31 Days of Mindfulness

Mindfulness in March. If you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit. So we encourage you to try one a day, it only takes a few seconds and you can do it anywhere.  These are posting daily on our Instagram and Facebook feeds.

1. What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is focusing your attention, with purpose, without judgment. Why would you want to do this? Because it immediately begins to lower your heart rate and put you in the present moment. We don’t have yesterday anymore, today isn’t here yet. All we have is the here and now. Make the most of it. Who are you with? What are you doing? Think about how you can get more out of life. Feel better and enjoy life. For the entire month of March, we will be sharing inspiration each day to remind you to keep in touch with yourself and with others.

2. Mindfulness is a form of meditation where you stop and notice the present moment, usually by listening to your breath and to the sounds around you. This can be done even if only for a few minutes. You will immediately feel grounded and less frantic. Now you try.

3. Mindfulness tip no. 3 – It is impossible to be unhappy and grateful at the same time. Take time to write down one thing you are grateful for right now. Use pen and paper or text someone. You can also do this every night before bed; write down 3 things you’re grateful for from that day. Mindfulness and gratitude go hand in hand.

4. Cloud surfing: its what I like to call gazing at the sky and imagining I am literally skimming the tops of the clouds, much like riding the waves of the ocean. It’s fun, sort of like flying. Now you try.

5. Forest bathing: a Japanese concept called Shinrin-yoku is where simply being in nature heals you. You look at the trees around you, see them swaying in the breeze, listen to them breathing, feel the energy and warmth. Now you try. 

6. Monotasking: multitasking is a fallacy. It simply doesn’t work and you stress by trying to constantly switch gears. Doing single tasks, one thing at a time, is real and lets your mind focus fully. You’ll enter “flow state” more readily and will do a better quality job at whatever you’re focused on. And, you’ll actually get more done. Now you try.  

7. Listen to music: not just in the background, but listen to music with headphones on (without also doing something else) so you can hear every note and nuance. See the music, feel the vibration. Now you try.

8. Feel the grass underneath your feet. Find some and take your shoes off, walk on it, squish your toes in it. You probably did this when you were little, why don’t we do this more often? It is so very grounding. Now you try. 

9. Look up at the stars at night: they are shining just for you. Have you seen the big or little dipper? What is your favorite constellation? Learn one where you live and you’ll always have a friend. Now you try.  

10. Gazing: or staring into space by letting your eyes go soft will help enhance your other senses. What do you hear? Smell? Feel? Now you try. 

11. Flow state: feels so good. What do you do when you lose track of time? That is a flow state activity. Make sure to do more of those. For me it is any time I am making something with my hands; writing, making books, typing, crafting. Now you try.  

12. Drink in your next beverage. What does the taste feel like in your mouth? Is it sweet or sharp? Soft or harsh? Fizzy or fluffy? Really savor it. Now you try. 

13. Creativity can be anywhere, at any time. You can take a class with others in real life or online. Learning something new engages all your senses and will help you be singularly focused. Now you try.

14. Single focusing is a skill you can do anywhere, at anytime. Feeling stressed? Scattered? Here’s a fun thing to try: look at an object, say a raisin. Notice the texture, the size, the color. What does it taste like? Now you try.

15. Close your eyes for a minute or two, what do you hear? Listen for all the sounds, maybe a voice, a bird, a buzzing sound, a train in the distance, the a/c blowing. When you open your eyes, you have just given yourself an audio postcard. Now you try.

16. See what’s in the distance, really look at the landscape of what is in front of you right this very minute. Where is the horizon line? What is above it? Below it? If it was a painting what would you see? Now you try.

17. Touch your heart. Put your hand over your heart and feel it beating beneath your clothes. Thank it for keeping you healthy and allowing you to be alive to really feel things. Now you try.

18. Slow down and feel the earth beneath your feet. Walk a little slower and exhale fully, forcefully, letting out all that stress and anxiety. Rushing around all the time is exhausting and a waste of energy. Now you try. 

19. Mindfulness tip no.19. Stop and smell a color. What is your favorite color? What would it smell like? Now you try.

20. Taste a color. What is your favorite color? What does it taste like? Now you try.

21. Write a letter – use paper and a pen or pencil. Listen to the sounds the instrument makes between your hand and the paper. Look at the marks on the paper. Think about the words you are using and who you are writing to. Lose yourself in a story that the recipient will read later. Now you try.

22. Typing on a typewriter makes you slow down and be deliberate in what you are saying. Watch the movement of the keys strike the paper and hear the sounds of the key and the ding of the bell. It is far more sensory than using a computer to type out a message.

23. Make something with your hands and give from your heart. Handmade anything trumps store bought every time. Now you try.

24. Full.Ness. When our minds are racing it spills over to everything we do. When our minds are single focused, they slow down and thus we are more relaxed. When our minds are full with a single purpose, we can exhale and be present. What will you fill your mind with in this moment? 

25. Watch a full sunset. Best at the waters edge or beach, or how about a high rise? When you start, don’t stop, keep on until the sun goes completely down and the colors emerge and change. That’s a full sunset. Now you try. 

26. Mindful tip no. 26: Experiment with wonder. Instead of looking something up immediately on the internet, take a minute to wonder what the answer is. Find it a different way, ask someone, go to the library, just wonder and see where your thoughts lead you. Now you try. 

27. Visualize yourself in your favorite place. This can be real or imagined. What does it look like, what does it feel like? What are you wearing? What are you doing? Now you try. 

28. Scents are so powerful. Select a new perfume, cologne or aromatherapy and use this scent to be a reminder of you being content and happy. This is a powerful way to take you back to balance anytime you need it. Mine is eucalyptus! Now you try.

29. Feeling: remember when you were happy, relaxed and at peace. What were you doing? Who were you with? Go there and close your eyes, memorize that feeling for several minutes. Now you try. 

30. Stop for a full minute every 15 minutes to remind yourself to slow down. You can set your timer on a smart phone and see what a difference it can make in a day. Now you try. 

31. Pay it forward. Know of someone who could use a little more balance and slowing down? Share this post with them and try some of these tips together. The friends that play together, stay together. Now you try.

We hope that you have tried a few or all of these and share this with others who might need a little more space, time and slow down goodness in their life. And we hope you made this a new healthy habit. Let us know how you did!