In our fast moving lives it is important to be very concerned about what your lifestyle includes. Does it give you enough time for yourself, and how does it pamper your physical being? Being a person who is more mindful towards their thoughts and emotions in a way makes you more aware of yourself.

Without being mindful you turn into a person who reacts negatively to uninviting thoughts. Next time when you forget to turn off the gas knob, observe how you react, or when your child spills his/her toys all over the place. Your emotions in an extreme situation like these would help you understand how mindful you are.

But, what does living mindfully actually mean?

‘Mindfulness’ is a mental state to achieve a point where one focuses on the present moment and is more conscious to others’ thoughts and feelings. It means living in the moment, without allowing your mind to jump between the thoughts. Mindfulness allows you to explore the important aspect of your personality – acceptance. It restores the calmness to allow you make everyday decisions that impact your life in the long run.

Starting a mindful practice wouldn’t mean you change yourself. It certainly doesn’t call for anyone to change themselves. It is a practice to improve and include healthy habits in your routine:

Focus on your breath

Have you ever observed how your breathing fastens when you are under stress? A mindful breathing leads to a relaxed mind. Sit relaxed with a straight back and focus all your attention on your breathing. A thoughtful breathing follows the following pattern – take a deep breath in, hold your breath for 2 seconds and slowly exhale out through your mouth. Practice this for at least a minute. Give rest to all your thoughts and focus only on your breathing pattern. This brings calmness to your mind, allow you to reorganize your thoughts and react better in situations.

Next time when you feel angry, stressed or get anxious, practice mindful breathing while counting the seconds on your fingers. It really helps.

Take charge of your mind

With long days, constant pinging of notifications, and very limited socializing, our ability to focus has dropped to low. You might realize it yourself that your attention span might have limited to 20 minutes or less. The best way to practice being mindful is through our routine jobs. Be aware of your mental state throughout the day. If you’re getting stressed or anxious, acknowledge it. Take a moment and recollect the situation rather pushing uneasy thoughts in your mind. Negate all thoughts troubling you. And focus on the solution. How you can make it better, how you can solve the problem?
And while you focus on the solutions, keep saying to yourself – ‘I can. And I will.’

Let that meal be nutritious

Time and again many blogs and influencers have mentioned about mindful eating. What exactly is that? In simple words it can be said as ‘eating without any digital distraction’. But there’s a lot more to that. When you eat, absorb the aroma of food in your mind, pay attention to how it looks and recognize the taste of different spices that goes into making. Before every meal, be thankful to god and yourself that you are able to put the food on your plate. Fill your plate as much your stomach desires. Listen to your stomach and not your heart when you see your favourite dish.

Understanding the power of ‘Om’

Spelled as ‘Aum’ in the Sanskrit origin, it is a beautiful word. It has the same roots as the words I AM or Amen. Aum Is the sound of the divine in Sanatan Dharma and Buddhism meaning ‘all that is’ and ‘all that will be’. It is widely practiced mantras for medications that can bring calm your thoughts and bring profound peace. Spend some time with yourself and mediate for good. With the help of guided meditation you can get your restlessness and stress come to an end, and enjoy a more peaceful time with self.