Being mindful in your day-to-day life
Mindfulness is intentionally bringing your attention to the present and being aware in the present moment. You can choose to be mindful while doing any activity in your day-to-day life. Waking up, freshening up, eating, cooking, cleaning, exercising, discussions, resting, any and all activities can be done mindfully.
Being mindful
Let’s take an example to understand how you could be mindful while performing an activity. Say you’d like to try mindful cooking. People who are passionate about cooking would agree that cooking awakens all your senses. But most of us cook in auto mode, without experiencing most of it. You might be chopping vegetables and thinking of a fight you had with your sibling two years ago, or rehearsing the conversation with your manager that might take place the next day, worrying about how things can go wrong. Instead, you can choose to take a break from the thoughts, that might be stressing you out.
Mindful cooking is done by intentionally being aware of the present and noticing how you can experience every aspect of cooking. Take a deep breath and choose to do the tasks in a relaxed way. Looking at the ingredients, smelling them, recognizing the texture of each ingredient and noticing how different they are. Notice, how each ingredient gives a different aroma when you start cooking and how some change colours while some don’t during the various processes and observe it. Each task in cooking can be intentionally experienced and performed in a relaxed manner. You could even practice gratitude for having access to all ingredients and the resources required to cook. Each time you find yourself lost in thoughts just simply come back to the breath and relax and start noticing the details in the present moment using your sense organs.
Similarly, mindfulness could be brought into almost any activity that we perform. To start with, pick an activity that you enjoy the most and try to be mindful for 10 minutes. Add more minutes each time until it eventually lasts the entire activity. Try it with simple activities, like watering the plants, or cleaning your car. Remember, your breath can be your anchor to come back to the present whenever your thoughts take over.
Do not rush in
Many a time, it is essential to think of the past, to remind yourself of an experience and the learning you drew from it, or to think of the future and set your goals. The idea of mindfulness is not to stop thoughts but to practice not-worrying or thinking things over and over again in auto mode as this may adversely affect your overall health and well-being in the long run. By practising mindfulness, you will be able to recognise when the thoughts take over and you will be able to bring yourself back to the present. However, it will feel exhausting if you tried doing everything mindfully when you start your practice. Starting simple, and gradually increasing practice hours or activities is ideal. It takes years of practice to develop the ability to be mindful for long periods of time and to be mindful without much effort.
Recommended read
Miracle of mindfulness by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is a classic guide to bringing simple mindfulness practices to everyday activities. In this book, he details simple ways of building the practice. For example, he suggests practicing half-smile during any time of day or activity as many times as possible – when you wake up, brush your teeth, eat, listen to music, talk with someone, even when you are irritated – and slowly get back to your breath and observe how naturally you inhale and exhale. This practice may help you feel calm and feel grounded in the present moment.