- Do you long to be more mindful, but struggle to stay present?
- Wishing you could return to that state of mind that only children and your dog seem to have for living in the moment?
Being mindful is about not constantly fretting about what already happened, and what may come. Mindfulness is really about staying right in the here and now.
One way to get better at living mindfully in the here and now is to stop multitasking.
It’s hard.
It feels so natural to have three things going at once.
A phone conversation while we’re doing dishes and trying to get our child to wash up after playing.
Uploading computer files while doing our hair and flipping through YouTube videos on our phone.
Multi-tasking is the opposite of mindful. Why are we doing all of these different things at the same time?
Imagine your stress levels like a thermometer reading. If you hung up that phone, would the stress meter go down a few notches?
Yes, it would.
What would happen if you told the person on the other end of the phone this isn’t a good time to talk?
What if you stopped washing things in the sink and instead calmly walked over to see what your child was doing. What if instead of thinking about dinner, you listened with undivided attention and great interest as she spoke about the game she had invented for herself in her room. What if, when she was finished speaking, you then cheerfully guided her to the bathroom sink to wash up for the next thing?
Become Receptive to the Mindful Moment
There could be a great moment of connection waiting here that’s about to be missed because of the need to hurry everything along, and because of the addiction to busyness.
- Are we cracked out on being busy all the time?
- Do you tell people everything is crazy busy?
- Why do we do this? How does it make us feel?
Wouldn’t it be so much more peaceful, and great for our mental health and well-being, to just relax into whatever is happening?
Calmness is a gift.
Approaching life with a slow, contemplative attitude is a blessing that enhances our quality of living.
When someone asks you how your day was, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have really felt that it was just a great day because of the peace in your heart?
That could happen simply by saying goodbye to the always-busy, always cramming several tasks into one minute habit that so many of us seem stuck on.
Another Way to Be Mindful: Clear Your Day’s Plans
Here’s a strategy for increasing mindfulness in your life that very few people wouldn’t willingly jump into with great joy and delight.
Make a plan to not have a plan.
Indulge yourself in a full day of “whatever floats your boat” at the time.
One restriction on this: we should not get lost in technology on a day that we plan to be free of plans.
Simply put, there’s no way that we can use the words “mindful” and “tech” in the same sentence beyond the simple management of one’s smartphone use in a mindful way.
But if you’re actually looking to be mindful, spending a day potentially scrolling your social media feed is really not a way to bring mindfulness and increase happiness.
In fact, the very opposite is likely to happen.
Prolonged smart phone use:
- increases feelings of anxiety
- sets our nervous system to fight or flight mode
- increases obsessive compulsive thoughts
- can contribute to depression
So let’s get back to what can you do with your time on a day that you have reserved specifically for going with your own inner flow.
To prep for it, make sure the house is clean. You don’t want to spend your free day catching up on household chores because that’s no way to immerse yourself in the pleasure of living.
Also, it’ll just be more enjoyable to spend a day of mindfulness in clean, clutter-free surroundings.
Possible mindfulness activities for your “free to be me”, go-with-my flow” day:
- Cooking and eating a delicious meal, and taking great pleasure in each step of the food preparation, without hurry and without frustration
- Engaging in a favorite pastime such as a craft or a building project if that brings you pleasure.
- Sitting and playing a musical instrument, if you know how to do that and can entertain the family or your mate with a few songs.
- Spending time with your beloved pets, taking a leisurely stroll with your appreciative pup, lounging around with your cat sipping a warm cup of tea or perhaps knitting or curling up with a good book.
- Playing a game together as a family, or doing something fun and creative like writing a group story together.
Embark on Your Personal Journey to Greater Insight and Understanding: with Our Mindfulness Journaling E-Guide
We have a terrific, mindfulness journaling workbook and series of mindfulness exercises for you, in PDF format, for instant download via email. Click the link to take a peek. You’re moments away from your journey into mindfulness.
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