The practice of mindfulness is simply about being in tune with the world around you but also being in tune with yourself. Everyone is born with the power of mindfulness. But, with all the distractions in the world, it’s easy for your power to be distorted and masked due to daunting tasks, stressors, and unpleasant events. However, taking time to focus on your thoughts and emotions can increase physical, emotional, and mental health. Mindfulness, when practiced consistently, can improve all aspects of life because it alters your entire perception of how you approach and tackle everyday situations.
If you’re a beginner at practicing mindfulness, like me, here are some resources that helped me get started.
1. 3×3 Method
Author and therapist, Phil Boissiere, created the 3×3 method to aid individuals in their practice of mindfulness in time of severe stress. The method requires you to name a physical object, inhale and exhale, and repeat those two steps a total of three times. This method is a simple way to cultivate mindfulness and do so while you’re on the go. It requires little effort but helps put things that need your attention back into perspective.
2. Breaking Mechanical Habits
Londrelle Hall, musician and creator of the mindfulness app Eternal Sunshine said, “How much of life do we miss from simply acting out of mechanical habits?” Unlocking the power of mindfulness can break the monotonous feeling of daily routine. On your next drive to work or school, instead of just listening to the radio and driving mindlessly, pay close attention to everything you see and take in. Doing this helps eliminate the feeling of repetition and increases the enjoyment of life when you can gain the insight that nothing is the same every day. The world around us, our emotions, and thoughts are constantly changing, take a moment to analyze everything in the now instead of reminiscing on the past or fixating on the future.
3. Listen to Affirmations
Affirmations are the practice of positive thinking by affirming your desires into reality. Both affirmations and manifestation work with one another, but the practice of mindfulness helps strengthen your mental ability to stay in a positive mental space. YouTube is filled with a variety of videos ranging from self-love to manifesting good grades. Whatever guidance you need or wish you would like to accomplish, listening to daily affirmations helps structure your daily priorities, gain a sense of self, and promotes a positive outlook on life.
Practicing mindfulness doesn’t always require you to meditate or exercise to get in touch with yourself. Although those are helpful activities, you may feel as if you don’t have time to consistently accomplish those practices. Cultivating mindfulness can be done in a variety of ways and should be executed in a way that’s comfortable to you. But once you learn to fully unlock your superpower, there is nothing you won’t be able to handle.