When I first got my little feral kitten (who we rescued after she nearly drowned by falling in a swimming pool) she fit in the palm of my hand. Yesterday, I looked at her and realized… holy cow. WHEN did she get so HUGE. I couldn’t help but feel like a parent talking about “how fast they grow up.” Do you ever feel like life is flying by, too? Do you long to slow down the clock and just enjoy these good ole days before they’re gone? ‘Cause honestly, same. The longer I exist, the more I’m forced to face the reality that life is just a brief experience that can disappear at any moment. So lately, I’ve been prioritizing how to incorporate more mindfulness into my daily routine for more peace and more enjoyment in this life.
And if you’re wondering what living mindfully actually looks like, I’ve got you. I want you to slow down, enjoy the little things in life, and not let life pass you by. So in this blog post, I’m going to share 7 essential mindfulness tips to incorporate in your daily routine.
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What is mindfulness?
I love this definition from Greater Good Magazine.
It says, “mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment through a gentle, nurturing lens.”
In today’s environment of social media, hustle culture, TikTok trends, and general life-stuff that keeps us all frantically rushing from one thing to the next, mindful living is more challenging than ever.
Focusing on the present and allowing your mind to exist in the NOW, instead of looking forward or backward is such a gift, but it takes a bit of work to get there.
And it’s more of a work-in-progress than a destination.
What are the benefits of mindful living?
In short, the benefits of mindful living are:
- Reduced stress
- Less anxiety
- More fulfillment
- Less longing for more
- More appreciation for what you have
Here’s the thing: We’re all chasing peace and fighting anxiety.
Living mindfully is one of the best ways to ease that feeling of constant stress. It forces you to exist only in the moment. No worrying about the future, and no regret or shame about the past.
When you’re in the moment – paying attention to your emotions, how your body feels, what’s going on around you – you give yourself the freedom to truly enjoy your life. Instead of being so lost in the whirlwind of to-dos, and drowning in the constant stream of entertainment and information on your phone.
Now that we’ve covered what mindfulness is and why it’s such a valuable practice, here are my 7 ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine.
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Top ways to incorporate mindful habits every day
Tip 1: Start your day mindfully
When you first wake up in the morning, take a few moments to notice how you feel.
Are you tired? Stressed out already, just thinking about all you have to do today? Or maybe you’re a big time morning person, and you feel alight with excitement and anticipation about what the day holds for you.
Whatever you’re feeling, pause and recognize those feelings.
You might subconsciously classify them as “good” or “bad,” but try to hold off on judging them. They’re just feelings, and you have the power to change them if you want to.
Tip 2: Practice deep, intentional breathing
Have you ever noticed how infrequently you pause to actually breathe? It’s almost like we wait until someone says, “Hey, take a deep breath. It’s okay.” Before we actually give ourselves permission to slow down and breathe deeply.
Breathing is one of the simplest tips for incorporating mindfulness in your daily routine.
Take this paragraph as an excuse to ease up the tempo of your day and practice intentional breathing.
Breathe in deeply and steadily through your nose for 5 seconds, then slowly exhale through your nose for 5 seconds. Focus only on the movement of air through your lungs – this is a chance to think of nothing but your breath.
As you breathe, let your belly and ab muscles expand. This is a deep breathing technique to help you reduce stress and provide you with focus, so it’s a great mindful way to start the day.
Tip 3: Pay attention to your human and animal friends
Disney princesses are never filming the wildlife on their phone, or scrolling through Instagram while half heartedly petting the baby deer who has just approached them in the woods.
They’re in the moment, enjoying the interaction without a need to do anything else.
Try this with your pets and the people you talk to. You can practice mindfulness by simply slowing down, petting your cat, your dog, your guinea pig, whatever, and just enjoying being there with them.
You can also be more intentional in your relationships by listening with an open heart to your family and friends talk to you, without keeping one eye on your phone.
Not to get all Negative Nancy on you, but the older I get the more I realize how easy it is to take our relationships for granted.
Basically, what I’m getting at is that everyone’s time on this earth comes to an end. So rather than spending your conversations half-in and half-out, be intentional with the way you listen, because you never know how long you have with someone.
Tip 4: Practice mindful eating
I’ll let you in on a little secret about me: I’m a kettle corn fiend. I can eat a whole bag of kettle corn without even blinking – especially if I’m watching Netflix while I eat it.
One way I can incorporate mindfulness into my daily routine, and you can too, is to slow down our eating.
Really take time to enjoy and savor each delicious bite of your meals. Pay attention to the flavors, textures, and smells.
(Sometimes, I like to pretend I’m a judge on Chopped to really focus on my meal. Don’t judge.)
Slowing down to enjoy and appreciate the way we’re nourishing our bodies is a great way to be present and mindful of the little things.
Tip 5: Take breaks – you’ll be doing yourself a favor
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I remember the words of wisdom I read on a Pinterest quote many moons ago:
“Jesus napped. You should nap.”
Now whether or not you need a full-blown cat nap is beside the point. The real point is that your body and mind benefit when you take regular, intentional breaks throughout the day.
Just pause for a few minutes here and there to step away from your work.
You can take this time to focus on your breath, to re-hydrate, go for a walk, or even just stretch your tired muscles.
Taking mindful breaks is an effective way to avoid burnout, reduce stress, and improve your focus.
