
In today’s busy world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or stressed by the distractions that are all around you. One of the best and most effective ways to come back from this is through mindfulness activities.
This is the practice that encourages you to be fully present and aware of your surroundings, feelings and thoughts.
It isn’t just about meditation, but a holistic approach that will help you reconnect with the present moment in a big way. Doing this improves your mental clarity and reduces anxiety.
What Mindfulness Does
One of the key reasons mindfulness is so effective for stress is due to its ability to shift your mindset from being to doing. In other words, it helps to stop the constant rush to worry, plan and achieve as it can overtake your mind.
Mindfulness allows you to live and exist in the present. This is going to reduce your stress hormones, and improve your concentration and mental focus. It’s also going to boost your emotional resilience in a big way.
You also experience a higher quality of sleep when you do this. It may also reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Mindfulness Activities that Calm Your Mind
Not all mindfulness involves just sitting still. In fact, there are many activities out there that you can engage in that can help you focus when they are done intentionally.
Consider knitting, darning, gardening or a game of solitaire. These activities are going to encourage a state of flow where you are fully absorbed in what you are doing.
When you start focusing on the present task you are going to free your mind from racing thoughts as well as stress. This is going to leave you feeling more centered and peaceful over time.
Engaging in mindfulness in this way is not that difficult, this is what makes it the perfect stress buster.
How to Incorporate Mindfulness Into Your Day
Incorporating mindfulness into your day does not have to be difficult. Breathing exercises help you to take a few minutes to focus on your breathing rhythms. You can breathe in slowly through your nose and hold it for a few seconds. You can also exhale through your mouth. Just this simple practice is going to calm you and reduce your stress almost instantly.
Mindful walking is a great way to incorporate mindfulness into your day. Whether it involves walking around the block or pacing in your home, you should mindfully enjoy the sensation of each step.
Begin to notice how your feet are touching the ground, the rhythm of your body and even the sights and sounds that are around you.
You can do a body scan. Just take a moment to mentally scan your body from head to toe and then look at the areas of tension and discomfort that you see. You can then make an effort to relax consciously. This is a great activity that you can do before bed as it will release you from the tension you have absorbed throughout the day.
This is a collaborative post.
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