6 Ways to Be Mindful, Even With a Busy Life

6 Ways to Be Mindful, Even With a Busy Life

by Arien Smith
How Can I Be More Mindful with Such a Busy Life?

A lot of us are career busy-bodies, swept up with our family’s needs, students racing to complete assignments, or entrepreneurs. As spiritual individuals, we often need to stretch beyond traditional time management to include a strong foundation of mindfulness in our own lives. Doing so takes some careful examination of how we could increase awareness without adding time to our already full schedules. Here are some of the ways to foster a regular routine of mindfulness, even with minimal minutes to spare. Give them a try, the results are amazing!

 
Six Ways to Be More Mindful…

1. Take at least five minutes of lunch break to eat without any distractions.

When we put our phones down, turn off our computer screens, and simply sit with our food, we’ll experience lunch in a new way. We can then taste in an exciting way once we give ourselves the space to fully feel what it’s like to eat. Instead of shoving that food down our throats, for at least five minutes, let’s pay attention to the tastes, textures, sounds, sights, and sensations of eating.

2. Let’s bring a regular awareness to the act of brushing our teeth.

This is (hopefully) something we do each day, so it won’t add a second of time to our busy schedules if we mindfully experience this routine of dental hygiene. Just like conscious eating, let’s pay attention to the sensations and sounds—the full experience of brushing our teeth is actually quite engaging. Becoming absorbed in the moment of this traditionally mundane task transforms the experience. It will take on a new dimension and help to increase our overall sense of mindfulness. There’s also a way to try this while showering.

3. We can give ourselves permission to experience emotions when they arise.

Coworker cause some anger? Disappointed about something at home? Instead of drowning out these feelings with more work, let’s pause for thirty seconds and feel the emotions. No need to act on them, just feel. Where is the tension in our bodies? How do our minds keep trying to escape the feeling? Thirty seconds isn’t much to ask for and we’ll deepen our personal emotional intimacy with this tiny act of awareness.