most of your time dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future?
What if you could live your life more mindfully in the present moment? Mindfulness is a state of awareness where you focus your attention on the sensations, thoughts, and emotions occurring in the present without getting caught up in judgments, or the urge to react.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool for reducing stress, enhancing well-being, and improving overall mental health.
Meditation, the cornerstone of mindfulness, involves sitting still and observing your thoughts without judgment.
How can meditation help you? Studies show that regular meditation improves memory, attention span, and cognitive function. It strengthens the neural connections in your brain, fostering resilience and emotional stability.
Have you tried meditation and find it challenging? I’ve always struggled with meditation and have a hard time sitting still. But I now have a consistent meditation practice and have learned to be more mindful in my life.
How can you stay more present in your life?
You can practice mindfulness using any of your senses with your eyes open or closed. There is no need to go to a dark meditation room for 20 minutes. You can even use mindfulness techniques in the middle of a meeting.
Here’s now you can incorporate mindful moments into your day:
- Breath: feel the rise and fall of your chest and stomach. Notice the temperature of the air in and out of your nostrils.
- Touch: with your eyes open or closed, rub two fingertips together with such attention that you can feel the fingertip ridges. Wiggle your toes, noticing all ten of your toes. When my seven-year-old son grabs my hand, I concentrate on how his little hand feels in mine.
- Hearing: with your eyes open or closed, listen to the farthest sounds you can hear. Now listen to the closest sounds you can hear. I listen to the birds chirping on my porch each morning while I have my morning coffee.
- Sight: stare at something in your physical environment with such attention, noticing every detail and pushing all thoughts away. When walking in the forest, I focus on all the different shades of green.
- Smell: pay attention to all the scents around you. Try picking out the different scents. Eat your food slowly, savoring every bite, taste, and texture.
As the foundation of mindfulness, it’s also important to create a meditation habit.
What are some ways you can stay consistent with meditation?
- Set aside a few minutes each day to sit quietly without distraction. Start with just a few minutes and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable. Before my kids wake up, I sit on my porch each morning, set a timer for 5 minutes, and listen to the birds and the Skytrain whooshing by my house.
- Get an accountability buddy. Find someone who also wants to start a meditation practice and text each other each day you meditate. This will help you both stay accountable.
- Keep track of the days you meditate. Use a physical calendar, or an electronic version. I circle the date in my calendar notebook when I meditate. Seeing the circles accumulate each month is very motivating.
- Embrace self-compassion. Treat yourself with kindness and compassion when you miss a day, or fall off the wagon completely. Life gets in the way sometimes, and meditation is hard. Remember that mindfulness is a journey, and it’s okay to have moments of struggle or distraction.
I hope these tips are helpful!
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Lots of love,
-Anna
