We’ve all heard of mindfulness before – it’s a way for us to step aside from the hustle and bustle of daily life and instead focus on our surroundings in the present moment.

Having greatly increased in popularity over the recent decades, mindfulness is here to stay.  Engaging in mindful activities is an excellent way to maintain your well-being – be it improving sleep quality and energy levels, reducing stress, or dealing with tense situations. However, with so many different mindfulness activities going around, it can be tricky to navigate which activity is the best for you. But don’t worry – this blog has assembled a wide range of mindfulness activities to help you choose your next mindful

 

Engaging the senses

Becoming observant of the sensations we experience can help reduce the stress or worry we may feel from time to time.

Focusing on your breathing is one convenient way to practice sensory mindfulness. This can be done by following a guided breathing meditation or following breathing techniques such as box breathing, the 4-7-8 technique, or five-finger breathing. Another simple mindfulness activity that takes us inwards is doing a body scan from head to toe, where we pay attention to the various sensations in our bodies.

We can also be mindful beyond physical sensations alone. When you eat your next meal, become aware of your hunger cues, remove distractions such as your phone or the TV, and try to take the time to appreciate the textures, flavours, and tastes of the foods and drinks you’re consuming.

For the more acoustically inclined, listening closely to your favourite sounds and songs is a great way to quickly de-stress.

In particularly overwhelming moments, the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise effectively engages all five senses. In this exercise, search for five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.

Noticing the sensations you feel is a great way to ground yourself in times of stress or busyness as well as in times of calm.

 

Looking inwards

Looking inwards and reflecting allows us to check in with our current state of mind.

Meditation, as one of the better-known forms of mindfulness, allows us to practise just this by focusing on our thoughts and feelings without judgement.

There are countless free guided meditations on the internet which you can follow, ranging from a brief five minutes to longer sessions lasting upwards of 30 minutes. It’s best to start small when beginning your meditation journey – even spending 10 minutes of your day meditating has been shown to help improve your well-being.

Putting pen to paper by practising gratitude encourages us to appreciate the positives in our lives. For example, you might like to write about the big or little things you’re grateful for – such as having your loved ones to come home to or eating a nice breakfast in the morning . Whatever you choose to write about when practising gratitude, recording what we’re thankful for helps will help us to recognise and appreciate all the good that is present in our lives.

Likewise, spending time writing in a journal is a great way to be mindful of your headspace. You may like to spend some time journaling before the day ahead or you may prefer to unwind before going to bed. Writing in a journal helps us to introspect and become more aware of your current headspace.

Taking time out of our day to pause and reflect is invaluable for connecting with our state of mind and improving our well-being, even when it’s just 10 minutes in the day.

 

Creating a mindful life

Getting in touch with your creative side is a well-being booster by bringing ou

r attention to the task at hand.

Creating art with well-being in mind is an effective way to promote a healthy mental state. Producing art (be it a painting, drawing, collage, or papier-mâché, for example) channels your focus towards the present creation in front of you – and away from other distracting thoughts. Going one step further, you could create art that concentrates specifically on mindfulness by dedicating it to something you’re grateful for or to the feelings you’re experiencing at the time of creation.

If the idea of making your own art seems daunting, purchasing a colouring-in book or a paint-by-numbers canvas is just as beneficial to your well-being. Beyond this, doing puzzles such as jigsaws, crosswords or sudokus are perfect as mindfulness activities since they require complete focus and concentration.

Another creative outlet for mindfulness is the act of cooking; when you create a meal with mindfulness in mind, you bring yourself to the present by engaging the senses and directing your attention to the cooking process. As you follow a recipe mindfully, you’ll find yourself getting in the flow of cutting, chopping, stirring and simmering – absorbing the sights and scents of your dish as you go along. Then finally, once you have cooked your meal (made with love), you can eat it mindfully.

Art and cooking are excellent outlets for self-expression: carrying out creative activities in a mindful manner will certainly improve your well-being by bringing your focus to whatever task is in front of you.

Moving your body

Moving your body is just as beneficial for your body as it is for your mind.

A great way to be mindful is by exercising: physical activity helps divert attention from anxious thoughts. During exercise, we can be mindful by focusing on the breath or by listening to some music that is playing, for example. Mindfulness is a big part of both yoga and Pilates, where there is emphasis on breathwork and building the mind-body connection. Going outside for a walk or run amplifies the benefits of exercising by being out in nature. While you’re tracking along the streets or in a park, try to observe the things around you (such as the colour of the sky, the calls of birds, or the feel of wind against your skin).

The often-tranquil nature of the outdoors makes this setting very conducive to mindfulness– this is why gardening is another ideal activity for well-being. When you have access to a garden (this could at home or at a community garden), your senses are engaged; think about the soft perfumes of flowers and the visible beauty of petals and leaves which you can watch rustling in the breeze. Moreover, when you plant a seedling in a garden, you will return time and again to the relaxing and mindful garden environment as you nurture its growth.

Both exercising and getting outside provide wonderful means to engage in mindfulness, particularly when done regularly.

Mindful for Life

From engaging your senses, reflecting on your state of mind, creating art and cooking to exercising and being outdoors, there is a perfect mindfulness activity for everybody.

I highly recommend that you try to be more mindful in your daily life: frequently participating in mindfulness will have positive effects on both your physical and mental health, even if you don’t realise it at first. You are sure to see an overall improvement in your well-being by dedicating even the smallest amount of time to mindfulness each day!