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7 ways to bring mindfulness into your daily life

LIVE Minto | 4 MIN READ | 2022-02-01

This blog is a guest post written for Minto Apartments by mindfulness lifestyle blogger, Mohini Mohandas.

It's the small habits sprinkled with intention that change your life. Living amidst the hustle and bustle of a big city can deplete our energy. When we choose to be intentional with how we spend our time by bringing awareness in building our days, we allow ourselves to live life more fully while fostering a sense of mindfulness.

As a wellness blogger, the question I get asked most often is how I create a routine that allows for spiritual growth and expansion while also ensuring my endless to-do list is checked off. Living in a cozy apartment in a big city like Toronto, a little bit of chaos is inevitable in the day-to-day. What helps deal with the unpredictability is having a solid routine to fall back upon in between the chaos.

Now that we have eased into the year, this is the ideal time to refresh, reorganize, and ease into a slower, more mindful way of living. 

Here are 7 simple activities you can add to your day to improve how you feel - mind, body, and spirit. This list is not exhaustive, and neither should you try and incorporate all these habits at once.

1.  Start the day with presence

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How we start our day is how we spend our day. Journal your thoughts, listen to a podcast or an audiobook, make yourself a glass of lemon water or simply soak in the morning sunlight. If you can't find the time to do any of these, keep your phone aside for the first 30 minutes in the morning. The presence you create in the beginning of your day ripples into the rest of it.

2.  Collect meditation minutes

 Girl sitting meditating with candles and crystals

This is a fun little game to play by yourself as you move through your day. Set a timer for a minute or two when you find some time for yourself during the day and focus on your breathing. When you’re done meditating, make a note in your diary or on a ‘notes’ application on your phone. It’s rewarding to track progress!

3.  Honour your physical self

 Person doing yoga with laptop

We often associate movement with the goal of losing weight. We forget that movement can oftentimes do more for the mind than the body. When you stop associating exercise with a physical goal and start focusing on how good it makes you feel to go to bed having taken care of your body that day, consistency comes naturally.

4.  Pour love into (at least) one relationship

 Woman talking on phone and smiling

Human beings inherently crave connection. Pick up your phone and call a friend or shoot someone a text to ask them how they've been doing. Make sure this is coming from a place of love, not from a need to be loved. This does as much good for your mind as it does for your relationships.

5.  Eat intuitively

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Whether this involves cooking one meal for yourself or observing how your food is being made, take the time to become aware of what you feed your body. When you know what goes in your food, you're bound to eat more of what's good for you. 

6.  Do a 5-minute declutter

 Woman folding clothes in bedroom

Decluttering improves your productivity by improving your focus. A quick decluttering session can be as simple as clearing your bedside table before heading to bed or tucking your charging cables away. Set a timer for five minutes, put on some music, and clear up some space around you.

7.  Create a list of small wins

 Person taking notes

Whether you do this on a notes app on your phone or by mentally recalling the little wins from your day, expressing gratitude to yourself can promote the creation of habits. Called a friend you've been out of touch with? Made the effort to dress up to your remote job? Meditated for a while? Recall every little win before you go to bed.

When you know what is important to you, and craft your life around those priorities, you not only lay a clear path toward your goals and aspirations but also make the space to enjoy the journey along the way.

I hope this list gave you a few new ideas on how to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. What are simple ways you practice to stir presence into your day? Let me know in the comments below.

Biography:

Navigating her way through big-city life, Mohini is a slow-living enthusiast and mindfulness writer. A big believer of living in the moment, she aspires to spread the power of present-moment living to those who most need it. Follow her on Instagram or check out her blog to explore more thoughts and ideas.

Mohini Mohandas