By: Loui Larew

Not Scientifcally Reviewed by Dr. Eeks

Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/peaceful-woman-in-earphones-resting-in-shavasana-pose-at-home-4498217/

Life can be hectic! You can be fixated on several things, such as your responsibilities, achieving your goals, and ensuring you are healthy and barely make time to live in the moment. This is why you need to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness can be described as focusing on the present while acknowledging your body’s emotional responses, body sensations, and thoughts. There are several benefits to practicing mindfulness, such as: improved mental health and clarity, increased tolerance, self-control, and emotional intelligence, to name a few. So, how can you practice mindfulness in your daily life? Below are four effective techniques you should consider.

• Be aware of your emotions

How often have you evaluated your feelings to ensure you react appropriately to a given scenario? Quite often, several factors influence your emotions, causing you to react in ways you’re unable to explain. You can practice mindfulness by being aware of your emotions and ensuring you make the necessary changes. For instance, when you are aware of your emotions, you can decipher how a particular situation made you feel and if it is a sound emotion. 

• Stop and breathe

With everything coming at you fast and all at once, pressing pause can seem challenging or almost impossible. Deadlines from work, the stress of parenting, or mounting responsibilities can make you feel overwhelmed. Taking a break to practice mindful breathing can get you focused and in the moment. This breathing exercise involves taking two to three deep and slow breaths. The movement of air in and out of your body can be therapeutic and symbolizes the shedding of negativity and the acceptance of positivity. Other factors, such as products from reliable sources such as 25 Hour Farms, can help you relax, making it easier to carry out breathing exercises. 

1. Practice active listening 

Another effective way of being mindful and at the moment is by listening. Active, or mindful, listening is being present in conversations to ensure that everyone feels heard and appreciated. It also ensures effective communication as you can better understand the subject discussed and give relevant feedback. Additionally, you create a safe space for people to share their thoughts. This, in turn, helps build a long-lasting connection between you and the speakers. There are several tips you can implement to ensure you’re actively listening. These include: being patient, choosing a better time to talk, asking open-ended questions, and putting aside devices during a conversation.

• Mindful eating

The truth is little to no attention is given when eating. This is most likely because you’re on automatic when eating to consume as much as possible during a meal. This means you can eat while doing other activities, such as watching TV or scrolling through your phone. Mindful eating focuses on the experience of eating the food— from the smell of the meal to its texture and taste. Take time to savor your meal whenever you’re eating to practice mindfulness. There are several benefits to mindful eating, including an awareness of hunger and fullness, better digestion, and reduced binge eating. It also encourages weight loss as it eradicates overeating.