Have you ever experienced a day when you didn’t take any time for yourself at all? Our lives are constantly filled with work, meetings, plans, goals and experiences. While all of these things make our lives worthwhile, it’s important for our own mental health that we take some time to look inward and focus on our mindfulness.
If you’re new to mindfulness or you haven’t taken time for it in a while, remember that you don’t need grand plans to get started. Mindfulness can start with one small change in your life right now. Here are some of our suggestions:
1. Mindfulness begins with meditation.
The reality of living in a fast-paced world is that if you don’t schedule a certain amount of time to something, the chances are much lower of you actually doing it. If you take just 10 minutes every day to really get in tune with your mind and body through meditation, you’ll feel so much more at peace. Schedule this time as soon as you wake up in the morning or right before you go to bed.
2. New to meditation? Consider taking a class.
Meditation is certainly a skill that takes some practice. If you’ve never really taken the time to mediate before, it may be helpful to get assistance from a class or certified professional. Meditation classes can be found in many places, including yoga studios or online.
3. Write down your thoughts and emotions.
Some of us may be better at keeping a journal than others. You don’t necessarily need to journal for hours every single day to stay in tune with your thoughts. If you’re short on time, simply write down a few thoughts about how you’re feeling or how your day went right before you go to sleep at night.
4. Keep your expectations low while working on your mindfulness.
We often get discouraged or intimidated by working on mindfulness when we feel like we’re not immediately reaching our goals. Remember that mindfulness can take months or even years to really make an impact on your lifestyle. Keep your goals small, work on mindfulness a little bit every day and don’t create expectations that are larger than life.
We urge you to take some time to work on your mindfulness this week. It’s a great way to stay positive and clear your mind so you can focus your days on helping those around you.
