How to Practice Mindfulness Throughout the Day – 8 Examples

Have you ever spent an entire day doing something you didn’t really intend to do? Do you rush things, and then once it’s over, you regret not savoring every moment doing it? Or do you spend your days doing what you’re supposed to do like a zombie, feeling indifferent about it? If so, these are signs that you are not fully present in what’s happening in your surroundings and/or yourself. In this blog post, I’ll give some examples of mindfulness that you can practice in everyday life for you to enjoy each day. 

Practicing mindfulness has lots of benefits. It can reduce stress, increase awareness, improve physical and mental health, and a lot more. With all these benefits, it would be awesome if we can do it frequently, right? 

When we hear “mindfulness”, what immediately comes to mind is meditation and taking a pause. However, this is not actually ideal for some people who can’t afford to take a lot of breaks and be in a silent place whenever they want. 

The good thing is there are other ways that we can be more mindful. 

In fact, we can be mindful in everything we do. Of course, this is not easy with all the distractions around us but it can be done. All we need to do is practice every day, and hopefully, we become more present and alive.

8 Examples of Mindfulness to Practice in Everyday Life. 

When we do things repeatedly, it becomes a routine, which is good especially when it’s a beneficial act. However, there’s a downside to this – When we do things routinely all the time, we might spend our days mindlessly, just like a robot that wakes up, does things, sleeps and, repeat. By doing so, we forget how special every day is.

To avoid this, or to stop feeling this way, we can practice mindfulness and incorporate it into our everyday tasks. Here are some examples:

1. Start your day calmly. 

There are so many benefits in starting our day calmy. One of which is that it allows us to truly appreciate the new day that is given to us. This makes us feel grateful and be more motivated to do our best. Also, this allows us to clearly state our intentions and priorities for the day.

How we start our day affects everything. Aside from affecting our mood, rushing and stressing in the morning can cause a lot of problems like forgetting things, getting overwhelmed, etc. If we start in a rush, we might exhaust ourselves by noon. 

With this, wake up early, breathe that morning breeze, admire the sunrise, listen to the birds tweeting, smell that sweet aroma of the coffee, and enjoy your mornings. 

• You may want to read this: Early Morning Routine: Be energized to seize the day.

2. Savor your food.

We can do other things when we’re eating such as watching a TV show, working, talking to other people, and a lot more. It has become so ordinary that we sometimes eat just for the sake of eating. Thus, oftentimes, we forget to enjoy how good our food really is; we either finish our food without really tasting it or we forget to finish it before it goes bad because we’re too preoccupied. 

Savoring food makes it taste a lot better, and it’s also good for our digestive system. By being mindful while we eat, we also become aware of what we put in our bodies. This makes us more conscious of how and what we eat.

3. Enjoy the commute.

No matter how we travel, we can use this time to practice mindfulness. We can do so by observing ourselves and our surroundings on the way. We might not notice this before but there is plenty of interesting stuff on the road. 

Aside from having fun, being present while commuting is for our safety especially when we’re the ones driving! So, greet some people you encounter, smell some flowers you see, listen to the song playing on the radio, and feel the weather.

4. Focus on your to-do list.

Do you also feel productive after writing your list and then that’s it, you’re done for the day? Just me? Okay, never mind. 

Our to-do list is a great tool for us to be present during work time. By focusing on it, we stop ourselves from doing nonsense things that prevent us from being productive. 

Of course, there are some who don’t like a to-do list but they have other ways to stay focused. That’s okay too as long as it helps! If we just go on without a proper guide on what we want to be done, we won’t finish anything.

5. Listen actively.

One way to show that we’re engaged or present while we’re with someone is to actively listen to them. We can show this through some nonverbal cues like looking at them, nodding, reacting through facial expressions, etc. Aside from being present in the conversation, this also makes your friend feel heard. 

Being mindful to the speaker is really useful not just with people we are close with but also in our work. It helps us better understand what our teacher or boss says, stops us from dozing off during meetings or classes, and even participate in the talk.

6. Work out and sweat out.

We know that working out is great for our bodies. But aside from this, it is also good for our minds. We may not notice it because we are busy struggling, but this actually shows that it is a nice way to practice mindfulness. 

What happens is that we are so focused on our workout, our breathing, and our forms that we are in the zone. So, aside from the endorphins released when we are working out, we feel happier after because we got to clear our minds.

• You may want to read this: How to start working out again and be consistent this time.

7. Practice gratitude.

There are tons of things around us that we can be grateful for once we become aware that they’re there. This is why practicing gratitude is a really nice way to become more mindful because we look for positivity around us. 

There are many ways we can express our gratitude. We can write daily gratitude in our journal or maybe say them out loud. We can also show them by doing small acts of kindness to others.

8. Have a peaceful me-time.

Once we’re done with our work, it is always nice to go home and have some me-time or practice some self-care. We can do anything for ourselves during this time. We can make our comfort food, watch our favorite shows, read some books, take a bath, etc. 

By doing these, we are being mindful of what our body, mind and spirit need. And these are what make us feel more alive.

Incorporate mindfulness into your usual daily activities. 

As you have read, mindfulness is not just about meditating. We can be mindful and present while doing our usual activities. 

Aside from all those amazing benefits of mindfulness, it makes us do better on those mundane tasks and maybe enjoy them more. For example, it helps us focus more on our work, drive more safely, communicate well, and eat healthier. 

This is not something we can do immediately, and practicing it is a real challenge. But imagine being present all the time, being in control of your every action, and handling your emotions well? That would be totally awesome! 

Let’s start by doing the examples of mindfulness in our everyday lives! 

For those who have tried to practice mindfulness, what are some challenges you have faced and overcame? Share them in the comment section below so we can also learn from you. Let’s all grow together!

Rooting for you,

Blaise ♡