Even in a year like 2020, when the world has slowed down (or come to a complete halt) in so many ways, life is somehow still busy. Unfortunately, we live in an age where being busy reigns and to cope, we spend lots of our time functioning on autopilot. According to research, this can impact your happiness. The less mindful you are, the more unhappy you might actually be. So, how can we change this for the better? Is it possible to bring more mindfulness, and therefore, introduce more happiness, into our daily lives?

Here and now?

One thing that sets us apart from our primate friends is the fact that we spend the majority of our time thinking about what isn’t happening right now. Our minds wander away a lot of the time and are constantly pre-occupied with things that have happened in the past, may never happen or are yet to come our way. In fact, according to one landmark study, we spend almost half (46.9%) of our waking hours like this. Being anywhere other than in the present has been proven to have a negative impact on our wellbeing, so what can we do about it and how can we wake ourselves up?

Mindfulness has the answer  

A simple, effective strategy to switch off autopilot and stay in the present is to live your life with more awareness by being mindful. 

Mindfulness involves consciously choosing to connect to the present moment and live in the here and now. When you wake up to the present and fully immerse yourself in your moment-to-moment experiences, whatever they are, it can calm the mind, bring a greater sense of clarity and improve your happiness too. Simply waking up to the moment you’re in can be a real game-changer to up-level your health and wellbeing.

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO BE MORE MINDFUL

1. | USE YOUR SENSES |

Whether you’re walking the dog, having a coffee, making dinner or grabbing the groceries, try tuning into your senses to connect to your present experience as fully as you possibly can. What can you hear, taste, smell, see, touch? Wherever you are, you can use this simple technique to awaken your senses and bring awareness to right now. Notice how you immediately experience the beauty of the present moment when you do. 

2. | WAIT A MINUTE |

Another simple strategy is to practice being mindful while you wait. Whether you’re waiting for your baby to finish a feed, for a friend who’s always ten minutes late, for the queue you’re in to shrink or for the video call you’re logged on to, to begin. In those moments in between when you’re forced to practise patience or sit tight, try to avoid the urge to scroll and enjoy tuning in, instead. Notice your thoughts in an open and curious way, pay attention to sensations in your body, and become aware of your surroundings a little more than before.

3. | CREATE MINDFUL MOMENTS OR MIMO’S |

You can easily introduce more mindful moments (or “MIMO’s” as I call them) into your day if you want to. One simple way to do this is setting random timers on your phone throughout the day. When the alarm chimes up, let the sound interrupt your autopilot mind-wandering mode and bring you back into the present moment. Whatever you’re doing, continue on with mindful awareness, keeping your focus on the activity and immersing yourself in it fully.

4. | CHOOSE A CUE |

Look around the room you’re in most often, or think about a route you regularly take and choose something around you to act as a mindfulness cue. It could be a landmark, a piece of jewellery, a post-it note or a picture, anything at all that prompts you to come back to the present and live life more mindfully every time you see it. 

5. | GIVE MEDITATION A GO |

Meditation is simply dedicated mindfulness training and a great way to bring more mindfulness into your life. If you’re trying meditation for the first time, download a mindfulness meditation app such as Headspace, and give a short 5-10 guided mindfulness meditation practice a go. Meditation is simply a way to train your brain to become more mindful, clear and calm. A couple of minutes of meditation first thing in the morning is an ideal time to try. Don’t worry; you don’t need to sit cross-legged on the floor - a chair will do, and there are no special skills needed to start. Simply direct your attention wherever you consciously choose to focus (e.g. on your breath), pay attention and be present with whatever is going on right now. Start simply and the minutes will soon add up as your practice develops over time. 

TAKING THE FIRST STEP ON YOUR
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION JOURNEY

If you’re new to the world of mindfulness and are looking for smart and simple ways to begin, then check out my new book, Mindfulness: finding peace in the everyday. It’s filled with ways to keep calm and live your life more mindfully, relieve stress and improve your wellbeing too. I’ve included step-by-step instructions on how to get started with mindfulness and there’s meditations and breathing exercises for absolute beginners, as well as loads of tips and tools to make every day calmer and happier. The book is available to buy worldwide, now.  

 #discovermindfulness with Annika Rose.