Tip 6: Practice gratitude (plus, how to actually do that)
If you’re a bit tired of everyone saying to “practice gratitude,” well, I get you. That’s a pretty vague statement without much context or actionable steps.
Practicing gratitude is indeed an important way to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine, not just to put yourself in a grateful mood, but also to practice being in the moment.
That said, here are a few of my favorite practical, simple ways to practice gratitude.
Practical ways to practice gratitude:
- Say “thank you,” with eye contact and a smile to any customer service people who serve you.
- Take brief moments to consider, “What if I couldn’t just ______ (fill in the blank: order my favorite latte, call up my mom, turn on the faucet and fresh water comes out, afford the new tires I just got for my car, didn’t have this steady job)? This mind exercise is one of my favorite ways to be grateful for the things I usually take for granted.
- Start the day writing down 3 things you’re grateful for (aka gratitude journaling)
- End the day writing down 3 things that made you happy today.
- Fully immerse yourself in the conversations you have with friends and family – don’t be distracted by technology.
- Tell the people in your life that you love them.
- Reflect on the bad times. It’s important to remember when you didn’t have it this good. Remembering the hard times makes you appreciate your current situations so much more.
- Get really specific about what you’re grateful for. Don’t just pray/think, “I’m so grateful for this great day.” Try, “I’m so grateful that I got to spend time with my best friend today, and that we got to just have a coffee date and laugh together like we did in high school.”
Practicing gratitude every day is a great way to be more mindful, but it’s also an amazing way to just feel happier overall.
Tip 7: Do one thing at a time
I like to think I’m a pro at writing blog posts while answering emails in a separate tab, singing along to Drake as my background music, and also keeping a digital journal of future content ideas, buuuut…
I’m not. I’m really not doing any of those things well since I’m trying to do them all at once.
Instead, I’m kinda-sorta doing like four things really really badly. All at once.
(Except for singing along to Drake. That, I do with excellence.)
Hustle culture has us believing we should be grinding at all times, juggling our work schedule, workouts, friendships, self care activities, and goals in one smooth move.
But it’s not realistic.
By doing just one thing at a time, you’re practicing mindfulness in a simple, effective way that not only promotes excellence, but keeps you focused and centered.
No one likes that overwhelming feeling that comes from trying to do too much at once.
Slow down, take everything step-by-step, task-by-task, and let yourself be fully immersed in the joy and challenges each moment brings.
Tip 8: Practice mindful movement throughout your day
It can be super easy to sit at our desk for hours, without even noticing we’ve barely moved. Especially in a post-pandemic world when working from home has become the norm.
Set reminders on your phone to get up and move throughout the day.
You can do the usual – like stretching, yoga, or going for a quick walk, but you can also do something more fun.
Something a bit more “unhinged,” let’s say.
Set a 60-second timer, blast some music, and have a Random Dancing break, like they did on iCarly.
Or, if you have a dog, get each other hyped up and sprint around the house together, causing a bit of chaos to get your energy out.
Whatever you gotta do, aim to take an intentional movement break every hour.
Tip 9: End your day mindfully
Picture this: You’ve reached the end of a long, but fulfilling day. You shower and get into your coziest PJs, you brew yourself a cup of herbal tea, and you crawl into your bed.
On your bedside table is your journal and favorite pen. You pick them up, and take a few minutes to recall the best parts of your day, and the challenges you faced.
You journal these moments, reveling in what an enlightening and beautiful day you had. You feel grateful for all you have and all the incredible people in your life.
You close your journal, and begin your evening meditations. Deep breathing calms you down and centers you. You feel at peace.
Finally, you turn off all the lights, lie down, and drift off into a blissful, restful sleep.
If that sounds like the way you wish your days ended, then a mindful evening routine is just what you need.
One of the best methods for a mindful evening routine is to take a few minutes before bed to reflect on your day. Write your reflections in a journal, or even speak them softly to yourself out loud.
Then, practice slow, steady, mindful breathing techniques to calm and relax you.
Always try to end your day in a state of peace. This will help you fall asleep and might even help put you in a better mood when you first wake up.
Conclusion: 9 ways to incorporate mindfulness in your daily routine
These practical daily tips for mindfulness are meant to inspire you to practice mindfulness in your own way.
I know that not all of these practices are going to resonate with you, and that’s okay! Take what works for you and leave the rest.
Building these habits takes time, and even I don’t incorporate all of these mindful tips – certainly not every day.
Learning to be mindful is a process, especially in a day and age when everything is rushrushrush, and there are a million things to do and see at once.
Be patient with yourself, and start with something small.
Writing in a gratitude journal 3 mornings a week. Eating your meals without watching TV. Taking more walks during the day, instead of staying glued to your desk.
When you start integrating these intentional habits into your life, you’ll find yourself more at peace, less anxious, and more fulfilled in the day-to-day happenings.
To recap, you can incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine by:
- Starting your day mindfully with breathing and personal check-ins
- Practicing deep, intentional breathing
- Pay attention to your human and animal friends
- Practice mindful eating, enjoying every bite
- Take breaks
- Practice gratitude in all things, big and small
- Do one thing at a time
- Move mindfully
- End your day with mindful reflections and breathing
I hope this post helps inspire you to incorporate small, mindful habits into your daily routines so you can learn to slow down, this beautiful life, and feel at peace within yourself.
Sending you TONS of love,
