5 Mindfulness Methods That Will Improve Your Wellbeing
Most of us tend to go through our daily
routines in a similar manner every day. We are so used to this daily
rhythm, to the point where our actions can become automatic – we can go
through a whole day in that robotic fashion, following the same fixed
orders our brain sends us. But shouldn’t you be the one in control of
your mind rather than vice versa?
What is Mindfulness?
A good way to regain that control is by
practicing mindfulness. This technique originates in Buddhism, and it
started gaining popularity in the west by the late 1970s when it was
incorporated in medical practices and mental health treatments.
Nowadays, mindfulness programs are applied in schools, hospitals and
even prisons around the world.
This list contains 5 moments in life in which mindfulness can be
helpful, with practical tips on how to implement it.
1. Mindful Morning Routine – Set a Goal for the Day
When we get out of bed mindlessly in the
morning, without a guiding thought or a specific goal for the day, we
give our minds “permission” to operate through the subconscious. When
that happens, our decision-making process is aimless and can feel random
or meaningless. You can overcome that feeling by creating a mindful
morning routine. Instead of checking your phone and your e-mails first
thing in the morning, try to do the following:
1. When You Wake Up, Sit Up in Bed For a Few Moments – Close your eyes,
and feel the sensation in your body when you’re sitting up. Feel the
weight of your body and the softness of your bed. Make sure you are
sitting up straight.
2. Take 3 Deep Breaths – Inhale through the nose, exhale through the
mouth. After that, let your breath take its natural course and listen to
it. Pay attention to the movements happening in your body when you
breathe – how your chest and abdomen rise and fall.
3. Ask Yourself ‘What Are My Intentions Today?’ – Think of the people
you’re about to see today and the activities and tasks you will do. What
are your intentions? Maybe leaving others with a positive impression of
you? Or feeling more at ease in your interactions?
4. Set a Goal For the Rest of the Day – For example, “today I will be
kind to myself, joyful and patient with those around me”.
5. Check on Yourself During the Day – Stop what you’re doing from time
to time, take a breath and remind yourself of the goal you set in the
morning.
Practicing these steps over time can lead to an overall improvement in
your mood, and in your relationships.
2. Mindful Eating – Enjoy Every Bite
It’s easy to get distracted while eating
and to get in a rhythm of just chewing and swallowing. However, eating
is one of the most pleasurable moments in our day, and it would be a
shame not to savor it fully. Eating mindfully will allow you to have a
richer, more satisfying experience. Moreover, it’s a good way of
controlling the quantity of food you consume, as each bite will become
more meaningful and important in your mind. These are the steps for
mindful eating:
1. Breathe Before Starting to Eat – Busy schedules make us go from one
task to the next without taking a moment to breathe in between. Have
that awareness in mind, and before you start your meal take a moment to
breathe deeply, calm down, and let your body transition to a state of
eating. Sit comfortably, slowly take 8-10 breaths and only then go on to
the next stage.
2. Listen to Your Body - After breathing, gain awareness of your
physical sensations, mainly in the stomach. Ask yourself ‘How hungry am I
on a scale of 1-10?’ You might also ask why you’re hungry; is your
stomach empty? Are you bored? Try not to think of the last time you ate
and just listen to your physical sensations in the present moment.
3. Eat According to Your Hunger Level - Now that you are aware of your
feeling of hunger and its reasons, you can choose better what and how
much you want to eat.
4. Eat Calmly – Don’t try to finish the meal quickly. Eat slowly and
breathe between bites.
5. If You Aren’t Enjoying, Don’t Force Yourself to Continue – During the
first 3 bites, feel the taste and texture of the food and think of how
much enjoyment you are getting from what you are consuming. If you find
that you aren’t experiencing joy, simply stop eating. You will find that
if you practice this step – even sweets sometimes become less
appealing.
3. Fall Asleep Mindfully -Meditate for better sleep
The busier our lives, the harder it can get to fall asleep. A constant
stream of thoughts and worries is washing over our minds as we try to
unwind. Falling asleep mindfully, which has proven helpful to a large
part of the population, is done through practicing meditation before
bed.
1. Dim the Lights - You should do this as early as one hour before your
planned sleep time. Lighting plays an important part in calming our
thoughts.
2. Avoid Screens - Once you have deemed the lights, you can engage in a
relaxing activity outside of your bed, but try not to look at any
screens - phone, computer, or TV. The light they produce can keep you
awake and alert.
3. Meditate - 10 minutes before bedtime, begin a focused mindfulness
exercise. If you are new to meditation, there are many great apps to
help you get started. You can check out this article on sleeping apps to
find the one for you.
4. Mindful Leisure Time – Rewire the Brain
Experts claim that about 95% of our daily actions are done on
‘autopilot’, in a process which is controlled by the ‘fast brain’. The
neurotransmitters that control our repetitive habits do it with such
efficiency, and that is what makes breaking a habit (e.g. smoking)
difficult. Mindfulness is the exact opposite of automatically giving in
to habits, and when we practice it, we put our ‘slow brain’ to use.
The more you practice, the stronger the sense of control over the mind
becomes, and new habits can form. But there is one problem. While our
‘slow brain’ is doing the work, the ‘fast brain’ is still trying to get
us to take shortcuts. To remind ourselves that we’re the ones in power
over our minds we can take a number of steps:
1. Create a Motivating Environment – If one of your goals for the day is
to stretch instead of sitting on the couch watching TV, place your
workout mat in the middle of the living room. It will remind you of your
decision, and invite you to take action.
2. Mix Up Your Motivation Methods - The previous tip might work for a
week or so. After that the ‘fast brain’ will prompt you to go back to
your old habits, and caving to it will be harder to resist. Therefore,
you need to freshen up the ways in which you motivate yourself to take
action. For example, instead of placing the mat in the living room,
stick a note on the TV screen saying ’10 minutes of stretches’.
3. Intentionally Create New Patterns of Thinking - Create a new thought
pattern using the ‘X means Y’ model. For example, if you want to be more
relaxed and happy when you get home from work, repeat the mantra
‘Coming in through the door means a smile’. If you’re nervous about
making phone calls, repeat ‘phone calls mean deep breaths’. This
intentional conditioning will help you be more aware of your actions and
behaviors, by using the ‘slow brain’.
5. Mindful Driving – Stay Calm On the Road
There is nothing more irritating than being
stuck in traffic. The thought of being late for work, or just stuck for
hours initiates our ‘fight or flight’ response. Some of us feel like
we’re ‘going crazy’ on the road, and say or do things that we wouldn’t
have said or done normally. The worse the traffic jam is, the higher the
stress level. It may not look like it, but that is actually the perfect
time to try a few mindfulness techniques, that might help balance your
mood and change your perspective on your current situation.
1. First of All, Take a Deep Breath – It might sound corny and
simplistic, but inhaling oxygen into your body does help to reduce
stress levels. While you breathe, remind yourself that the choice is
yours, and you choose to stay calm.
2. Ask Yourself What You Need – If you need to regain your composure,
try to notice exactly how you feel in each part of your body and find
the parts that are tense. If it is a feeling of security that you need,
remind yourself that even if you’re late for work, everything will be
alright. If you’re 15 minutes late you can stay an extra 15 minutes at
the end of the day – every problem has a solution.
3. Look Around at Other Drivers – Everyone on the road wants to feel
safe and calm, but not everyone manages to do so. Try to find a driver
that feels the same way as you, to understand how a stressed driver
looks like from the outside. You might find people who manage road
stress by singing in the car or even smiling. When you spot them, you
will instantly feel better.