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- how to practice mindfulness
Welcome to The Introverted Path!
It’s already Thursday again! My Kansas City Chiefs are 3-1 after beating the New York Jets last Sunday night.
And for those of you that don’t follow football, the Chiefs are the team that Taylor Swift’s boyfriend plays for.
I had to make the joke…but to be honest I am already getting sick of how much everyone is talking about them. Guess she probably needs more content for her next album though, right? 🤷♂️
Alright, enough T-Swift talk. This week I’m talking about mindfulness. It’s a topic I was super interested in researching because I really didn’t know a whole lot about it.
And if you’re anything like me, you’re probably wondering how it relates to meditation? Or are they the same thing?
Well, we’re about to find out!
In today’s email:
What is mindfulness?
Tips and techniques to be more present
Links to other content I enjoyed this week
Let’s dive in 🤙
What is mindfulness?
I’ve got a question for you, and I want you to be honest with your answer.
When was the last time you were fully present for more than 30 minutes?
No phone, no TV, not thinking about your to-do list, not worrying over a meeting you have tomorrow morning.
But fully present in the moment with what you were doing.
I’ll answer for myself — I honestly don’t know.
I’m an avid walker, but even when I do that, my mind is constantly racing.
Same thing when I sit down to read. I get these urges to grab for my phone or I start thinking about other things I need to do instead of being present with my book.
It’s kind of sad when you think about it.
“Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment — free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.”
Here’s the good news — mindfulness is a skill that can be learned.
And that leads us to the difference between meditation and mindfulness.
Meditation is a temporary state of mind that is present during your practice and then vanishes.
Mindfulness is a way of living in which we are able to step back and be in the present moment in any situation.
Meditation then is a tool to practice mindfulness. You do meditation to get better at being mindful, so that you can then learn how to be mindful throughout your day.
So how else can we improve our mindfulness?
Techniques to improve mindfulness
Some of these techniques might seem a little out there, but I encourage you to keep an open mind.
Mindful eating
Figured I would start with this one, because who doesn’t love eating?
Mindful eating involves paying attention to the taste, sight, and textures of what you eat.
When you are drinking your coffee in the morning, pay attention to the steam coming off the cup. Notice the warm temperature as you sip on it and it goes through your body.
Or the next time you’re out for a meal, really take in all the flavors of what you are eating. Think about all the different tastes and how they fit together.
Mindful moving
This is one I am going to work on. When I take my morning walks my brain is busy thinking about my day ahead at work.
Instead, mindful moving involves focusing on your body as it is moving. What do you notice as you take each step? Is there any tightness in specific areas?
Notice your surroundings as you move. The temperature, the sun, the clouds, the breeze, or other people around you.
Appreciate the world and all its beauty, even if it is just the same walk around the block you have done 100 times.
Body scan
The body scan is commonly done with guided meditations.
This is where you move your attention slowly throughout different parts of your body, going from head to toe.
Notice each individual area of your body and focus on that to bring awareness.
There are a number of different apps (Calm, Headspace) that have good mindfulness meditations in the body scan format.
Deep breathing
Deep breathing is exactly what it sounds like.
There is a three-minute technique where you sit in an upright position for three minutes.
Take a three second breath in and a three second breath out. Focus on your breath.
When you feel your mind wandering, come back to your breath. Use that as your anchor.
My thoughts 💭
Being present is something I really need to work on. My anxious mind is always elsewhere instead of in the present moment.
This has especially become more true as I have gotten older. Even on the weekends when I am doing activities I should be enjoying, I start to stress over other responsibilities I have.
I’m taking a trip to Portugal at the end of this month, so I am excited to put a couple of these techniques to work. Namely the mindful eating and mindful moving.
I’d love to hear from anyone on techniques that have worked for them to improve their mindfulness — feel free to respond back to this newsletter!
Links that I enjoyed this week 💥
That’s it for today - hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter!
Best,
BG