6 Ways To Stay In The Moment Each Day #mindfulness #destress #bemindful #mentalhealth #stayinthemoment
Staying in the moment can be an important way to reduce stress and learn to appreciate our lives a little more.
It can be a little strange if you aren’t used to it, however, and you may not know where to begin.
Read on for how to bring more mindfulness into your life with 6 ways to stay in the moment each day.
6 Ways To Stay In The Moment Each Day
1. Practice a 'Liturgy of the Hours'
Looking into your religious tradition can be a great way to stay in the moment because most religious traditions have practices that focus your attention onto the moment.
Islam is a particularly strong example because devout followers are required to stop what they are doing to pray at set times throughout the day.
Stopping what you are doing to pray focuses your mind on the divine, but it also allows you to return your mind to the task at hand with new-found focus.
Catholicism has a similar practice called “The Liturgy of the Hours.”
This practice is almost exclusively done by the members of some religious orders, but it can be done by anyone.
2. Look for Things to Be Grateful For
Judaism is the source of another helpful practice to stay in the moment, namely “blessing.”
We often think of blessing as a kind of ritual, but in this context, it means “showing approval of” or “being grateful for."
Some Jewish sources recommend blessing one thousand things each day, though in this they really mean that you should always be looking out for things to be thankful for.
This is also a trick that has been picked up by secular psychologists who say that constantly looking for things to be thankful for improves your overall mood.
Actively looking for things to be thankful for also encourages you to be aware of yourself and your surroundings in ways that you might not be used to.
3. Pay More Attention to Aspects of Activities
Mindfulness is another great way to stay in the moment.
Most people think of mindfulness in the context of meditation, but you can mindfully do anything.
You can prepare food and cook mindfully then eat mindfully by paying attention to the taste, smell, and texture of food as you chew it.
You can mindfully mow the lawn by thinking about the smell of the cut grass; feeling what parts of your body are exerting force on the lawnmower as you push it.
Choose to immerse yourself in each task and practice mindfulness as you go about your day.
4. Practice Mindful Breathing
Mindful breathing is one of the most common mindfulness practices.
You probably don’t want to do it all of the time, but it’s probably one of the more powerful things that you can do mindfully, especially if you’re feeling stressed.
Your breath is the only thing that you can do that is controlled by your autonomous nervous system (so that you don’t have to actively control it) and by your somatic nervous system (so that you can actively control it).
As a result, it can serve as a helpful bridge between the two.
It can also be a great opportunity for you to focus on how the air tastes, smells, and even feels.
5. Think About Time
One way to stay in the moment is to think again about how you think about time.
It can feel as though we have no time in the day, but actually there is far more than you think.
Try this little exercise: set a kitchen time or an alarm on your phone for one minute and just sit in silence until the alarm goes off.
Chances are, a minute feels a lot longer than you were expecting.
Now break a day into segments of ten, fifteen, or half an hour each.
You may feel like time flies when you’re busy or drags when you’re bored, but having a reminder of the passage of time that goes off no matter what you are doing can be very refreshing.
6. Attribute Meaning To Moments
Another good way to stay in the moment is to think about moments as discrete events.
From time to time throughout the day, stop and think about what you are doing and why.
This can be a good way to take a break from the moment, attribute importance to it, and then return with a new appreciation.
Different people like to approach things differently, and not everything on this list might be for you.
Hopefully, however, you will attempt some of these suggestions with an open mind and find one or two that really help you to stay in the moment.
Once you are beginning to take time to stay in the moment each day, you may consider adding meditation to your day.
Read on to find out how.
Try Meditation with Mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness truly go hand in hand.
When you learn how to do one, the other becomes much easier to master.
Here are some steps required for a good mindfulness meditation session:
1. Find a comfortable spot to sit
Just like any other mindful or meditation practice, you want to find a quiet and comfortable place to sit.
This can be on the floor sitting with your legs crossed, sitting at a table or desk, on your bed or even outside.
The most important thing is that you don’t have other distractions – so wait until your family is out of the house, or choose a room where you can close the door.
2. Relax one muscle at a time.
As you begin relaxing your body, feel each part of your body and let it release the tension.
Think about where your arms are, how your legs feel, and let the tension in your neck and back release.
This is the beginning of being more mindful.
3. Look ahead of you or close your eyes.
In meditation, you often close your eyes, but with mindfulness meditation that might not be the best option.
Just try to relax your gaze and focus on one thing in front of you that brings a sense of calm.
4. Focus on your breathing.
Next, focus on your breathing.
Pay close attention to the air you take in and out, how your body moves, and what your lungs feel like.
5. Pay attention to your wandering mind.
Your mind will likely wander out of this moment, which is okay.
Let this happen naturally instead of trying to force your mind blank.
Mindfulness meditation isn’t about clearing your mind, but focusing on the present moment.
Observe those thoughts gently, trying to accept them, then re-centre yourself.
More meditation tips:
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