Rengganis Rizka Prasanti Technology makes everything much easier to do. For example, we can attend an online meeting to get one thing done while on an email conversation to finish another. We wake up to notifications from our favorite online stores and go to sleep after scrolling through three different social media apps.
While it may seem like we can get things done faster, it may actually be the opposite. Oftentimes, all the different things happening at once can end up overwhelming us so that we get too distracted to finish tasks.
We may find ourselves getting frustrated or exhausted, without truly being aware of the root cause. Before getting to this point, let’s take a moment to slow down, take a breather and practice mindfulness.
Why Practice Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing our attention on what’s happening at the present moment. The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley defines mindfulness as maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.
Practicing mindfulness is known to have various benefits, from physical to psychological. Various studies have shown that mindfulness exercises improve our sleep quality, boost our immune system while sick, and increase positive emotions.
Moreover, practicing mindfulness is also known to improve our focus and attention. It helps us focus on tasks that need to be done, reduces distractions, and improves our memory.
3 Daily Mindfulness Exercises
Many mindfulness exercises are a form of meditation, and they all can be done within five minutes or less or can be integrated within our daily activities. Here are some quick mindfulness exercises that you can start trying out today.
1. Body Scan Meditation
Body scan meditation is simply becoming aware of what you’re feeling on each part of your body. This can be done the moment after you wake up in the morning or right before you go to bed.
While lying down in a comfortable position, picture that you’re scanning your entire body. Focus your attention on each part, starting from your head to your toe or vice versa. Notice any sensations, emotions, or thoughts that may come up from this.
2. Walking Meditation
Walking meditation is another form of meditation that you can squeeze into your daily routine. You can start your practice with any short walks you usually take, like the one from the bus stop to your house, or from the front door of your house to your room.
Unlike walking to a specific destination, walking meditation is slow and involves taking small steps as it focuses on the sensations that you normally do not pay attention to, such as the movement of your legs and feet.
From Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices”, some of the things to keep in mind when practicing walking meditation are:
- Paying attention to each steps you take;
- Paying attention to how you breathe, how you inhale and exhale at every steps;
- Matching these steps to your breath.
3. Breathing Exercise
Breathing exercise is a form of mindfulness exercise, where you focus your attention on each inhale and exhale. Breathing exercises are known to be beneficial for people who have anxiety and to calm down in stressful situations.
Breathing exercises for mindfulness can be done in anywhere from one to six minutes. One quick form of breathing exercise is called box breathing, where you breathe in specific counts for one minute while visualizing a box:
- First, inhale to the count of 4 while visualizing the top of the box;
- Move along the right edge as you hold your breath for a count of 4;
- Exhale for another count of 4 and move from the right to the bottom edge of the box;
- Hold your breath for a count of 4 as you move back to the top from the left side;
- Repeat until one minute passes.
Tips to Cultivate Mindfulness
Like any other habits, mindfulness needs to be practiced regularly. Starting it may be one thing, but to keep up with it consistently, there are some things that you need to keep in mind.
To keep up your mindfulness exercise as a routine, you can start a mindfulness journal. Journaling is also a part of mindfulness practice, as writing requires focus and your full attention. Aside from writing about your day, you may also write down the mindfulness exercises you’ve done for the day and how it made you feel.
Aside from journaling, we can also find other sources of mindfulness exercises to keep you motivated. There are free apps out there, such as UCLA Mindful, Calm, or Headspace, that have features to help you practice mindfulness meditation daily.
Lastly, having a couple of friends to share your mindfulness journey with can also help to keep you in check. Sharing with Reyo about mindfulness may help you find ways to maintain your new habit or to figure out fun ways to do your exercises every day.
References:
Greater Good Science Center. (n.d.). What is Mindfulness? Retrieved from Greater Good Magazine: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness
Hoshaw, C. (2021, April 16). 30 Mindfulness Activities to Find Calm at Any Age. Retrieved from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/mind-body/mindfulness-activities
Lamoreux, K. (2021, September 28). 1-Minute Mindfulness Exercises. Retrieved from PsychCentral: https://psychcentral.com/health/minute-mindfulness-exercises
Mayo Clinic. (2020, September 15). Mindfulness exercises. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
Pal, P., Hauck, C., Goldstein, E., Bobinet, K., & Bradley, C. (2018, August 27). 5 Simple Mindfulness Practices for Daily Life. Retrieved from Mindful: https://www.mindful.org/take-a-mindful-moment-5-simple-practices-for-daily-life/
