Reading the news on your phone while you make coffee and give the dog his breakfast. Instagramming lunch while giving advice to a friend and ordering another cup of coffee. Sneaking in a morning session on the elliptical – while listening to a business podcast and scanning the headlines, of course.
Are you exhausted from reading that paragraph? I’m exhausted even imagining those scenarios – and most of us live some version of that every.single.day.
It’s incredibly tempting to multi-task our way through modern life. It seems like a sure-fire way to squeeze more productivity from every minute. In reality, we usually end up doing several things poorly rather than one thing well. Are we really enjoying life in the every day?
If you’re not familiar with it, the concept of mindfulness can sound painfully hippie-dippie and not particularly useful to modern humans – with our packed schedules and never-empty inbox. But mindfulness is simply the practice of being aware of what is going on around you and inside you. It means living in the present moment and consciously making the most of each and every day.
With the rise of social media and our ever-present smartphones it’s hard to appreciate a moment without putting it through the snap/filter/upload/tag process. And we’ve all been deep in conversation only to be interrupted by an incoming message or email. It’s maddening, it’s unhealthy and – the good news is – it’s 100% reversible.
We can change this by just being more mindful of our behaviors and how they affect our daily lives. By incorporating just a few mindfulness manners into our lives – techniques we can all use to be more present – we can all lead more mindful, abundant existences.
3 Easy Tips for Slowing Down + Enjoying Life
1. Have real meals
When you’re ravenous, nothing will stop you from getting fork to mouth as fast as possible. When you’re busy, meals frequently become a series of snacks consumed in front of a screen. But what if you actually set a place at the table – place mat, cloth napkin, glass of ice water, the whole bit? What if you made sure that each meal included a main and a side (and maybe half a cupcake for dessert)? What if you spent a few moments thinking about how the food got on your plate? Who grew it, nurtured it, transported it and stocked it on the shelf?
Giving your meal, your food, and your health the attention it deserves is a gift that you can give yourself three times a day. Conscious chewing is a nice way to look at it.
2. Wander with no destination
When I’m running errands, I practically triangulate my route to use my time as productively as possible. You too? We all run from one destination to the next, constantly working our way through mental to-do lists and evaluating our days based on what we’ve accomplished. But have you ever considered stopping for a moment and just …. being?
Try driving to a new part of town and going for a walk. Do some window shopping, check out the landscaping, maybe pop into a new coffee shop. Explore a state park with no agenda other than counting squirrels and identifying flowers. Give yourself the space and time to view the world around you without schedules or expectations.
3. Make your car a calm space
The next time you set foot in your car, take that opportunity to be more mindful. When stopping at a red light, take the time to breathe deeply, filling your lungs and emptying them completely. Notice what’s around you – the little girl waiting for her school bus, the family in the minivan next to you. How many times can you do this? You’ll be calmer every time the light turns green.
Consider making your time in the car tech-free. Don’t use those long drives to catch up on phone calls and (obviously) none of that texting-at-the-red-light business. Make your commute quiet time, ‘me time,’ silent reflection time. Brew some herbal tea for the drive and sip it while you take those deep breaths.
When we commit to slowing down and engaging with the present moment, amazing things happen. We’re calmer, kinder, more centered people. Our days stretch with meaning and intent and life gets a lot sweeter.
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
Dr. Dowling has spent years helping people live richer, more joyful lives. She has seen firsthand the magical pairing of psychology and life coaching, which allows people to access their happiest selves.
View Dr. Dowling's articles on Mindbodygreen
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The sitting-down-to-eat thing is extremely effective! I’m at home by myself for a week at a time while my other half is at work and most nights I’ll grab something (usually junk food) and eat it while watching TV. Before I know it, half a pizza is gone and I’ve eaten a block of chocolate.
Same with the car. Although I find that if it looks like a bomb site, I feel anxious and my day usually resembles the mess on the floor & backseat!
This is such a great and easy list of things to do which makes having time to yourself all the that more enjoyable and reassuring. Love reading your work, it makes me feel such a great calmness in my life and I’m sure it does that for other’s as well.