…that aren’t meditation

As originally published in Change Your Mind Change Your Life on Medium.com.

Where we place our attention we place our energy. And the law of attraction dictates we draw to us the same energetic frequency that we emit.

Therefore, if we are not experiencing the joy we desire in life, mindfulness can help us recalibrate and raise our vibration — and there are more ways to practice this than the most commonly mentioned meditation.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness has entered our everyday conversations in a powerful way. But what does it really mean?

“Mindfulness is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.”

— Oxford Language Dictionary

In essence, it means being aware of and attentive to what’s going on inside and outside of our body. It means not being on “autopilot,” going through the motions of life without a clear connection to what we’re feeling or doing.

Our feelings are our innate guidance system as to whether or not we’re on track to what we want, so it’s worth paying close attention to them.

I lived on autopilot for most of my life. Having consciously changed over the past 4 years I can now look back and recognise the ignorance of my old ways.

In my experience, both ways are hard. But the ignorant “auto-pilot” way only got worse with time. The self-reflective “mindful” way is getting better with time.

As for its benefits, according to the American Psychological Association, empirical evidence suggests mindfulness helps reduce stress, improve focus and working memory, lower emotional reactivity, increase cognitive flexibility, and improve relationship satisfaction, to name a few.

How To Apply Mindfulness to Everyday Life

Here are four ways to practice positive focus every day.

1. Decide to be more mindful
To change, we need a clear intention with an elevated emotion. Understanding what we want and why we want it is essential. Without clarity on those two elements, old habits will die harder.

Deciding to be more mindful means taking responsibility for our emotions. Because the blame game falls away. It’s no longer someone or something else’s fault why we feel a certain way because we acknowledge and accept that we always have a choice.

We cannot control others, but we can control how we respond.

2. Leverage moments of “waiting”
Whether we’re waiting for a train, are in an elevator, or at our desk waiting for a slow web page to load, our days are filled with moments of waiting.

These moments can be used as triggers for tuning in. We can close our eyes and take a deep breath, look more thoroughly at the space around us, or simply check in with how we’re feeling at the moment.

I am getting better at this and find it gives me wonderful moments of peace throughout the day.

3. Listen closely when people speak
How much of what others say gets through to us? How often are we consumed with our own thoughts or seeking distraction while someone else is speaking? Listening is a great anchor to mindfulness.

We have two ears and one mouth for a reason — we’re meant to listen twice as much as we speak.

I was trying on a pair of shoes recently and the store was full. The sales gentleman asked me if I liked the shoes to which I replied “yes”. In most cases that would have been the end of the conversation.

But he followed up with questions like “Why do you like the shoes?” and “What is it about the shoes that made you choose them?” and “What is the purpose of you buying these shoes today?”

I have never been met with such interest and curiosity by a shoe sales person before, but it made me feel like I was the only person in the store and that my opinion mattered.

That’s what can happen when we are fully present in the moment. Not only can we enhance our own knowledge but we can make someone else feel great too.

4. Notice the senses
The biggest difference between our 3-dimensional and other worlds is that we experience ours through our senses. Everything we perceive, we perceive through our sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste or touch.

Our senses offer constant invitations to mindfulness because they’re always attentive to the stimuli of the present moment.

By consciously savouring a delicious bite of food as we taste it, appreciating the smell of a flower, watching a sunrise or sunset, touching our pet, or hearing the birds chirping outside, we become more mindful.

Often we have one sense that is dominant over the others, so that’s always a good place to start. For me it’s smell. I often smell things others don’t, or long before they do. Because of my strong sense of smell, I will often take a longer route home when I’m out with Boris (my dog), just so we can pass by a walkway lined with wild roses.

5. Seek out nature
There is something awe-inspiring about nature that easily quiets the mind. But it‘s not necessary to spend hours a day in nature to reap its benefits.

A quick stroll in the park during a lunch break or a sunrise or sunset dip in the river or lake is enough to practice mindfulness. In fact, it only takes a few moments to focus on the grass, a tree, the wind, the water or whatever you are drawn to, to slow down our thoughts and become more present.

I spend a lot of time in nature with Boris, whether we’re hiking in the mountains, running along the river, or chilling in the park. It’s always beautiful, but I try to make a conscious effort to take moments to focus on what is around us — to wonder what it’s like to be a blade of grass, or how a tree feels. After all, we are all made of the same stuff.

It’s About Progress, Not Perfection

Being mindful is something we can all do regardless of the day or what we’re doing.

The most challenging part, in my experience, is remembering to be mindful. Like almost all else, it’s a habit. And new habits aren’t formed overnight. That’s why practice #1 above is so important.

But since I began practising mindfulness in many ways, I feel calmer and more balanced. And there’s peace in that.

Wherever you are on your healing journey, always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.

To learn more about how to raise your vibration through the power of the collective click here.

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