Mindfulness in Common Actions

When you hear the word mindfulness, what image comes up in your head? I bet I know what it is, an image of someone meditating with their eyes closed. That is a form of mindfulness but not the definition of mindfulness. Mindfulness is being in the moment and paying attention to the here and now rather than getting caught up in any other point of time, noticing thoughts but allowing them to drift without giving them any judgement whatsoever. You do not have to be meditating, you do not have to have your eyes closed. Mindfulness can be practiced in every aspect of life. Anything you can think of can be a form of mindfulness.

Here, I will give some examples of mindfulness in everyday life. Think about when you pick up your phone. Many times, you probably do that routinely, when you are bored, and you do not even think about WHY you picked up your phone. Next time you reach for your phone, ask yourself, “Why am I picking it up? Is there something important I must do or am I just bored?” When you eat, do you shovel food in your mouth without thinking about it? You can practice mindful eating. Notice the texture of the food, its color, its smell… If this was the first time you saw this food, what would you think of it? Mindful eating is probably way slower than the pace of which you usually eat, but doing so will make you more appreciative and aware of what you put in your body as well as how you do it. These ate just 2 out of the myriad of examples of how mindfulness can play a part of your everyday life. What else can you think of?