Your mind wanders off as you drink your morning coffee, you get sucked into scrolling social media, you arrive at a destination without noticing the journey. Does ANY of this sound familiar? Living mindlessly means you’re not present in your own life or fully aware of what’s happening here and now. Instead, you find yourself moving through the motions while your mind wanders back into the past or off into the future. If you can relate - the reality is you’re missing the chance to get the most out of the moments that make up your life. However, there is a simple solution.
Are you mindful, or mindless?
Do you forget someone’s name as soon as you hear it for the first time? Do you notice physical sensations in your body easily? Do you remember all of the journey as you drive home from a trip to the shops? The attention you bring to your everyday experiences is a good indicator of how mindful or mindless you are.
In today’s busy world, there’s always something to distract our attention. The number of demands placed upon our attention can make it hard to focus and stay present. Just because you’re wide awake, it doesn’t mean you’re aware or really paying attention. Most people are not present a lot of the time and move through life mindlessly, on autopilot. The truth is, living life mindlessly means you’re mostly missing out. But by choosing to be more mindful, you’ll navigate your way through your days more aware, and live your life more awake.
When you give your undivided attention to something, you naturally feel a greater sense of connection to it. Whether that’s eating a slice of cake, talking to a friend or taking a walk in the park; you get much more out of the experience when you’re fully present - when you’re aware, awake and being mindful. Mindfulness is achieved by noticing your thoughts, feelings, sensations and paying attention to what’s happening in your inner and outer world right now with an open and accepting attitude.
Mindfulness is a simple superpower
I like to think of mindfulness as a simple superpower and the best part is, it’s something that everyone has the capacity to do. Uplevelling your awareness of the present can transform any moment into something spectacular that’s much more meaningful. The more mindful you are, the more connected you become - to your everyday experiences and the people you share them with. You’ll also learn more about yourself, your behavioural patterns, triggers and it gets easier to spot your automatic reactions. Noticing these gives you a chance to make some helpful changes if you want to. Being more mindful moment to moment even has the power to boost your physical and mental health and wellbeing for the better too. Like I said - it’s a simple superpower!
How mindfulness helps
Plenty of people live a lot of their life on auto-pilot, that is, unconscious and unaware. One prominent study suggests we spend up to 47% of our waking hours with our mind wandering away from the present, and it’s making us unhappy. That means the majority of our actions are carried out automatically and unconsciously, and they are draining our wellbeing. The habits we form shape the actions we take and the decisions we make - for better or worse. While routines can be useful, your habits can also hold you back. Without a healthy dose of awareness, your unconscious behavioural drivers can dictate how you spend your time and the choices you make, in ways you are completely unaware of.
By bringing your attention to the things you usually do on autopilot, it is possible to transform your experience to these moments and live out your potential in the present. Small steps towards living more consciously can lead to significant changes in awareness and attention over time. Try coming back to the present as often as you can, and you’ll discover all the small acts of waking up start to add up!
Mindfulness: Where to begin
You can choose to be in the present and live more mindfully at any time. In my new book Mindfulness: finding peace in the everyday, I walk you through the simple process of ‘waking up’ and take you through simple exercises to bring more awareness, clarity and happiness to your day. From waking up to working, eating to sleeping; I share easy ways to switch off autopilot and use this simple superpower to your advantage in life and at work.
#discovermindfulness with Annika Rose.