Mindfulness is important for both your mental health and your physical health so it is essential to find some time in your daily routine to add in some simple ways to practice mindfulness.
Being mindful is simply the ability to be fully present and aware of the moment, one’s actions, and one’s thoughts without judgment and without feeling overwhelmed or consumed by them. Rather you are able to calm down your mind and observe reality as it is, without labeling it bad or good.
By just practicing mindfulness for a few minutes each day, you can already see profound changes in your overall well-being and the way you experience life. And the good news is, there are simple ways to practice mindfulness that you can add to your daily routine that are easy and take little time but will lead to big results.
So, today I’m sharing 5 simple ways to practice mindfulness that will take you less than 5 minutes! But first, let’s talk about what a mindfulness practice is actually.
What is a mindfulness practice?
A mindfulness practice is simply any practice in which you slow down your thoughts and bring more awareness to the present moment. So often we are either thinking about the future, or about something that happens in the past.
But the key to a peaceful life is constantly bringing back your mind to the present moments. In his book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle beautifully illustrates the concept of presence in the moment.
Mindfulness practices come down to 3 cores: Intention, attention, and acceptance.
First, the intention to become more aware of your surroundings, your emotions, and your thoughts. Secondly, bringing your attention to what is happening in your current reality, rather than drifting off to the future or past. And lastly, acceptance of your reality, free of judgment and labeling.
The benefits of a daily mindfulness practice
One might think that the benefits of mindfulness practice are simply mental. But by adding simple ways to practice mindfulness into your everyday routine, you are actually benefiting your physical health too.
Mentally, simple mindfulness practices can help relieve symptoms of depression and prevent these symptoms from returning in the future.
When practiced regularly, mindfulness can increase emotional regulation, reduce anxiety and stress, improve memory, and aid your cognitive ability.
If these benefits weren’t enough, there are a host of physical benefits to practicing mindfulness too. According to a special health report published by Harvard Medical School, mindfulness can help relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties.
Further, practicing mindfulness will also benefit your nervous system. The mind is programmed to constantly solve problems, and predict the future. Which it does to protect us. So don’t see your mind as your enemy, rather approach it as a friend. If you learn to be capable to focus on the present, you can calm your nervous system down when it goes into overdrive.
5 simple ways to practice mindfulness daily in under 5 minutes
Now, let’s dive into 5 simple ways to practice mindfulness that you can use daily. These take less than 5 minutes so it will be easy to add one or more of these to your daily routine. Believe me, the benefits will be worth it.
These practices can be done by anyone, from anywhere and you do not need any special skills or equipment. Start by incorporating one practice into your routine and then when you feel comfortable with it, try adding another one.
Meditation
Meditation is the practice of intentionally spending time with one’s mind, paying attention to the present moment, and deepening the awareness of oneself.
To start, simply set a timer for 5 minutes, get comfy, close your eyes, and bring your focus to your breath. When your thoughts drift to your to-do list gently bring your awareness back to yourself and your breathing. There are also apps, like Insight Timer, that you can use for guided meditations if sitting in silence feels a bit overwhelming for you at first.
For someone who has never meditated before this might seem difficult, but as long as you start small and try not to be too hard on yourself, you will soon be able to meditate with more ease. Also, check out my blog post for a few more tips to get started: 7 easy steps to meditation for beginners.
Free flow writing
Free flow writing is a great and simple way to practice mindfulness as it allows you to get everything that is worrying you out of your mind and onto paper. You can then tap into and explore the deeper emotions you are feeling that are hiding below the surface.
An easy way to do this is to sit in a comfy spot with no distractions, set your timer for 5 minutes, and simply write whatever comes to mind in your journal. Don’t worry about grammar, sentence structure, neatness, or word choice. You will see that at the start this feels a bit unnatural like you have nothing to say but by the time your timer goes off you will be writing from the heart.
Conscious breathing
Another simple way to practice mindfulness is conscious breathing. It is the practice of slowing your breathing down and paying attention to the sensation of the breath going in and out of your body. It is the act of bringing awareness to how your breath moves through your body.
To try this, find a comfortable seated position, set a timer for 5 minutes, and close your eyes. Focus on how your breath feels. Try to breathe deeply from your diaphragm rather than from your chest. Notice how your breath feels moving through your body and how your body expands and contracts around it.
You will notice that with conscious breathing, your thoughts start to calm down and your mind clears.
You can also do this simple mindfulness practice when you are feeling overwhelmed to help gain peace and clarity. Simply focus on taking 3 big inhales, being mindful of the breath, and drawing your attention away from your thoughts and towards your body. Doing this will help you to slow down and be able to reassess the situation.
Practice gratitude
Gratitude practices are especially powerful for increasing mindfulness as they bring your awareness back to your own life and the things that bring you joy rather than focusing on the next chore that needs to be done.
An easy way to do this is to write down 5 things you are grateful for at the start of every day. These don’t have to be huge, exciting things.
They can be as simple as you being grateful for the sun outside, or another beautiful day on this earth.
It can also help to have a gratitude practice before you eat or drink. By observing your food before you consume it, you can thank Pachamama. Further, you are slowing down and becoming aware of the food and all that had to happen to the food, from seed to harvest, for the food to land on your plate.
This will also help you to slow down and eat your food more mindfully which aids in digestion.
Connect with nature & the present moment
Last but not least, another simple way to practice mindfulness is by connecting with nature and acknowledging the present moment. This can be as easy as looking up from your desk out of the window and observing what is happening outside.
What can you see? Are there birds in the sky? Can you hear them singing? What color are the leaves on the trees? Is the wind rustling the leaves? Really take the time to let your mind wander.
You can also go for a walk and be present in nature. Even if you do not have a lot of time, a short 5-minute walk will help you ground yourself and be more mindful of the present moment.
Start your mindfulness practice
I hope these 5 simple ways to practice mindfulness give you some inspiration to start incorporating mindfulness into your daily life. With only 5 minutes every day, you can already start seeing the benefits unfolding.
And remember to start small. You do not have to incorporate all of these practices into your daily routine at once. Rather try one at a time. If you feel like one of these practices doesn’t work for you, give yourself the freedom to try another one. We are all different and what works for one person may not work for another.
Practicing mindfulness, in any capacity, can truly help you to live a fulfilled life.
Even just a few minutes a day can help you to unlock the amazing mental and physical benefits of mindfulness. If you would like some more guidance to start, I’ve created a free 5-day long Blissful Mornings program to help you infuse mindfulness into your morning and hopefully carry it with you throughout your whole day. Find out more here.
