No Time to Practice Mindfulness?  Try These Ideas!

Integrating mindfulness doesn’t need to be boring or time consuming.  Get creative with how you approach your everyday tasks and there are sure to be places to create mindful moments. With a little deliberate planning and focused awareness, you can find lots of ways to practice mindfulness.  

Explore…a New Neighborhood

Either walk in a different place in your neighborhood or park somewhere new on your way home.  Obviously you want to choose a place that you feel safe walking in, but other than that…the sky is the limit.  

Recently we started exploring various alleys and new streets around our neighborhood and it has been so much fun.  Exploring in this way gives me a better appreciation for where I live and it has allowed me to bring more mindfulness to our walks because I’m not just walking on autopilot.

So ask  yourself, where can I explore today? And…leave the phones on silent!

Discover…a Sit Spot

Find a place to sit and be.  Maybe it’s a cafe, a bench or a picnic table at a park, or even a parking lot.  Find a spot that you enjoy going to and people watch or do a little sitting mindfulness practice.

I have found some great spots in the last month in my neighborhood and have deliberately stopped on my way home to do some writing.  I have discovered that if I go home….surprise…I get distracted!  So, I found a place to sit where I can be completely focused on the task at hand.  I’m much more productive…and relaxed!  Bonus!

Learn…Something New

Look in the paper, on local bulletin boards or on your facebook news feed to find some interesting local learning opportunities.  Learning new information creates new neural pathways and this helps with focus and concentration.  What do all of these things have in common?  They all contribute to training your brain to be more mindful.

In the past month, I have gone on a few plant walks and it has been such a great experience.  I can now identify a variety of plants that grow in our local forests during this season. I’ve been frequenting these trails and looking at these plants my entire life but through these focused plant walks, I am now able to better identify certain species.  Remember, you’re never too old to learn something new!

So what do these things all have in common?  They allow you to bring mindfulness to specific experiences that may even enrich your life!  So get creative and try to find ways to bring mindfulness to your everyday experiences…not only will they save you time, but I have no doubt that you will find more enjoyment in the activities you are doing!  Happy exploring!