Making the shift from living Mindlessly to Mindfully

 
How to Live Mindfully  

Giving space to your experience (even when it’s uncomfortable): When struggling with mental health symptoms, it is common to feel resistance towards uncomfortable emotions, thoughts, or sensations. Mindfulness can help you notice and acknowledge your present experience, especially when it is challenging or uncomfortable. Noticing and identifying your emotions and thoughts often reduces their intensity and can help you respond to your experience mindfully.  

For more information on how to practice tuning into emotions, check out the post titled: “Mindfulness and Emotions: Embracing Emotions’ 

Making intentional choices about how you spend your time: Have you ever noticed yourself acting out of impulse or doing a certain task just because it’s something you’re in the habit of doing? More specifically, do you notice yourself doing these things that aren’t actually serving you well? To practice living mindfully, one important thing to do is be very intentional about the choices you make, the activities you do, and for how long. For example, imagine the difference between binge-watching a show. You finish one episode, and the countdown starts for the next episode. You have 5 seconds to disengage, but it’s easier to just let it roll onto the next one, so you don’t have to think about what’s next on your to-do list. This experience of watching TV will have a very different effect than if you decide you want to watch 1 episode of your favorite show every day, or if you invite a friend over to watch the show together. Being able to disengage when you want can make the activity itself more enjoyable than if you’re engaged out of impulse. 

Finding ways to build awareness of your environment: If you feel overwhelmed by thoughts, worries, fears, etc., consider taking a mindfulness break. This can be any length of time, but the goal is to give your brain a break, by practicing focused attention on something in your external surroundings. Some examples include: 

• Mindful Walking:​ Going for a walk inside or outside. You can observe your external surroundings without judgement or pay attention to the way your body feels as you move. This can include: 

• Noticing the color of the trees 

• Feeling the ground beneath your feet 

• Feel the air on your skin 

• Listen to the sounds in your environment 

• Spending time with a pet​: Take a moment to pet or observe your pet doing whatever they are doing. Again, notice the sights, sounds, smells, and textures that pertain to them. Consider setting a short timer and committing to the observation for that length of time. 

• Watching the weather​: Take a moment to look out your window. Notice the weather patterns. Is it sunny? Rainy? Windy? Is the weather impacting the movement of the trees?  

• Mindful eating: Grab a favorite food or a snack, or practice this while eating a meal. Before taking a bite, look at the food and observe its qualities (i.e., color, shape, texture). Then, smell the food and take a moment to take in its scent. Put the food in your mouth and notice how it feels on your tongue. When you take a bite, notice the texture or how it feels between your teeth. Take a moment to reflect on its flavor before swallowing and taking your next bite. 

• Putting on hand cream: Choose a hand lotion or cream, open the container or squeeze a small amount into your palm. Observe the texture of the lotion, take a moment to notice the scent of the lotion before rubbing it into your hands. While doing so, notice the temperature or any soothing effects that it might have. Consider giving yourself a hand massage and focusing your attention on the sensations in your muscles as you do so. 

Incorporate mindfulness into mundane daily tasks: Tune into your 5 senses while doing mundane daily tasks. Notice the sights, sounds, smells, physical sensations, and taste (if applicable). It helps to pick a task you do daily and try to live mindfully during that moment. Some ideas for activities to try this with include: 

• Showering 

• Washing dishes 

• Mowing the lawn 

• Sweeping 

• Brushing your teeth 

• Driving to work  

Mindfulness can be more than a practice you do; it can be a way of being, a way of moving through the world and experiencing your life. It can have profound impacts, and it can start with small, consistent changes in perception, attitude, and/or behaviour.  

Resources 

www.Mindful.org  

Mindfulness | Greater Good 

Mindfulness Center | School of Public Health | Brown University 

References List 

Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822 

Campbell-Sills, L., Barlow, D. H., Brown, T. A., & Hofmann, S. G. (2006). Acceptability and suppression of negative emotion in anxiety and mood disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(9), 1301–1313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.10.001 

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. 

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. Hyperion. 

Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2009). Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapies in Practice. Guilford Press. 

Shapiro, S. L., Carlson, L. E., Astin, J. A., & Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(3), 373–386. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20237