Is your life full of meetings, doctor appointments, household chores, errands, and running the kids to all their activities? Would like to live mindfully, but your schedule is already overfilled? Perhaps you can’t go 5 minutes without being interrupted during the day. I know not everyone has time to sit around meditating and doing long workout routines daily. I’m going to give you 15 activities that will only take a moment here and there throughout your day to complete. These activities will help you to live a more mindful life. You can start by adding just one daily or try for them all. You can even come up with a few more you want to try using the same concepts.
- Dress Mindfully. When you get up in the morning don’t just throw on whatever looks clean in your stack. Think about what you are doing. What color(s) do you want to wear today? How does the fabric feel against your skin? What function does the outfit have to serve today? I like to check the weather and my calendar to make sure I’m dressing appropriately for my day.
- What do you hear? You may be busy with your morning routine, but when you walk outside for the first time in the morning…Pause. Take a moment to really listen to your surroundings. Did you hear birds, wind chimes, animals, cars, rain drops? Your kids can pause with you to listen.
- Drive/Walk with awareness. Sounds like something we should be doing anyway, but how many times have you arrived at your destination and not remembered how you got there? Take time to feel the steering wheel in your hands or the breeze on your face. Take a look at your surroundings. What do you see? What does the sky look like? Are you passing by people? Perhaps you could smile and say hello or give a friendly wave. Life is a journey, so you might as well enjoy how you get through it.
- Take time to smell the roses. Literally when you go to the grocery store, why not take a couple of moments to notice the smell of the roses and other flowers? What do they smell like? What do they look like?
- How many senses do you use for lunch? Take a moment to really pay attention to your food. How does it sound when you prepare it? What does it look like? What does it smell like? Is it hot or cold? What does it taste like? How does it feel inside of your mouth? Is it smooth, creamy, or crunchy? Does it fill your stomach?
- Mindfully wash your hands. That means pay attention to what you are doing. Why are you washing your hands? Is the water cold, warm, or hot? What does the soap look like? What does the soap smell like? Are you thinking of one of those hand washing songs we teach kids to sing so they scrub for long enough? What color is the towel for drying? How does it feel?
- Take a moment to help someone. Sounds strange but it will often leave you feeling refreshed. So hold a door open, carry a bag, or pick up a dropped object. Do it with a smile. And don’t forget those polite words “Your welcome” and “Have a nice day”.
- Take a moment for a random stretch/ exercise. Maybe you can’t fit the whole routine in, but you will feel better having done one or two things to keep your blood flowing. You could do a couple squats or stand on your toes when doing chores in the kitchen. You could try some lunges or yoga warrior poses while you are standing around waiting for your child to be done with their activity. See what you can come up with. How does it make your body feel when you do?
- Take a lotion break! This is one of my favorites especially in the winter when my skin gets dry. It only takes a moment. Can you smell it? Lavender scented can be calming. What does it look like? How does it feel on your hands? Some feel super oily others not so much. How does it make you feel?
- Breathe. That’s it! Take a moment to breathe. Notice how your stomach moves. Notice your inhale. Notice your exhale. Repeat for a few breaths.
- Hit the pause button! That’s right wherever you are in your day, take a moment to pay attention to the present moment. We operate on autopilot so much, but it’s good to pause for a moment to ground ourselves throughout the day. Where are you? Perhaps a car pool lane or your child’s after school activity. What are you doing? Perhaps sitting, standing, or walking. What is going on around you? Observe how people are interacting with each other or with objects. What do you hear? What do you smell? How do you feel? Is there something to be learned from this moment?
- Meal preparation awareness. That’s right preparing a meal doesn’t have to be some boring task we do on autopilot. Get your family involved. Talk about what you are making. Who is doing what? How does the food look? How do those preparation samples taste? Yeah, I know you are sneaking some. How does it smell cooking? How does it look on your plate? Yeah I know some of you will be snapping those food porn shots to share.
- Tune into a conversation. That means stop multi-tasking and really listen.
- Tune into your body. After all these moments you’ve had a busy day. How does your body feel? Is it achy, tired, itchy, hungry, satisfied? Does it need anything else? Perhaps just a good nights sleep. Name it and release it.
- Take a moment for gratitude. That’s right, gratitude. It helps us see the positives in our life. What are you grateful for? Who are you grateful for? Was someone especially kind to you?
Wow that’s a lot of moments throughout the day! If you succeed with adding all of them to your day, you will have accomplished 15 + minutes of “me” time for the day!