5 Little Things You Can Do to Improve Mindfulness
Assuming you've been anywhere on the internet in 2022 (if not, welcome), you may have come across one particularly positive trend: mindfulness.
If you aren't yet familiar, mindfulness refers to the act of feeling in tune with yourself and your surroundings and enjoying the act of just being there in the moment. It might sound a bit cheesy at first, but hear us out when we say that there's a reason why you see so many people swearing by the power of mindfulness when it comes to improving your overall quality of life. And no, mindfulness is not the same thing as meditation (although the two can be connected). Try to think of it less as a specific act like you might think of meditating, and more as an overall mindset.
Most of these habits are things that you can easily incorporate into your everyday life, and here are some little things you can do to improve mindfulness (and potentially improve your mindset overall while you're at it).
1. Take a Moment When You First Wake Up
We're not telling you to make a drastic change from being addicted to your snooze button to bolting straight out of bed. Instead, all you need to do is take a moment (seriously, it could just be a few seconds) when you first wake up to just relax. While you may think you're already pretty relaxed since you're, well, literally laying in bed, you might not really give thought to how comfortable you feel, how good it feels to stretch or how thankful you are that you get to start a new day fresh.
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Also read about: 7 Little Things You Can Do to Help Beat the Winter Blues
2. Notice What You're Thankful For
Speaking of feeling thankful for things that may seem minuscule, improving mindfulness starts with doing more of that very thing. If you're not the type to keep a journal, you don't need to necessarily make a physical list of all the things you're grateful for in your life (though this can be helpful anyway). Instead, just try to make it a habit each day to actually experience thankfulness. It could be for your friendships, for the place that you live, for your job, for a new opportunity or even just for the food on your plate, but feeling thankful will help you appreciate even the smallest of things more so that you feel more fulfilled overall.
3. Eat Slower
Not only is eating your food more slowly actually good for you (it helps with digestion), but it can also positively impact your mentality. We don't mean that you should be eating at a snail's pace and making other people around you feel uncomfortable, but you should at least try not to scarf down your food the moment it's ready. Take the time to appreciate the taste, texture and even the smell of your food as you eat it to be a little more mindful.
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4. Use All Your Senses
On a similar note, eating isn't the only time you should take stock of how you use your senses when doing everyday tasks. Noticing how you feel in different ways while doing something can actually help you find joy in even the most mundane of tasks, such as folding your laundry or washing your dishes (think about the pleasant sound of the water or the warm, soft feeling of your clothes that are fresh from the dryer). Enjoying the small parts of things as undesirable as doing your chores can help you feel more motivated to get them done, allowing you to enjoy the rest of your life to the fullest.
Also read about: Why Being More Mindful Should Be at the Top of Your 2022 Resolutions
5. Take a Deep Breath
Finally, one of the most simple things you can do to improve mindfulness is something so small you technically don't even need to think about it: breathing. When you take control of your body by taking a deep breath, you're sending signals to your body to relax. You can do this at any time, too, even if you aren't feeling particularly stressed. Try it when you first wake up, before you go to bed and even when taking your daily "hot girl walk" (another great way to improve mindfulness, by the way).
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Another trick to improving your mindfulness? It might just be in making your own vision board. Before you head to your nearest printer, try making your own virtual board right on Pinterest, ans you can click HERE to figure out how to do it.