5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life
5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life
Your daily activities provide ample opportunities to invoke mindfulness at any time. These simple exercises will make room for your daily life.
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| 5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life |
How long have you not thought about what you want things to be like? Unknowingly, if something or someone abuses you, you will unconsciously react with frustration, impatience, or anger; in other words, you find yourself behaving in a way you never thought of.
You don't have to stick to these patterns. Stopping to practice mindfulness for a few minutes at different times of the day can help you make your life better and more in line with your expectations.
Explore these five daily exercises to let more mindfulness enter your life:
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| 5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life |
1.Mindful Wakeup: Start with a Purpose
Intention is the underlying motivation for everything we think, say, or do. From the perspective of the brain, when we unintentionally act, there is a disconnect between the faster unconscious impulses of the lower brain centers and the slower, conscious, and smarter abilities of higher centers (such as the prefrontal cortex).
Since the unconscious brain is responsible for most of our decisions and behaviors, this approach can help you align your conscious thinking with worrying about the original emotional drive of the lower center. In addition to safety, these also include motivations such as rewards, connections, purpose, self-identity, and core values.
Setting intentions and keeping these main motivations in mind can help strengthen this connection between lower and higher centers. Doing so can change your day and make your words, actions and reactions, especially when you are in trouble, more likely to be more focused and compassionate.
It is best to do this exercise before checking the phone or email.
1.In the morning. After waking up, sit in a relaxed position on the bed or chair. Close your eyes and connect with the feeling of sitting in your body. Make sure your spine is straight, but not stiff.
2.Take three long and deep nourishing breaths. inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Then let your breathing stabilize at your own pace, you just need to follow it in and out, paying attention to the ups and downs of your chest and abdomen as you breathe.
3.Ask yourself: "What is my purpose today?" As you consider the people and activities you will face, use these tips to help answer the question. Ask yourself:
- How can I perform today to have the best impact?
- What kind of mental qualities do I want to strengthen and develop?
- What do I need to take care of myself better?
- In difficult times, how can I be more compassionate to others and myself?
- How can I feel more connected and fulfilled?
4.Set your intentions for today. For example, "Today I want to be kind to myself; be patient with others; give generously; stay on land; persist; have fun; eat well" or other things that are important to you.
5.During the day, consult yourself. Pause, breathe, and review your intentions. Observe how the quality of your communication, relationships, and emotions changes as you become more aware of your daily intentions.
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| 5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life |
2) Mindful Eating: Enjoy Every Mouthful
It is easy to reduce eating to the sensations of biting, chewing and swallowing. Who has not eaten a plate of food without realizing what he is doing? However, eating is one of the most enjoyable experiences for us human beings, and consciously doing it can make eating richer, not only satisfying the need for nutrition, but also satisfying more subtle senses and needs. When we concentrate on our body and what we really desire, we can satisfy all our appetites. Try this:
1.Breathe before eating. We often move from one task to another without stopping or breathing. By pausing, we slowed down and allowed a smoother transition to our meals. Close your eyes, turn your attention inwards, slowly start to inhale and exhale through your abdomen, take a deep breath 8 to 10 times, and then start eating.
2. Listen to your body. After breathing, pay attention to the physical sensations in the abdomen. In the range of 1 to 10, 1 means that the body is not hungry, and 10 means very hungry. Ask yourself, "How hungry am I?" What body sensation tells you whether you are hungry or not (fasting, trembling, not wanting to eat Things, gurgling, etc.)? Try not to think about when was the last time you ate or when it is now, and really listen to your body instead of your thoughts.
3.Eat according to your hunger level. Now that you know your level of hunger better, you can choose more carefully what to eat, when and how much to eat. This simple exercise can help you adapt to your real needs.
4.Practice calm eating. For the next meal, slow down and continue to breathe deeply. If you do not relax, it will not be easy to digest or taste your food.
5.Don't eat if you don't love. Take the first three bites carefully to experience the taste, flavor, texture, and enjoyment of a certain food. Based on what you really like to eat, consciously decide what to eat.
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| 5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life |
3) Mindful Pause: Rewire Your Brain
It is estimated that 95% of our behavior is self-driving, which I call the "fast brain". That's because neural networks are the foundation of all our habits. It reduces millions of sensory inputs per second to manageable shortcuts so that we can function in this crazy world. These pre-determined brain signals are like signal highways, so effective that they often make us fall back into old behaviors before we remember what we intend to do.
Mindfulness is the opposite of these processes. Its brain is very slow. It is executive control rather than autonomous driving, allowing conscious action, willpower and decision-making. But this requires some practice. The more we activate the slow brain, the stronger it will become. Every time we do something new consciously, we stimulate neuroplasticity and activate our gray matter, which is full of new neurons that are not yet ready for a fast brain.
