5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness that aren’t Meditation
5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness that aren’t Meditation
First, definitions. “Mindfulness is anytime throughout your day that you are bringing close attention to what you are doing,” explains Chantelle Fitzgerald, mindfulness expert and founder of Mindset Strategies. Any activity that results in you being more present, being more in your body, being more grounded...those are all mindful activities. Meditation is a wonderful tool, but certainly not the only one. Here are our other top 5:
01. Repetition
From knitting to coloring books, brushing your teeth or watering your plants, any type of activity with repetitive motion can be very soothing for some people. It can feel like being in a trance, where you just have to pay attention to this repetitive task and nothing else. If you're a tactile person, you'll probably love doing something with your hands on textures that feel specially interesting. Overall, just a great mindful activity.
02. Video-games
Underrated activity for mindfulness. The attention to what is immediately happening, as well as being presented an interesting story, makes playing any type of game an extremely grounding activity. There's also some dopamine release and, let's face it, it's just an overall fun thing to do (can you tell I'm a gamer?). From hand held consoles to cooperative board games with friends, games are just a great way to ground to the present moment as well as create mindful connections with others.
03. Take a shower
A shower has been a long well loved way for many of us to ground and release tension. There's already an immediate idea of release and cleanse embedded in the act of showering, your muscles tend to unclench, the sensation of the water is soothing...it's just great. If you ever just need to fall back into your body from a long day, this is a great way to do it.
04. Have mindful, interesting conversations
Don't stay aloof or on surface level, really talk to people. Pay attention to what they're saying, make an effort to understand their point of view. Share something meaningful with someone. Chances are, being present during those conversations will ground you deeply and also create connection with another person. Don't be afraid of putting yourself out there and just talking to people meaningfully.
05. Movement
People have a tendency of seeing exercise as a chore when they're starting to exercise. It's just that thing "you need to do to get to your goal". But exercise can actually be a great tool for mindfulness when done well. Any type of movement really, is a great way of bringing you back to your body and of paying attention to what's happening in the moment. Whether it be learning a choreography, walking your dog, stretching, going to the gym, running, kayaking, swimming, playing literally any sport...just. move. your. body. Just get up and do something, anything, that makes you slightly interested. When you do, try to see it as a form of mindfulness: there's a connection between you and your body in the moment, there's a conversation between you and your body where your mind doesn't need to take over all the time, there's real time adjustments to changes happening in the moment...it's just very healthy for you. How are you really feeling? When was the last time you paid real attention to the way your body was feeling in the moment?
We hope these help you bring more awareness to your present moment. It's good for you.
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
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