Try This Simple Mindfulness Exercise

Mindfulness is quite the buzzword these days. With all that information out there, it can be confusing to know what it is and how can I ‘achieve mindfulness’?

Oftentimes, mindfulness is confused with meditation. While meditation is one pathway to being more mindful, it’s not the only one. 

The simplest definition of mindfulness is ‘being in the present moment’. Which means you’re not thinking about the past or the future (whether it’s 2 seconds into the future or longer). 

There are a lot of ways to increase mindfulness, and today I’ll tell you what I think is the simplest way to bring yourself to the present moment:

Stop what you’re doing and pay attention to your senses. What are you seeing right now, in this moment? What are you hearing? What physical sensations are you experiencing? What do you smell?

You don’t have to do all of these. You can pick one thing to focus on and narrow your focus just on that thing. That one thing you’re looking at, the one sound you’re hearing, etc. Savor the experience and go deeper with it. Look at an object with fresh eyes. That pen you use every day - look closely at the shape, the components of it, the color, etc.

Do this for as long as you feel like it. 

Or if you were feeling anxious or stressed before, you can do this until you start to feel a bit calmer. 

Sometimes I resist this when I’m feeling stressed, and that’s when I know I need it the most. So I give in to the experience, and I’m always glad I did. And I hope you will be too. 

Enjoy your next mindful moment...