These days, the fast-paced lifestyle has become the new normal. Come rain or shine, we are always in a hurry, jumping from one thing to another and sometimes moving places. If we look at our lives closely, we are either working, or thinking of a hundred things to get done every instant. Whether you are a student navigating through school, an adult trying to maintain work-life balance, or a parent, stressed routines must have gotten the better of you at some point.

Whether such a lifestyle is doing more harm than good is a different debate, but it is snatching from us the pleasures of little things and living in the moment. So much so that most of us have fallen victim to stress, hypertension, and burnout. And this is why it’s time to embrace mindfulness in our lives.

Mindfulness- the ability to focus on the present moment with awareness- is not new to many. It is doing rounds in almost every piece promoting positive well-being and lifestyle. Even though we are aware of its many benefits, we somehow struggle to adopt it into our lifestyle. So here are five easy ways which can help live a mindful life effortlessly.

Begin your day with mindful moments

We all desire to have a perfect day. Yet somehow, even after a good night’s sleep, we fail to have one. The key to ensuring your day goes well is to start it the right way. There’s enough evidence suggesting that having a morning routine, free from our digital buddies, can help maintain our energy levels throughout the day.

So ditch your mobile phones when you wake up and sit with yourself for some time. Focus on your body while taking deep breaths. You can listen to relaxing music or audio-guided Daily mindfulness practices from Inner Explorer to help you focus. Thank the universe for blessing you with another beautiful day to experience life. 

Invite Mindfulness to the breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day- we all have heard this from our parents at some point in our lives. One of the easiest ways to make friends with mindfulness is to invite it over breakfast. Sit in calm and make use of all your senses while you eat. Pay attention to how your food tastes in your mouth. Recognize and appreciate how it looks and smells. 

Eating with mindful awareness is a great way to connect with your senses and start your day with mindful moments. Thus, by eating your first meal of the day mindfully, you can learn to stay in the present moment with awareness and gratitude.

Check in with your body once a day

Work pressure, unending meetings, and the stress of deadlines- we all know how these can occupy our entire day and keep us stuck in our work. Sometimes, even to the extent that you may spend the whole day without taking a break. 

However, setting a reminder to check in with your body is the best tactic to bring yourself back to the present and interrupt yourself mid-flow. Taking short breaks keeps you recharged. Thus, it prevents you from putting unnecessary strain on your body. And while you take these moments of pause, make sure to practice awareness.

Be mindful of your surroundings

With digital technology and social media ruling our lives, it is hard to be present at the moment with awareness. However, observing our surroundings is another way to make you more mindful and anchor you to the present. 

While you commute to work or school, pay attention to sensory cues around you. You can even practice this while being at your workplace. You will observe that because of our wandering minds, we often miss out on so many things around us. 

Thus, being mindful of our surroundings is an easy and effective way to bring you back to the present when you are lost in future worries or thoughts from the past

Practice Gratitude

With all the practices we discussed above, your body would feel much calmer and centered by the end of the day. This is the best time to reflect on your day and practice another great habit- Gratitude. Before retiring to sleep, think of all the moments in your day that you are grateful for.

By doing this exercise, you train your subconscious to focus on the positive moments, even during the day. And this is what mindfulness centers on- focusing on the present with awareness and gratitude.

To Conclude

Mindfulness practices are a lot easier when you make them a part of your daily activities. You can try a whole bunch of activities, but these are some simple exercises you can easily include in your routines.

Hope you start your mindfulness journey soon!