How to be more mindful throughout the day! I’m one of those people who are always aware of what’s going on around them. I think it’s the way that I was raised. Having been in situations where I needed to look over my shoulder, fear the unknown and/or escape if anything were to go wrong has made me more alert in this world.

Mindfulness has to be experienced, rather than described. Just like with anything, we must start with whatever it is that we want. I started being more mindful throughout the day when I found myself being in situations that I didn’t like or feel safe in. Many and most were out in public. I get anxiety when around a lot of people let alone when the pandemic hit, it spiked unbelievably.

Helpful Ways To Be More Mindful Throughout The Day

At first, mindfulness can seem like an intangible concept. However, practicing mindfulness is, quite simply, the act of concentrating on your breathing, and being aware of what is going on around you in the present moment. The more you do it, the more the simplicity of it becomes clear and the benefits manifold. It lightens the mind and spirit.

Mindfulness is the doorway to live in harmony with the Universe.

Amit Ray

For me, I wake up mindful. I think it’s important to embrace the moments we have and not look at the phone first thing in the morning, take some time to ourselves before checking emails, doing our work, etc. I’m also extremely mindful with how our home is run. I live a very stress free lifestyle at home and have created structured routines help the energy flow much healthier in our space. Crafting this lifestyle has been years of being mindful.

The Mindful Home

Many years ago I started being more mindful with my things. Stuff accumulates so quickly and then all of a sudden we’re like, ‘and where did that come from’. For me, decluttering has always been a natural way to de-stress. It’s not only clearing my space, it’s clearing my mind. I can actually breathe when my home is clean. It’s also a great way to maintain a clean home. Having been in the cleaning industry for nearly 20 years I often hear, “How do I keep the house clean once it’s cleaned?” And the answer is, it will never be 100%. That’s just fact. We’re living in our spaces, so there’s no perfection. Just imagine maintaining it a little smoother; that’s when we are more mindful of the things we’re allowing to come into our spaces.

A clean home is a clutter free home.

• Declutter weekly to start. Find about 10 minutes a week to go through some of the house to get a feel for what’s piling up. Keeping the home tidy is having a mindful home
• Keep the 3-4 pieces of furniture rule in place. More than 3 pieces of furniture to a room can be overwhelming plus, it prevents the energy from flowing evenly #fengshuiallday – remember that when decorating your space
• Don’t block entryways
• Minimalism is the key when having a mindful home

Daily Mindfulness Tips

Start from the moment you wake up. Allow the sunrise to naturally wake you. My internal clock always knows when it’s 7 am. I get up and make the bed. I know, I know. I’m like the only weirdo who instantly makes her bed before leaving the bedroom. But, for real. Instead of having tons of sheets and blankets on our bed, I just have one. One flat sheet and one cover (whether that’s a comforter or a quilt). It makes making the bed much easier. Just pull and tidy up the covers. Fold the extra blankets and put them in the closet or on the base of the bed. I may sleep with 3 blankets but you wouldn’t know it from the way I make the bed.

Use the morning moments to create your Zen. Often times people relate Zen with Buddhism but our Zen is really our place of comfort and good energy. In this article and often when I speak I’m referring to relaxation, calmness and mindfulness. The sanctuary we create that gives us all those feel good vibes.

6 Ways To Be More Mindful

• Breathing– when we actually take the time to breathe properly, we experience an entirely different mindset. I will often catch myself taking deeper breaths in moments of distress. That’s because I have been practicing mindfulness for quite some time now. Breathe in deep, hold it, then release in a 3 second blow out. Do this over and over until you’ve come back to a calm nature. Also, breathe properly when meditating, relaxing, or just resting. Throughout the day we are obviously breathing but we’re not getting enough oxygen to the brain to function normally.
• Create routines– Doing the same things daily helps us to be more mindful and it gives us that natural ability to react positively in certain situations. When you envision what you want your home to look like or your day to look like outside the home, then you can act upon it and create that environment just by being intuitive with what you want the outcome to be.
• Slow down– Everyone is always in such a rush to get nowhere. I love that saying because before I was being mindful I would get road rage like you wouldn’t believe. It was honestly one of the worst things I’ve experienced. Today, I remain calm and take my time getting from place to place because if we don’t slow down, we create our anxiety, stress and negativity. It’s truly not worth it.

• Sleep– I used to say, “I’ll sleep when I die!” But the truth is, we are not living if we do not sleep. I had to learn how to sleep. Beauty sleep is so important. In all that we do, rest is crucial for our overall well being. If something is off, you’re not feeling good, hormones are out of whack, seek sleep! When we are well rested we tend to be more mindful throughout the day.
• Buy a plant– Live houseplants are things that need to be tended to. This creates mindfulness. When you have something each day to take care of, you begin to slowly adjust your lifestyle to a more mindful one. Throughout the day check on your new plant and see if it needs any water. Inspect for pests. Dip your finger into the soil to see if it’s wet or dry. These little cares make you enjoy the art of slow living. My favorite plant that requires little maintenance but is super fun to care for is the Golden Pothos. It’s also called Devil’s Ivy, Lucky Plant.

Mindful Living | Healthy Tips For A Better You

Practice makes perfect. To perfect a mindful lifestyle you must first start the process of mindfulness. I truly started my mindfulness journey many years ago and probably even before so without ever realizing it. Up until 2 years ago was when I really focused on the law of attraction and de-stressing my life. My very last tip is just to practice and create everyday healthy living habits to be more mindful.

• When you wake up, open the blinds
• Make your bed and brush your teeth. Be mindful of the water you’re using. Turn it off to not only save the earth but to bring wealth into the home
• Shut the toilet seat. You may have seen my post on social media about the toilet seats in our homes. When you’re mindful and close the lid you create an aesthetic in your home, bring in wealth and this simple task makes you a better person overall
• Take a shower and pay attention to how you’re washing, dry off in a mindful manner
• When doing the dishes do them slowly and relax. Think about washing all the negativity away. An empty sink is an empty mind
• Take your time. Don’t rush through the grocery store, rather walk calmly, allow people to move around you, let them go first, look at products and learn more about them before tossing them in the cart
• When the computer is acting slow take this time to breathe, think about things and be mindful of the tasks ahead, make lists, notes and try not to get frustrated that it’s taking too long to load

People who are mindful have greater awareness, understanding and acceptance of their emotions, and recover from bad moods more quickly- Michael Chaskalson

I’d like you to join me in our mindfulness journey. I practice everyday. We’re not perfect but, we will learn more as we grow. We’ll have bad days I’m sure but at least we will know how to respond appropriately when circumstances do arrive. In the most simplest things that we do remember to be mindful when doing them. Until next time, more focus please! XO- V