5 Easy Ways To Use Mindfulness-Tips from an Online Therapist

Mindfulness is the most recent buzz word in the world of self-care. But What exactly is it and how do you practice it?

I’ll tell you what it is and show you ways you can practice it quickly and easily anywhere you are.

 What is mindfulness?

According to Mindful.org, “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it.”

It might sound like something only a zen yogi can master, but it’s actual simple and easy and can be done anywhere in just a few minutes.

The benefits of mindfulness

There are many benefits of mindfulness. Mindful.org writes “mindfulness affects many aspects of our psychological well-being—improving our mood, increasing positive emotions, and decreasing our anxiety, emotional reactivity, and job burnout.”

How do I practice Mindfulness?

Sight

Using what you can see to create a moment of mindfulness lends itself to a wide variety of things to focus on. The first question I like to ask is, what do you find beautiful? Focusing on something of beauty helps quiet the mind and the soul. Is it something in nature? Find a picture of a place that is beautiful to you and focus on that.  I love the beach, so looking a video of waves, or a picture of a beautiful beach instantly relaxes me.  Concentrate of the picture and imagine yourself there and notice what happens to your mind and body when you do.

 Keep a picture, or an actual thing (think flowers) of beauty around you so that can look at it several times a day.

Smell

Memories tied to smell are some of the most powerful memories we have.  Smelling fresh baked cookies may take you back to a memory of your mother or grandmother.  Fresh cut grass may take you back to a lazy day in a hammock. But you don’t have to have had an idyllic childhood to use smells to invite mindfulness. What’s a smell that you love, just for the scent? I know it’s weird, but I love the smell of burning matches.  I’m not suggesting you burn things down, but if, like me, you like that smell, then light a match and concentrate on the smell for a few seconds. Find a favorite scent and I can promise there’s a candle with that scent available online. Order it and keep it by your desk so you can smell it whenever you need a break from the craziness of the day.

Hearing

What sounds soothe you?  Do you like classical music? A good guitar riff? A babbling brook? A baby’s laugh? Identify sounds that you like and keep a clip of them downloaded on your phone or computer. Take 30 seconds to listen to it. Another great way to use sounds for mindfulness is to stop what you’re doing and scan your environment for as many sounds as you can hear.  Count as many as you can.  Right now, I can hear the air conditioner, the fan, traffic and a bird singing. What can you hear right now?

Taste

Eating mindfully can help not only your mental health, but your digestive health as well.  How many of us eat while working, watching tv, or doing something else that distracts us? It’s hard to really notice the taste of your food and enjoy it when you’re not paying attention to it. Take an actual lunch break (away from your desk!) and notice what your food tastes like. If you don’t have time for a full lunch break, here’s a delicious and fun way to use you sense of taste for mindfulness. Take one M&M and place it in your mouth, but don’t eat it.  Just notice the texture.  It starts off smooth, but then gets rough as the candy coating melts. Then it gets creamy when you get to the chocolate center.  It should take about a minute to eat the M&M, and during that time, notice the experience. A healthier variation is to take a raisin and notice how it goes from rough and wrinkled to smooth and plump as it absorbs the liquid in your mouth.

Touch

Using touch for mindfulness is also a sense that lends itself to variety.  What feels comforting to you? Something smooth? Rough? Soft? Cold? Hot? Keep an object near by that feels good when you touch it and focus on what it feels like. This is also something easy to do when out and about- keep a small object in a pocket or purse (a rock, sea glass, a nail file) that you take with you to help you keep calm in stressful situations by focusing on what it feels like no matter where you go.

You can practice mindfulness simply, easily and quickly using any of your senses to master a moment of calm. Don’t worry, you’re not trying achieving a level of zen, just helping yourself quiet those thoughts, calm those fears, that’s all you need to get through the moment.

 If you’d like to work together to learn more about mindfulness and how to calm anxiety or fear related to trauma triggers, feel free to contact me at www.restorativecounselingcetner.org