Nowadays, mindfulness is for some people just another buzzword, but what does it actually mean and why mindfulness is an important factor in your happiness and health? This is what I will share with you today, as well as some actionable tips on incorporating small mindful habits into your everyday life.

Let’s get started with the basics:

Being more mindful means, staying in the present moment and it helps you to recognize the condition of happiness and that happiness is already present in your life.

Most people are forgetful. They don’t live in the present moment, because their mind is caught in their worries, their fears, their anger, and their regrets. They do not recognize that their mind is wandering off. That state of being is called forgetfulness — you are there but you are not there. You are caught in the past or the future. That is forgetfulness.

The opposite of forgetfulness is mindfulness. Mindfulness is when you are truly there in the present moment, while your mind and body become one.

How to establish mindfulness in everyday life?

Some of you might think, that becoming more mindful means you have to meditate or practice it with a lot of effort for hours every day.

It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be much more practical, like small things you can do daily.

When it comes to your everyday life, awareness is the key. Awareness and the continuous practice of being in the present moment can be your secret ingredient to achieving a more mindful and – as a result – a more peaceful state of mind. Even if you weren’t born a mindful person, you can work on this by honoring yourself and trying to become a more mindful person throughout your day.

But how do you bring more awareness into your daily life? You can do it with different tools and techniques. Go for a walk, remind yourself to stay present, meditate, appreciate small things, create something, exercise, focus on your breath, do yoga, or do one thing at a time.

What’s so bad about multitasking?

If you do multitasking you are neither present in that moment nor focussed. You do several things at once, which can evoke feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or unsteady. One task at a time leads to feeling less drained over the day.

Focussing on one task at a time can be challenging as we are used to multitasking all the time. But listen, just try it for one day. You might feel more productive at the end of the day and if not, it was a valuable experience anyways. If you have a lot to do today, delegate to others (if possible), and most importantly, prioritize your tasks to make sure you do the most important things first.

Meditation & Mindfulness

Meditation is a powerful tool, especially when it comes to mindfulness. If you practice meditation it can lead to being more present while doing it, as well as it can help you to come back to that present mind throughout the day.

There are many different techniques, the easiest way to get started with meditation is to connect with your breath. To focus on your breath you need to be in the present moment, your mind, body, and breath become one. When you do that, the mental discourse will stop. You don’t think anymore. You don’t have to make an effort to stop your thinking; you bring your attention to your breath and the mental discourse just stops. That is the miracle of the practice. You don’t think of the past anymore. You don’t think of the future. You don’t think of your projects, because you are focusing your attention, your mindfulness, on your breath. And when you forget that you were doing mediation and have wandered off into thoughts, just observe that as well. Then let it go and come back to your breath.

Mindful eating

Mindful eating is very similar to meditation. You focus on the eating itself instead of the breath, without any distractions to become more present.

Mindful eating basics:

• Focus on one task at any given moment.  As we learned before, avoid multitasking to be more present. Remove any distraction, i.e. no television, no smartphone, no Netflix while you’re eating.
• Eat slowly. Observe your movement and the reaction of your body. Listen to your body. Are you hungry for the next bite, are you already full? Learn to read the signs of your body, are you really hungry or is it just appetite. You don’t need to finish your plate, just to finish your plate.
• Use all your senses. Notice the smell, the color, the texture and flavors of your food. How does it feel?

You don’t have to make any effort during mindful eating. By focussing on that single task and synchronizing your movement with your senses you naturally become more present. You are fully alive, fully present in the here and the now. It will bring you deep connection, appreciation, and calms your mind.

By making mindful eating a habit, you will learn to appreciate your food more and notice the effects your food choices have. Eating healthy, fresh, nutritious food will satisfy you more and nurture your body, plus it has a positive effect on your overall health and wellbeing.

You want to learn more about mindfulness and how to establish mindful habits into your everyday life? Discover the benefits of mindfulness in-depth and how to become more mindful in stressful times in my free 5-Day Online-Course.

Sign Up for Free

Katja is a Sydney based certified Health Coach and Yoga Teacher. With a background in the corporate world, her work as a health coach is focused on working with office workers to improve their overall health and fitness and help them to lose some weight. Katja founded her coaching business in 2018 to combine her knowledge and experience from the IT environment with her passion for coaching and a healthy lifestyle. In her opinion, it is always a mixture of nutrition, movement, work-life balance, and a healthy mind.