From common distractions to stress and anxiety, many things can occupy your headspace in today’s busy world, making you restless and barely aware of your surroundings.
The sad fact is that it can have a significant negative effect on your mental health and overall wellbeing. However, this can be rectified through ways that help you achieve a relaxed state for your mind, body, and spirit.
Defining Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be defined as the process of gaining control of your senses, thoughts, and feelings so you’re completely aware of the moment and your surroundings. However, it doesn’t always happen automatically, which is why practicing mindfulness is crucial for your health.
The process involves focusing deeply on various things, including your breathing, imagination, your subconscious self, and other elements that help create calm.
Some common benefits of practicing mindfulness include the following:
- Stress reduction
- It elevates your focus
- It may help improve your attention span
- It can boost your productivity
- Helps with depression and anxiety
- It may help alleviate some types of pain
With this in mind, below are some ways you can practice mindfulness from home quickly and easily.
How to Practice Mindfulness While At Home
1. Meditate with scents
Although the two terms are often used synonymously, meditation and mindfulness are like two sides of a coin. The main difference between the two according to authors and Mindful Meditation experts Ed and Deb Shapiro is that – Mindfulness involves being aware of something, whereas meditation means awareness of nothing.
Nonetheless, the two support and enrich each other, so meditating can be a great way to practice mindfulness.
One of the ways you can use meditation to practice mindfulness is through your sense of smell. Simply light up some fragrant Diptyque candles and sit calmly on a yoga mat in a quiet space in your home.
Alternatively, you can use a quality room spray or diffusers with your favorite smell during your meditation sessions. Lavender, ginger, peppermint, and spruce are just some of the many scents you might love.
2. Take a Walk Outside
Apart from being a great exercise, walks are an awesome way to distract yourself from overwhelming thoughts. Especially if you’re surrounded by nature in your home, a simple walk could be all you need to successfully practice mindfulness.
Pay attention deeply to every move your body makes as you walk and bring your thoughts deeply into the moment.
3. Do Some Breathing Exercises Regularly
Here, the main trick is to focus on your breathing as much as possible, taking deep breaths and exhaling for several seconds.
Make sure you are seated in a calm and quiet space, so your thoughts are not distracted from the moment.
This is sometimes called mindful breathing, and it can help you find inner peace. Just three minutes each day will do the trick.
4. Take up One Task at a Time
Oftentimes, we take up a lot of tasks at once in the name of being super productive. Well, this may sometimes lead to mental chaos, distraction, anxiety, and even stress.
Simply taking one task at a time can help you regain focus, and you might find yourself accomplishing more than before.
5. Act Mindfully
Finally, being mindful also involves focusing on your actions.
Try to remind yourself to act mindfully and be aware of your surroundings each time you take on day-to-day tasks such as driving, cooking, or even eating.
Practicing mindful eating is also specifically beneficial to your well-being in many ways. When taking your meal during lunch break, for instance, let your thoughts focus on the taste of the food, its flavors, texture, smell, and so forth.
Choose healthier meals, only eat when you have to, and take the right portions.
In a day and age when our minds are constantly bombarded by stressful situations, living mindfully is quite paramount. This means practicing mindfulness whenever you get the chance, at work or at home. Luckily, the above few tips should get you started on your journey to improving your mental and spiritual wellbeing through mindfulness and meditation.
About the Author
Sarilaya Cada is a freelance content writer. She is interested in a wide range of fields, from project management, to education, to engineering.
