3 Tips To Shape & Sharpen Your Mind
Mindfulness is a practice that can be learnt and developed overtime with some simple steps. In fact, it can be as easy as making a few tweaks to your current daily routine.
But what is mindfulness and why is it important, you ask?
Well, mindfulness is about self-awareness and comes in a range of forms. Not only does it include practices such as meditation, it can also be present in many things like eating, walking, exercising and even breathing.
The truth is, exercising your mind is just as important as physical exercise and can have major impacts on your overall health.
Benefits of mindfulness in everyday life
It’s crucial to make time for you by prioritising mindfulness and adding it to your morning, day or night routine. And there are many benefits of doing this.
These include:
- Clearing your mind
- Improved decision making
- Reduced stress, anxiety and depression
- Pain relief
- Reduced insomnia
- Improved attention
- Improved sleep
- Relief for high blood pressure
- Decreased chance of job burnout
Ways to practice mindfulness
As mentioned, mindfulness comes in all shapes and sizes so the way you choose to practice it is totally up to you. It’s all about what makes you feel good, grounded and gives you the most clarity in your mind.
Here are some ways you may practice mindfulness in your life:
- Meditation: whether you choose to do a sitting, standing, full body scan or one-minute meditation, this is an old classic for practising mindfulness. If you need somewhere to start, check out the Live Life Get Active guided mindfulness meditations.
- Mindful eating: the practice of mindful eating involves a range of things from being fully aware of how your food smells, looks and taste to feeling the muscles you use as you chew. Essentially, it’s dedicating your entire attention to the eating process and thus practising mindfulness.
- Mindful walking: walking is a great way to clear the mind, whether that’s going on a nature hike or simply strolling in your local park. Mindful walking involves concentrating on your senses, such as the feeling of the earth, the smells and sights, and being present in the moment without outside distractions.
- Relaxing exercise: taking things slow when we exercise can be a great way to practice mindfulness while our bodies are moving. So why not give Yoga or Tai Chi a try? In fact, at Live Life Get Active we have a range of Yoga or Tai Chi classes you could give a go.
- Breathing: through drawing attention to the rhythm of your breathing, even if just for a few seconds, you rid yourself of outside distraction. By noticing the breaths flowing in and out of your nose and mouth, you enable your mind to enter a state of stillness and awareness, giving it room for mindfulness.
- Take note of the small things: there are likely a bunch of things in your life that you can turn into opportunities to practice mindfulness. These include things like quiet reading, making tea, having a bath, journaling, taking a break during the day etc. If you allow your mind to focus solely on the task at hand without it drifting, in that moment you are practising mindfulness.
3 top tips for adding it into your daily routine
- Put aside time for mindfulness: whether that’s 5 minutes or 30 minutes a day, make a promise to yourself that the time you allocate is solely for your mindfulness practice and nothing else.
- Be consistent: like physical exercise, regular mindfulness practice is crucial to see results. Make it part of your daily routine – the more you do it the more effortless it will become.
- Do what feels right for you: if you try something out and don’t like it, try something else! Find what feels good for you and fits within your lifestyle – one size definitely doesn’t fit all when it comes to practising mindfulness.
HAVE YOU FILLED OUT YOUR DIARY FOR THE WEEK?
Download your weekly planner and daily journal below to keep track of your journey towards a fitter, happier, healthier you !
WANT TO START FEELING GOOD BUT NOT A LIVE LIFE GET ACTIVE MEMBER?
Fill in our registration form to become an online member here and gain access to FREE Pilates, Tai Chi, Meditation, Fitness, Yoga and Nutrition programmes.
We’ve got everything you need to stay active so login and book your active training, yoga class and meditation either in the park or online now.
References
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
Black Dog Institute: http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/1-mindfulnessineverdaylife.pdf?sfvrsn=6
Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/staying-well/relaxation-exercises
Headspace: https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/mindfulness/
