4 Ways to Achieve Mindfulness When You Have No Time 

Mindfulness has become the new buzzword of our age. Many people probably don’t quite know what it means, but reckon it has something to do with meditation and being more ‘at peace’. Whilst this is certainly true, mindfulness isn’t just about being more at peace or living in the moment—incorporating mindfulness into your life will make you a more productive, efficient, and happier person overall. 

 Before we go on, it’s also important to clarify what mindfulness is not. Mindfulness is not about diligently analysing every event as it’s occurring to you and creating strategies and tactics for your next move. In fact, it’s almost closer to the opposite. Mindfulness is about being fully present in the moment, experiencing it, and accepting it with an attitude that is non-judgmental and even un-reactive. However, at the same time, mindfulness is not about being detached or removed from events. 

 By being more mindful in our daily activities and interactions with others, we can limit the impact of stress and anxiety, which most often come from concern about the future and regret about the past. However, many of us simply don’t have the time to take a guided meditation class or can’t afford to drastically change our routines or schedules. The good news is you don’t have to. Here’s four simple ways to achieve mindfulness on a busy schedule. 

 15-Minute Meditation 

 Whilst mindfulness and meditation are closely associated and meditation is a popular way to achieve mindfulness, they are not one in the same. Mindfulness simply refers to paying attention to what is happening in the present moment and not dwelling on or agonising about the past or experiencing doubt and anxiety about where the future may or may not be headed. This is the chronic condition so many of us have fallen into in modern society—mindfulness makes you aware of this and allows you to be more in tune with what is going in your life here and now. 

 Meditation is just one way to achieve this state, but it’s hard to find an hour all to yourself, especially when you’re a parent. The good news here is meditation doesn’t have to take a whole hour. In fact, a short meditation session during your lunch break, before going to bed at night, or first thing in the morning after waking up can be just as effective as prolonged meditation. Simply find a quiet space, make sure you’re seated and not lying down, close your eyes, and practice your meditation for 10-15 minutes. If you find having a guide helps, there are many free meditation apps out there. 

 Just Breathe 

It’s not like anyone ‘forgets’ to breathe, but many of us actually aren’t breathing right. It sounds weird, but it’s likely you fall into this category of people who aren’t breathing the way you should be. The vast majority of us breathe through our nose and with our chest muscles, but should actually be breathing with our diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle located at the base of our lungs. 

 Diaphragmatic breathing can feel a little weird if you’re not used to it, but it’s associated with numerous health benefits and teaching yourself to breathe from the diaphragm is an excellent mindfulness technique. Try to limit the movement of your chest as you breathe and instead tense your core muscles as you take each breath—it should feel as though your breath is coming from the centre of the chest and not the top. Concentrate on the movement of your lungs and stomach as you do this. 

 Mindfulness Exercises 

 Meditation is perhaps the most often talked about and widely promoted technique to achieve mindfulness and we know now that meditation doesn’t have to take up a huge part of your daily routine. However, whilst it’s the most popular, meditation is not the only mindfulness technique. There are many mindfulness ‘mini-techniques’ that can be quite meditative and simple to do. Some of these mini-techniques are as simple as making yourself more aware of the connection between your mind and a body part, such as your hands. 

 There’s another well-known mindfulness exercise known as the raising technique or raisin exercise. It’s often used as an introductory technique for people new to mindfulness. Simply place a raisin on a table (you can also use a grape, an almond or any other kind of small, snackable food) and pretend you’ve never seen one before. Observe the raisin as though seeing it for the first time and pay attention to its properties—its smell, taste, and feel. By concentrating only on the raisin, you are training your mind to exist in the present.   

 When All Else Fails, Tune Out 

 Music is the preferred path to mindfulness for many busy people, since you can have it on in almost any situation—cleaning the house, driving, getting through paperwork, cooking dinner, or spending time with your kids. Music provides a pleasurable stimulus that blocks out other interferences and gives your mind something to focus on, even if you might be engaged in another activity. Many of us probably know the feeling of slipping into a meditative state whilst listening to music, only to emerge from the state unsure of how all that paperwork just got done. 

 The good news here is also that you don’t really need to listen to a particular type of music, it can be anything you would normally enjoy listening to. Like the raisin exercise, the key here is to have something you can periodically focus on entirely, forgetting about all other distractions and keeping your mind on each note coming out of your headphones or speakers as it occurs. Whilst you can use any type of music here, many mindfulness experts advise using music you’re already familiar with. 

 Author: Ashleigh Blode 

Bio: Ashleigh Blode is a marketing assistant for Vital Chi Wellness, a natural health and naturopathy clinic based in Melbourne, Australia. 

 

** This is a guest post **