How to Add Mindfulness to 5 Activities You Already Do On A Regular Basis

In a busy fast-paced world, life just zooms past. And while we can’t stop the clock, we can certainly incorporate mindfulness as a way to truly experience each passing moment.

Wake, eat, work, sleep, repeat. Every night when I close the curtains, I find myself thinking where has the day gone?

And it is only going to get quicker. Do you notice?

It has never been more important to GET MINDFUL!!

Want to learn more about mindfulness before you read on? Here’s How Mindfulness Actually Works

With time speeding up and our lives whizzing past, it is vital that we really begin to slow the mind, slow our own personal pace and notice the beauty, glory and wonder in every moment.
 

Once your subconscious mind gets into the habit of reminding you to be mindful, you will notice more and more moments of beautiful clarity and peace seeping into your day.

 
Read on for five fantastic ways you can practice mindfulness in activities that you already do on a regular basis.
 
 

Here Are 5 Everyday Opportunities to Add a Healthy Dose of Mindfulness:

1. Walking

When you are out walking, slow your pace a little and look around you. Pay attention to the colors, textures and the way things move within the atmosphere.

Listen intently to the sounds. Nature sounds, traffic sounds, people, planes. Whether you’re taking your dog for a walk or walking through a store, have fun becoming acutely aware of your surroundings.

Hold your chest up, keep your shoulders relaxed and consciously place your feet on the ground – from heel to toe. Even our posture can be mindful, and is also one of the first things to suffer when we are not mindful.

Try practicing a Breath Walk Meditation. This is a walking meditation in which you time your steps with a particular breathing pattern (option to add a mantra while you walk).

Want to explore more walking meditations? Try These 4 Different Forms of Walking Meditations
 

2. Household Chores

Next time you do the dishes, notice the colors in the soap bubbles. Feel the texture of the bubbles against your skin, or if you’re wearing rubber gloves, see the gloves as an extension of your skin.

Chores can often feel like a bit of a grind, however with a little creative thinking they can become a joy, and that high vibration will permeate your home with good energy.

As you’re sorting laundry, offer thanks for the clothes that you have. As you vacuum, be grateful for the clean carpets and floors that you can tread lightly on afterwards.

After dusting, admire the clean surfaces and visualize the stunning reflections shining back up into the universe, even if on a matte surface.

And when you have a particularly unlovable job (cleaning bathrooms for instance, not my fave), try using a mantra. Any mantra that resonates with you can be used, or you can choose something that helps you stay mindful like I am present or I am grounded.

Mantras take the mind into a beautiful blissful state, and are a powerful tool for mindfulness.
 

3. Grocery Shopping

Whether you’re grocery shopping or some other form of shopping, as you pick things off of the shelves or hangers ask yourself the question – Do I need this?

Feel the textures and see the colors of your item and mindfully consider whether it is what you want and require.

Mindless shopping leads to an excess of food waste or clothes that you’ve never worn clogging up closets, so become mindful prior to making purchases.

This is an environmental issue as much as it is a healthy mindset issue for you. Bonus mindfulness points: try shopping in season.

Want to learn more about buying seasonal produce? Here Are 5 Benefits of Buying Produce In Season

As another extra oomph of mindfulness, if standing in line to check out, plant your feet and enjoy some deep breathing. It will assist you in having mental clarity and patience.
 

4. Driving

One thing I ALWAYS do prior to starting my car is to stop and take a full, deep breath and then switch on the ignition.

Have you ever gotten to your destination and are not able to remember your journey there? Once the act of driving has become mundane, it’s easy to switch on the autopilot in our brains. Not only is this not safe, it’s certainly not mindful either!

Here are some tips to add to your moment of pause before you start driving:

• At traffic lights, turn the radio off and take some deep breaths
• Become aware of your surroundings – are you driving down a busy street or an open country road?
• Listen to the sound of your vehicle and the cars around you. Roll down your windows and notice the difference

5. Cooking

I am sure that by this point in the article, you are aware of the fundamentals of mindful behavior – to be present with your task at hand.

Cooking is one of the greatest activities we can incorporate mindfulness into. A meal cooked with care, precision and love is far more enjoyable than a rushed, thrown together plate of food.

Love on and appreciate the ingredients, and notice their colors, textures and scents. Breathe it all in as you prepare them! Enjoy watching the energy and movement of the food as you cook.

Plate up with pride as you offer the delicious food to your family and yourself. Finally, take a moment to experience gratitude for the meal before diving in.

If you have kids, you can introduce them to mindfulness too! Here Are 15 Fantastic Ways to Introduce Mindfulness to Kids
 
 

Infuse All of Your Days With Mindfulness

The constant pursuit of mindfulness does not have to be difficult.

Once your subconscious mind gets into the habit of reminding you to be mindful, you will notice more and more moments of beautiful clarity and peace seeping into your day.
 

Mindfulness isn’t difficult. We just need to remember to do it. -Sharon Salzberg

 
For today, take one tip from this list of activities and try it out. Tomorrow, try another and continue adding on over time.

As you build up these habits, mindfulness will become something that you are, rather than something you try to be. As NY Times best selling mindfulness author of Real Change Sharon Salzberg says, “Mindfulness isn’t difficult. We just need to remember to do it.”