But here is the problem. Although my slow brain knows what is best for me, my fast brain is allowing me to open a path in life. So, how can we release our attention when we need it most? This is where the concept of "behavior design" comes into play. This is a way to let your slow brain sit in the driver's seat. There are two ways to do this: first, by setting obstacles to slow down the speed of the fast brain; second, by removing the obstacles to the slow brain to gain control.
However, it takes some work to change the balance to give your slow brain more power.
Here are some ways to get started
1.Stumble upon what you want to do. If you plan to do some yoga or meditation, place the yoga mat or meditation mat in the middle of the floor so that you will not miss it when you walk.
2.Update the trigger regularly. Suppose you decide to use sticky notes to remind yourself of a new intention. This may last for a week or so, but then your fast brain and old habits take over again. Try to write new notes for yourself; add variety or make them interesting so they will stay with you longer.
3.Create a new pattern. You can try a series of "if this, then that" messages to create easy to switch to slow brain reminders. For example, when you are about to start your work day, you may think of "If you are at the door of the office, take a deep breath" as a way to switch to mindfulness. Or, "If the phone rings, take a deep breath before answering." Every conscious move to mindfulness will strengthen your slow brain.
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| 5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life |
4) Mindful Workout: Activate Your Mind and Your Muscles
Cycling, lifting weights, sweating on a treadmill-what do these sports have in common? On the one hand, each can be a kind of mindfulness exercise. No matter what kind of sports activities (tango dancing, swimming) you are doing, you can burn calories, master skills or improve your physical condition through exercise and breathing.
Not only can your blood flow, but also every cell can be full of vitality. Your body, but it also transforms it from busy and distracted to feeling powerful and capable. Suitable for any activity, the following steps will help you synchronize your body, mind and nervous system. By doing this, you will increase your ability to devote all your energy to the task at hand.
1.Be clear about your goals. When you lace your shoes or put on gardening gloves, determine the purpose of your event by consciously imagining how your guide wants your meeting. When you ride a bicycle, you can say: "I want to take a deep breath, feel the breeze, the sun and the scenery passing by." When you enter the swimming pool, you may say: "I will pay attention to every shot and the water around me. Sound and feeling."
2.Warm up (5 minutes). Try any simple exercise (jumping, stretching) and focus on matching your breathing rhythm to your exercise. By moving rhythmically, brain activity, heart rate, and nervous system begin to adjust and stabilize.
3.Enter the rhythm (10-15 minutes). Increase the intensity, but continue to coordinate your breathing and exercise. If you have trouble doing this, just focus on your breathing for a few minutes. Eventually you will find your own rhythm.
4.Challenge yourself (10-15 minutes). Try faster speed, more reps or more weight, depending on what you are doing. Notice how alert and energetic you feel when you push yourself
5.Let cool (5 minutes). Slowly slow down until you stop. Pay attention to how your body feels. Drink in your environment.
6.Rest (5 minutes). Silently acknowledge the symphony of sensations flowing in and around you. Practice naming your feelings and feelings. You will most likely feel sober and energetic from head to toe.
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| 5 simple mindfulness exercises in daily life |
5) Mindful Driving: Drive Yourself Calm, Not Crazy
Nothing can trigger a "fight or flight" response more than traffic jams and impatient drivers. This is why road rage has exploded and stress levels have soared, while rationality has flooded. The worse the traffic, the greater the pressure. Los Angeles where I live has the worst traffic and some drivers are the least quiet. Emotional racing, mental rage, tire screaming.
But it doesn’t have to be so. In fact, the loudest jam can provide an excellent opportunity to exercise your mindfulness muscles, increase your sense of connection with others, and restore some balance and perspective.
The following are the steps of a simple driving practice that I have been doing for a while. I found it can work miracles.
1.First, take a deep breath. This simple but insightful technique helps bring more oxygen into your body and widens the gap between the traffic stimulus and your high-stress response. There are opinions and choices in this space.
2.Ask yourself what you need. Maybe you need to feel safe and at ease at this time, or just need a little relief. Knowing what you need will bring you balance.
3.Give yourself what you need. If you need peace of mind, you can scan your body for tension (this is not a bad thing to drive in any situation) and relieve tension or adjust your body as needed. You can add some self-pity phrases, such as "may I be comfortable, may I feel safe, and may I be happy."
4.Look around and realize that all other drivers are like you. Everyone who travels wants the same things as you: to feel safe, peaceful, and happy. You will most likely see a few drivers who look a little excited, but you may also see someone singing or smiling, which will immediately dissipate some of your own pressure. You can apply what you just provided to yourself to everyone and say: "May you be comfortable, may you feel safe, and may you be happy."
5.Take another deep breath. In 15 seconds or less, you can change your mood by applying these simple techniques. When you are frustrated by the increase in traffic, choose the job you need and provide this condition to others. If you need to feel safe, please say: "May I be safe, may you be safe, and may we all be safe." Inhale and exhale, you sow the seeds of happiness.
