How to Incorporate Mindfulness into your Everyday Routine

Trying to include moments of mindfulness in the hustle and bustle of everyday life can appear challenging at first. However, the good new is: there's more than one way to become more mindful and sitting still for several hours focusing on your breathing is not the most productive use of your time, as lovely as it sounds. 

Finding what's right for you and your lifestyle, whether it's 10 seconds or 10 minutes, ensures that you are more likely to repeat the mindful moments and it all adds up. You don't actually need to make time, it's just a matter of integrating mindfulness into the moments that already make up your everyday routine.

Eventually you will end up living mindfully without even noticing and the more regularly you adopt mindful rituals the easier it will become to focus on the present. Mindfulness is a skill that can be learnt and the more often it is practiced the less effort it takes; the only challenge is remembering to do it.

Read on to discover helpful tips and easy techniques to practice from dawn to dusk so that you can be more mindful, no matter what your everyday routine entails.

07:00 AM - Breakfast Time

Engage your senses - Our senses are what connect our thoughts to the World, yet when our attention wanders elsewhere our senses are suppressed and disconnected from the present. Have you ever had breakfast whilst scrolling through your Instagram feed? You probably didn't notice how good your coffee was or how your cereal had gone soggy (nobody likes soggy cereal right? hehe).

Breakfast is the perfect time to engage your senses and start with a mindful moment to set you up for the day ahead. Tune into the sounds of the kettle boiling and the water pouring into your cup. Feel the warmth of the steam on your hands and smell the energizing aroma of the coffee. Notice the butter melting on your toast and the trail of crumbs along the kitchen counter.

Focus your attention on the present moment. What can you hear? smell? taste? see? and touch? Engaging your senses will make breakfast a more rewarding experience and you will notice beauty in the little things, encouraging positivity for the day ahead.

11:00 AM - Coffee Break & 01:00 PM - Lunch Break

Moments of appreciation - However you spend your mid-morning and lunch breaks; whether you're sprinting to the kitchen or your nearest cafe for food or you're hastily catching up on personal emails and social media, I bet they are usually rushed moments. What if you used the time to really notice your surroundings and refresh your mind? Small moments of appreciation for your World, whatever you're doing or wherever you are, will bring you right back to the present moment.

Look for beauty in the ordinary and the everyday. Whilst the kettle is boiling, peer out of the nearest window and notice the subtle tones of the sky and the patterns made by the clouds. On your way to the cafe take a few seconds to listen to a bird chirping on a branch high above your head. Try to reconnect with nature through social media and subscribe to an inspiring profile full of natural landscapes so that when you're scrolling through your feed you can be soothed by the tranquil photos.

Appreciating the wonders of the natural World encourages a more positive outlook and a refreshed mind, exactly what you need from your work breaks.

05:00 PM - Commute Home

Find Visual Anchors - The commute home can be incredibly tedious especially after a long day at work where all we want to do is get to our destination - the sofa. However, the journey doesn't have to be boring and we can use the time to practice mindfulness using visual anchors to connect us to the present.

Does your commute home take you past a familiar landmark tree everyday? This could be your visual anchor. Everyday you pass the tree on your commute notice any subtle changes such as: are the branches still or are they blowing in the wind? Have the leaves changed colour slightly? You can include several anchors on your journey and they will help you to focus on the present preventing your mind from drifting away to past and future worries. The anchors will also help you to forget any niggles left over from the working day leaving you free to enjoy your evening.

10:00 PM - Before Bed

Slow Down - As bed time approaches we often find our bodies and minds naturally staring to wind down. Embrace this by doing things more slowly whilst focusing on being in the moment. Do less but with more intention.

As you make your last cup of tea really enjoy the moment the boiling water hits the tea bag filling the cup with colour. In the shower or bath feel soothed by the warmth of the water. Light a scented candle and notice the flame flickering and be uplifted by the fragrance. You'll soon be drifting off into a deep sleep feeling calm and rested.

How do you incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine? Please share in the comments below.

K x