3 Tips For Living Mindfully
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easier than ever to get caught up in the chaos of the day-to-day. Most of us feel a near constant pressure to perform in stressful jobs, and all too often, that expectation doesn’t end when the workday does – emails can keep us caught up in work concerns long into the night. As your Hermosa Beach therapist, I understand how difficult it can be to keep a level head. The distractions available to us are near endless, and it’s rare that we get the chance to slow down. That’s why making a practice of living mindfully is so important: a commitment to mindfulness can help us pause and ground ourselves in the present moment. If you’re not sure where to start, here are my three recommendations for living more mindfully.
Three Tips for a More Mindful Life
Mindfulness is a powerful practice that can calm the intensity of negative emotions, level out mood swings, control stress, and allow us to live more fully in the moment. Hopefully the following three recommendations can help you bring greater mindfulness into your daily life:
1. Meditate in the Morning: Mindfulness meditation is one of the most powerful practices for achieving a more mindful life. I recommend meditating for at least 10 minutes each morning. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy – a simple practice of sitting still and focusing on the breath for 10 minutes can radically alter your mindset, and there are plenty of apps that can help you with guided meditations. My favorite one is Headspace because it offers guided meditations anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes in length.
2. Set Breath Alerts: Another great practice is to set periodic “breath alerts” on your phone. Set your phone to ping you 4 or 5 times each day, and when you get the reminder, use it as an opportunity to take 3-5 deep breaths. Stopping to focus on the breath helps to ground you in your body and encourages a more mindful outlook the whole day through.
3. Keep a Gratitude Journal: Gratitude is a powerful practice for reshaping the mind to think more positively, and keeping a daily gratitude journal is a great way to do it. Each night, take 10-15 minutes to write about three things that happened during the day that you are grateful for. Don’t be afraid to go in-depth about your feelings around the experience: the more detailed you can be about your emotions, the more salient the gratitude you will feel, and the more powerful the practice.
Consider Pursuing Therapy with Your Hermosa Beach Psychologist
These daily practices can help you stay more mindful and grounded in each moment, but they’re really just a start. If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness and gaining a deeper understanding of your life, I would love to help. As a therapist serving clients throughout Hermosa Beach, I regularly incorporate mindfulness exercises into my regular therapeutic practice, as I find them a helpful complement to traditional therapy. With continued work, you can change your outlook on life and achieve a more mindful, peaceful state of being. Sound interesting? Give me a call at (310) 892-2572. I’ll talk with you about your options and help you choose the best path for moving forward. I look forward to hearing from you!