Are you stuck at home during COVID and wondering how to be “mindful in your everyday life? Here are 6 simple “mindful activities” for you to integrate into your life.
1. One-minute mindfulness meditation. Get in a comfortable position and set your timer for one minute. Close your eyes and focus on the breath. Feel the breath entering and exiting your nose. Notice how your belly and chest rise and fall with the breath. Continue to breathe in your own comfortable rhythm. If a thought comes into your mind just come back to feeling the breath.
2. Mindful Eating. Grab your favourite snack and eat it mindfully. Look at your snack and take a moment to think about where it came from. Place it in your hand. How much does it weigh and how does it feel? What does it look like? Slowly open or unwrap it, listening to the sound it makes. Examine your snack from all sides, engaging each of your senses – touch, sight, sound, and smell. Place it on your lips and notice what happens. Place it in your mouth and move it around inside your mouth tuning into all the different sensations. Slowly take a bite, savouring the flavour, chew it at least 30 times before swallowing, and then think about why you enjoyed it.
Benefits of Mindful Eating
- Food is going to taste better as you experience many flavours present in every morsel.
- A sense of patience and calmness will spread over you, igniting the feeling of contentment and ease.
- It will be a break from your hectic routine.
- Gradually you will be directed to eat healthier and lighter food.
- Develop a deeper connection with the body as you become more attuned towards your desires and needs.
3. Mindful Touch Massage your arms. Using hand lotion, work your way up from your hands to your elbows with soothing motions. Tuning into the sensations and notice if there is any tension. What is the temperature of the skin and the lotion? How does it feel?
4. Listen to comforting sounds. Choose whether you want to play your favourite song or simply sit outside and listen to the sounds of nature. Close your eyes and take in all the sounds to enjoy a moment of peace. Let the sounds come and go.
5. Mindful Colouring in. Colouring in is a relaxing, easy activity that can help put you at ease.
- An easy way to calm the mind and occupy the hands
- It is a form of meditation
- Relieves stress and anxiety
- It allows you to find peace within yourself
- It can regulate your breathing which in turn will make you feel more relaxed!
- It can be a gratifying feeling of watching colours come together
- It can improve mental focus
- You do not have to sit for hours to feel relaxed
- IT’S FUN
6.Go for a Mindful Walk
Start by feeling your feet on the floor Before even getting out of your chair, turn your attention to your intent to walk mindfully. Rise and allow yourself to become aware of the sensation of standing. Put your attention on your body. Pause, take one conscious breath. Begin to move your feet. If possible, walk slowly and deliberately to aid you in your practice. Notice how the floor feels under your feet, how your clothes feel swishing around your body. Pay attention to the details in your surroundings—be present in your here in and now experience. Aim to be there for every step.