Being in the now and engaged in the present is one of the most powerful ways to really enjoy your life, but in our fast-paced world, we’re typically disengaged from the present moment. This can lead to stress, anxiousness, tension, and an overall dissatisfaction with life, but luckily by practicing mindfulness, you can find peace, calm, and groundedness in our otherwise hectic lifestyles.

In today’s blog post, we want to help you find your zen by sharing seven simple ways to bring more mindfulness into your day.

Turn off distractions

In our hyper connected world, we spend so much time distracting ourselves with things that keep us from really being present. We scroll through social media, text our friends, listen to podcasts, obsessively check emails, and basically do anything we can to avoid just being in the present moment. How often do you find yourself in public and look around to see everyone around you on their phones?

Rather than defaulting to going on your phone, try switching off your distractions and just being. Notice what’s around you, focus on your breathing, and just be. This is great to practice on your morning commute, when you’re waiting in line, or any time during the day when you find yourself reaching for your phone to disengage from the present. Like they say- we need to disconnect to reconnect.

Focus on your breath

One of the best, easiest, and fastest ways to come back to the present moment is to simply spend a few minutes focusing on your breath. So often, we’re stuck in shallow breathing patterns, and this can leave us feeling stressed, anxious, and out of touch with our bodies and the present moment.

Set aside a few minutes throughout your day to simply come back to your breath. You don’t need to force deep belly breathing if this feels unnatural- simply tune into your breathing and allow yourself to enjoy some slow and full breaths.

Meditation

Meditation is an amazing way to practice mindfulness, but it’s also something that a lot of people find uncomfortable and want to avoid. That’s usually because we think of meditation as having to be a strict practice where you sit cross legged for half an hour and clear your mind of all thoughts and distractions- but it doesn’t need to be that way at all!

Meditation is simply the practice of becoming aware of the present moment, and there are so many ways to practice, so you can find a way that feels right for you. Guided meditations, sitting in silence for five minutes, and walking meditations are just a few of the many options.

Taking even a few minutes from your day to disconnect from the business of life to simply be can do wonders.

Exercise

Yoga is the first physical activity most of us think of when we think of mindfulness, but any kind of physical exercise can help you to get out of your head and into the present moment. Choosing a form of exercise that you really enjoy and want to be doing is key. Otherwise, you’ll likely spend the whole time looking at the clock and wishing the time away- the opposite of mindfulness!

Focus on your senses

When we aren’t in a mindful headspace, we have effectively left the present moment and are living in our head and have disconnected from our bodies. To be mindful, we need to come back to the present, and a really simple and enjoyable way of doing this is by focusing on our senses, which grounds us back into our bodies and the present moment.

Spend a few moments really using your senses to take in the space around you. Listen to the sounds around you, look around and really take in what you see, feel the chair beneath you or the ground under your feet. Take in the world around you as a way to reconnect with your body and anchor back into the now.

Go outside

Being out in nature is incredibly soothing and restorative, and it’s a great way to come back to the present. Whether you’re at a local park, at the beach, on a hike, gardening, or anything in between, take advantage of the moment to really take in your surroundings and feel yourself rooted in the present moment.

Learn a new skill

Learning something new forces you to be present because you need to focus to learn this new skill. When we’re engaging in activities we’re familiar with, it’s easy for us to go on autopilot and zone out, but when you’re learning something new you have to stay focused and alert.

Learning something new or engaging in an activity that requires focus, such as a crossword or game, is a fun way to stay present while enjoying yourself!