Two Easy Ways To Be More Mindful Even If You’re Short on Time

What is mindfulness? And how can you be more mindful throughout the day?

Did you know that an estimated 8.3 million American adults suffer from psychological distress?

According to an evaluation of federal health data, 3.4 percent of the U.S. population has issues with stress.

And when stress is not managed properly, it can lead to more mental health problems.

The University of Ottawa’s Heart Institute says that when stress is not managed, it can cause you to develop anxiety and depression, which can increase your chances of getting cardiovascular disease.

So how can you lower your stress levels?

One method to be stress-free is to use mindfulness to calm your mind.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the act of being in the present moment. 

When you’re mindful, you’re aware of your current feelings and surroundings and only focus on what is happening at that moment. You don’t think about the past or the future.

Additionally, ThoughtCo says psychologists refer to mindfulness as a state of understanding your emotions.

“In psychology, mindfulness typically refers to a state of being in the moment while nonjudgmentally acknowledging one’s thoughts and emotions.”

Who Uses Mindfulness?

Many business leaders and athletes use this method to calm down their loud minds. 

Some of the most prominent are NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

According to Abdul-Jabbar, when he was still playing in the NBA, he used yoga to not only help him prevent injuries but also to keep his mental health in check.

Via Esquire:

“But doing more [yoga] isn’t just for the physical benefits, it’s for the mental benefits that will come in handy in the years ahead, when your house burns down, your jazz collection perishes, and you lose to the Pistons in a four-game sweep in your final season.”

As for Jobs, he used mindful meditation to reduce his stress, gain more clarity and enhance his creativity (and we know what he was able to achieve).

How My Dad Taught Me To Be Mindful

When I was younger, my dad always asked me, “How do you feel? What do you need?”

At the time, I found this to be irritating.

He would randomly come up to me as I was playing video games or watching TV and ask me them.

But now that I am older, I appreciate that he did it because it was his way of teaching me how to be Zen and mindful; to be in tune with my emotions and to figure out what I needed to do to be balanced, for a lack of a better term.

Two Easy Ways To Start Being More Mindful

But if you didn’t grow up with hippy parents or Zen enthusiasts, here are two things you can start doing to declutter your mind and be mindful:

Pay Attention to Your Breathing

The first is to just pay attention to your breathing.

When you are feeling like there are too many thoughts floating in your mind and you can’t focus, just stop what you’re doing, close your eyes and breathe deeply into your belly.

You can also do this when you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

Just close your eyes and take 10-20 deep controlled breaths.

This will not only calm down your heart rate but will also eliminate any unnecessary thoughts or concerns.

Once you feel like you are centered, open your eyes and continue with your work.

Additionally, you should practice focusing on your breathing daily. This will help you be prepared for stress or anxiety attacks.

No Distractions While Eating

The second thing you can do is to pay attention and be mindful when you’re eating.

When you’re having a meal, only focus on eating your meal.

Don’t watch TV or play on your phone and try not to think about anything other than the food you are consuming.

Some things you can focus on instead is how your food tastes, and on your chewing and swallowing of the food.

This was one of the things my dad always made sure I did. He never let me eat my meals in front of the TV.

Final Thoughts

Being mindful of your activities and emotions is very important for your health.

So try these two methods to be more aware of yourself.