What comes to mind when you hear the word mindfulness? Many people immediately think of meditation, but it’s much more than that. Mindfulness is about being fully present in the current moment. This week’s Simple Living Sunday theme is about setting aside distractions and embracing mindfulness every day.

Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life.

Buddha

Three simple pleasures and highlights

Recognizing the beauty in everyday things is an important part of mindfulness. With that in mind, here are three simple pleasures and highlights of the last week.

• Despite the dreary weather, we had more trick-or-treaters at our house this year than we have in a long time.
• Two and a half years after the pandemic started, COVID finally caught up with us after we returned from Vegas two weeks ago. That might not sound like good news, but I’m grateful that our symptoms have been fairly mild…and that I recovered in time for my band’s show on Saturday (more on that in next week’s post).
• The weather has been absolutely beautiful this week. On Friday afternoon, I went out and enjoyed a long walk.

This week’s simple living focus: How you can embrace mindfulness today

The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Psychology Today defines mindfulness as “a state of active, open attention to the present. This state is described as observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad.”

Rooted in Buddhist and Hindu teachings, mindfulness involves training ourselves to be fully present in the current moment. It’s about being aware of our thoughts and feelings, and accepting them without judgement.

When practised regularly, mindfulness can reduce stress, decrease depression, improve memory and strengthen relationships. (Source: VeryWellMind.org) Plus, it can enhance physical health, promote recovery from illness, and improve pain management. (Source: PositivePsychology.com)

Why is it so hard to embrace mindfulness?

With so many benefits, why isn’t everyone practising mindfulness? Although it may sound easy on the surface, truly embracing mindfulness takes awareness, discipline and practice.

Personally, I love the idea of mindfulness but I openly admit to being a worrier. My mind is constantly racing and I can come up with a hundred “what if” scenarios for pretty much every situation. It’s one of the reasons I’m terrible at meditation. Every time I sit down and try to be still, my mind races and I just end up getting frustrated. That said, I have taken steps to improve my focus, and identify priorities, but it’s definitely a work in progress.

So, what can we do to start reaping the benefits of mindfulness? Let’s start small.

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Three things to do this week

Even if you’re not ready to fully embrace mindfulness, there are simple things you can do today to start practising its principles. Here are three things to try this week:

Pay attention to the simple things

Looking at beauty in the world is the first step of purifying the mind.

Amit Ray

A big part of mindfulness is paying attention and noticing things in our surroundings. Set aside five or ten minutes every day this week to get outside for a walk. Clear your mind and focus on what you see and hear. Make a mental note of the beautiful things you notice.

If the weather doesn’t cooperate—it is November after all—do the same thing indoors. Sit in a quiet spot and focus on the sights and sounds all around you.

Set aside distractions

If you want to be fully present, you’ll need to also eliminate distractions that prevent you from focusing on the here and now.

Try turning off your phone or, at the very least, turning off notifications. Focus on one thing at a time. If you’re watching a TV show, watch it. If you’re having a conversation with someone, really listen to them. You’ll notice things you might otherwise miss.

Nudge yourself back to the present

If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved, worrying will do you no good.

Buddha

If you’re like me, it’s inevitable that worries will start to creep in. The first step is being aware that it’s happening. When this happens to me, I always find it helpful to stop and take a conscious break. If you can, take a minute, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Focusing on your breath can calm your mind.

For more ideas, check out these 1-minute mindfulness exercises from PscyhCentral.

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In our fast-paced world, we can all benefit from a little more mindfulness. Set aside a few minutes every day this week to ignore distractions and be fully present. It will do you a world of good.

Do you have any mindfulness tips to share? Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts.