6 Tips To Practice Mindfulness In The New Year
The New Year can be a very exciting time for people; a time to feel we can get a reset button and a chance to put our best foot forward towards change. Oftentimes, the new year is seen as a chance at bettering ourselves. As our lives begin to get busier and more hectic through the winter months, it is important to learn how to be more mindful and present in our daily activities. Being mindful means focusing on one stimulus at a time and learning how to recognize when our minds begin to wander and lose focus on one specific stimulus. When we are mindful, we are able to be fully engaged and present without any outside distractions. Mindfulness can come in handy when engaging in conversation, reading a book, and even watching the news.
Here are some tips on how to practice being more mindful in the New Year:
1. Turning Your Phone on Silent When With Others: Turning your phone on silent may feel like the end all, but I promise, it is not! When you are sharing time with others it is important to feel present and engaged in the situation in front of you. This is nearly impossible to do while you multitask on your phone and scroll through Instagram, Facebook, or continue your text conversation with your BFF from earlier in the day, while also trying to enjoy time with someone face-to-face. Turning your phone on silent will not disconnect you from the world, but instead will allow you to feel more present in the current situation.
2. Mindful Eating: While you are eating or even just chewing gum, you can learn to become more mindful of the specific item in your mouth. Regardless of what you are eating, take a moment to feel the texture of the object in your mouth (food, candy, gum, etc.) and really pay attention to what it feels like. Is it soft? Is it smooth? Then, pay attention to the taste. Is it one flavor you are observing or is it a few different flavors? You can even do this with smell and sound, too! Pay attention to one sense at a time and really take a moment to pick apart the different senses that you are experiencing. Once you practice a couple of times it becomes a more natural act and even makes trying new foods exciting!
3. Mindful Walks: Taking a mindful walk means really paying attention to your surroundings and focusing in on specific senses. Similar to mindful eating, you want to be able to focus on one specific sound, smell, color, etc. and count the amount of times you experience that sense. For example, if you go on a mindful walk, make a commitment to hear only the birds chirping. This will allow you to naturally drown out the other sounds and focus in only on that one sound that you are listening for. Of course, this takes time and practice but with some redirecting and practice, you can do it!
4. Journal: Journaling is an awesome way to jot down some things that happened in your day so that you can reflect on them and make changes for the next. This can help others become more mindful by acknowledging specific items and then begin honing in on some of the things they would like to change in order to become more mindful in the future. Many people find journaling a release of the negative parts of their day in order to start fresh and be more mindful for the next.
5. Deep Breathing: Deep breathing is a really great reset button that we can use when feeling like we are no longer able to be mindful. This is a skill that you can use anywhere at any time. Taking deep breaths in through your nose and exhaling them out of your mouth will allow your body to breath out all of the distractions and help your body refocus in order to be more mindful on the task at hand. You can even add an extra layer and imagine breathing in all of the distractions and then using your exhale to breathe them all out of your body.
6. Accept and Acknowledge Automatic [negative] Thoughts: We all have automatic thoughts that are going to pop into our heads without much effort. These thoughts can be about what we are having for dinner, what you want to wear later, or even a how you need to call someone back. These automatic thoughts can also be negative and/or judgmental. Automatic thoughts are natural and unavoidable; however, they can be controlled. Accepting and letting go of some of the [negative] automatic thoughts you may experience, will allow you to become more mindful, aware, and in control of these thoughts. Accepting an automatic [negative] thought can be as simple as saying to yourself, “ok”, and letting it go. Over time, your brain will actually be able to let go of these thoughts on its own without your redirection, allowing you to be mindful and present at the activity you are engaged in.
To learn more about mindfulness, these tips, or to work with Mia, send her an email to Mia@UpsiderTherapy.com or give her a call at (646)494-4878. She can’t wait to hear from you!