20 Ways to Make Your Day More Mindful

Posted: February 11, 2019

Mindfulness has grown tremendously in popularity over the years and can be a wonderful tool to reduce stress and improve mental well-being. What comes to mind when you think of mindfulness? Often we think we need to do something time consuming or “big” to really achieve the benefits of mindfulness, such as long meditations, yoga practice, or being able to completely clear our mind of thought. However, making small adjustments to your day can greatly improve how aware we are of ourselves and our needs, thus reducing stress. Here are 20 small ways you can make your day more mindful:

Start your day with an intention: first thing in the morning, think about what you want to get out of this day, whether it’s something you want to accomplish or an attitude you’d like to maintain.
Stretch throughout the day: giving your body a stretch throughout the day can help center you and help you be more aware of any tension that has built throughout your day.
Pause to take a deep breath: remind yourself to breathe! Sometimes we get caught up in our day and our breathing gets shallow without us even noticing it.
Get up and move around: we often sit a lot throughout the day, causing tension to build in our body and may increase the “slump” feeling by mid-afternoon. Set a timer to remind you to get up and move every hour, two hours, or as often as possible for you.
Chew your food slowly, without distraction: slow down and enjoy the texture and taste of your food. This will help you feel more satisfied with your food and more aware of your fullness.
Drink water: our body is made up of water and needs to be replenished throughout the day. Without it we lose energy, brain power, and the ability to be more present.
Stop to notice the positives: even when things seem to be falling apart, trying to pick out a few positives can be enough motivation to keep moving forward.
Listen to music: music can help nourish you and help improve your mood. Music with or without words can help improve concentration, mood, and bring a much needed lift.
Take a break from your phone: put your phone in airplane mode, leave it in your purse/car/pocket/etc., and free yourself from the distraction and interruptions that come from a phone.
Practice your listening skills: fully engage when someone starts talking to you. Stop whatever you’re doing, look at the person talking to you, and listen to understand what they’re telling you, rather than listening to respond.
Get away for lunch: go outside, move away from whatever your day to day life looks like while eating your lunch. Whether that means avoiding eating at your desk, going outside, inviting a friend over to eat with you, or taking a much needed break alone.
Look for the things you appreciate in others, and tell them!: Be specific about what you appreciate and let them know you’re thinking of them, it could make their day!
Notice where your thoughts are at: are you being particularly negative? Are you floating to the past or future? Are you paying attention to what you’re supposed to be doing? Take note and bring yourself back to the present.
Take a walk: go for a walk, even if it’s just a few minutes, and engage each of your five senses. Notice how you feel, what you see, what you can smell, what you can hear, and anything you can taste. Purposefully look for ways to engage your senses throughout your walk.
Go outside: no matter what the weather is like, you can always find something to appreciate about the outdoors.
Put a timer on the apps you use a lot: this can help you be more mindful of how much time you’re spending on your phone each day and remind you to do something else if you want to.
Leave someone a handwritten note: whether it’s to give them a compliment, tell them what they mean to you, or something silly to put a smile on their face, handwritten notes go a long way.
Use the time you have available: find yourself standing in line? Waiting in traffic? Driving a long distance? Use the time to be more aware of what’s going on around you, engage your senses, listen to something you enjoy, or simply breathe deeply for a few breaths.
Look at pictures of things you love: keep pictures at your desk or on your phone of things that make you feel happy. Throughout the day, bring them up and notice what about the picture makes you happy, where you feel this happiness, and notice what it does for your mood.
Journal at the end of the day: write down your thoughts and reflections of the day, your perspective is valuable and can improve your outlook on life when you need it most.

For more ideas to add mindfulness to your day, try downloading a mindfulness app, such Headspace, Calm, Stop Breathe & Think, Smiling Mind, or Insight Timer. Many therapists will incorporate mindfulness techniques into their treatment plans as well, so set up an appointment today and learn even more about the benefits of being mindful!

By Susie Lee, AMFT