Do you want to know more about the What Are The 5 Basics Of Mindfulness Practice? read the step by step blog. These days, as we all learn to adapt to the new normal of staying at home, I personally have a hard time focusing on what is right in the world rather than what is wrong. Sometimes I deal with scrolling through my social media feeds for hours to read the latest news (which is terrible) or to feel more connected to my friends and family. With all the uncertainty about what the future holds, it can be easy to get stuck in negative feedback loops that end up harming your body. And right now, stress is the last thing we need if we want to strengthen our immune system and maintain a healthy state of mind.
In this blog post, I want to talk about how you can train your brain through mindfulness exercises to focus on the positive, reduce stress, and stay mentally healthy during this uncertain time we live in.
What is awareness?
Awareness is the ability to be in the present moment and in Focus Your thoughts remain on what is happening here and now. It is our ability not to think about the past or the future, but to observe what is happening in the present moment.
Why should we practice mindfulness?
There have been many outstanding teachers like Deepak Chopra or Eckhart Grandes and others who teach us the power of mindfulness and why it is so important to integrate it into our daily practice. It has many proven benefits, from reducing anxiety, depression, and chronic pain to improving sleep and reducing stress. Mindfulness also helps us achieve our goals, such as losing weight or starting a new project. And from a leadership perspective, mindfulness can help us stay focused to lead people more effectively or address external challenges. Overall, mindfulness is an important practice that we must cultivate to live a happy and meaningful life.
Cultivate mindfulness in our daily lives
Since overcoming technology addiction is a much bigger task (and a topic for another blog), we need to develop practices in our daily lives to get back to it, which is very important. While there's nothing better than a good mindfulness meditation, it can sometimes be difficult to fit a 20-30 minute meditation into our busy lives. We can instead develop micro-exercises throughout the day to focus our attention.
Five mindfulness activities to try today
1. Practicing Gratitude
When we practice gratitude, we need to focus our attention on what is positive in our life in the present moment. It gently brings good things to the forefront so that we can more easily return to the present moment rather than worrying about the future or repeating the past. By focusing on the positive, we are better prepared to create a more positive future.
2. Get in touch with your body
The body works without you doing anything: you breathe automatically, your heart beats continuously, and your bodily functions continue no matter what you do. But the body constantly sends us messages through physical sensations. Take a moment and observe your body: what do you notice?
3. Pay attention to your heart
Our emotions are another way the body communicates with us all the time. During the day you may experience different emotions, from sadness to joy. By speaking from the heart about the origin of your feelings, you become more consistent with yourself. My favorite resource in this regard is the Heart Math Institute, which has conducted decades of research on the power of the heart and its impact not only on our individual health, but also on the well-being of others.
4. Activate your five senses
One of the simplest ways to stay alert is to focus your attention on the present moment. Stop for a moment and observe what is happening around you. What sounds do you hear? What aromas do you smell? What are others doing around you? Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, focus all your attention on it and observe it with your five senses for a few moments to practice bringing your mind back to the present moment.
5. Practice the Centering Exercise
One of the best exercises I teach my clients is a short 30 second exercise called the "centering exercise" that will help you focus on your body and with it the present moment thanks to centering. Here is a short video that shows the process step by step. You can also find it in my book Leading Gracefully. It's a great exercise for leaders, managers, entrepreneurs and busy mothers!
Read Also: How To Do High Intensity Interval Training At Home?
Do you want to know more about the What Are The 5 Basics Of Mindfulness Practice? read the step by step blog. These days, as we all learn to adapt to the new normal of staying at home, I personally have a hard time focusing on what is right in the world rather than what is wrong. Sometimes I deal with scrolling through my social media feeds for hours to read the latest news (which is terrible) or to feel more connected to my friends and family. With all the uncertainty about what the future holds, it can be easy to get stuck in negative feedback loops that end up harming your body. And right now, stress is the last thing we need if we want to strengthen our immune system and maintain a healthy state of mind.
In this blog post, I want to talk about how you can train your brain through mindfulness exercises to focus on the positive, reduce stress, and stay mentally healthy during this uncertain time we live in.
What is awareness?
Awareness is the ability to be in the present moment and in Focus Your thoughts remain on what is happening here and now. It is our ability not to think about the past or the future, but to observe what is happening in the present moment.
Why should we practice mindfulness?
There have been many outstanding teachers like Deepak Chopra or Eckhart Grandes and others who teach us the power of mindfulness and why it is so important to integrate it into our daily practice. It has many proven benefits, from reducing anxiety, depression, and chronic pain to improving sleep and reducing stress. Mindfulness also helps us achieve our goals, such as losing weight or starting a new project. And from a leadership perspective, mindfulness can help us stay focused to lead people more effectively or address external challenges. Overall, mindfulness is an important practice that we must cultivate to live a happy and meaningful life.
Cultivate mindfulness in our daily lives
Since overcoming technology addiction is a much bigger task (and a topic for another blog), we need to develop practices in our daily lives to get back to it, which is very important. While there's nothing better than a good mindfulness meditation, it can sometimes be difficult to fit a 20-30 minute meditation into our busy lives. We can instead develop micro-exercises throughout the day to focus our attention.
Five mindfulness activities to try today
1. Practicing Gratitude
When we practice gratitude, we need to focus our attention on what is positive in our life in the present moment. It gently brings good things to the forefront so that we can more easily return to the present moment rather than worrying about the future or repeating the past. By focusing on the positive, we are better prepared to create a more positive future.
2. Get in touch with your body
The body works without you doing anything: you breathe automatically, your heart beats continuously, and your bodily functions continue no matter what you do. But the body constantly sends us messages through physical sensations. Take a moment and observe your body: what do you notice?
3. Pay attention to your heart
Our emotions are another way the body communicates with us all the time. During the day you may experience different emotions, from sadness to joy. By speaking from the heart about the origin of your feelings, you become more consistent with yourself. My favorite resource in this regard is the Heart Math Institute, which has conducted decades of research on the power of the heart and its impact not only on our individual health, but also on the well-being of others.
4. Activate your five senses
One of the simplest ways to stay alert is to focus your attention on the present moment. Stop for a moment and observe what is happening around you. What sounds do you hear? What aromas do you smell? What are others doing around you? Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, focus all your attention on it and observe it with your five senses for a few moments to practice bringing your mind back to the present moment.
5. Practice the Centering Exercise
One of the best exercises I teach my clients is a short 30 second exercise called the "centering exercise" that will help you focus on your body and with it the present moment thanks to centering. Here is a short video that shows the process step by step. You can also find it in my book Leading Gracefully. It's a great exercise for leaders, managers, entrepreneurs and busy mothers!
Read Also: How To Do High Intensity Interval Training At Home?