Hi!
A new year is upon us, and what better way to start it than with a calm mind? Have you heard about mindfulness? About how being in the present moment rather than thinking about what to do later or what might happen tomorrow can help us destress? If you’d like to try mindfulness, we’d like to offer you a few ways to try it – from quite a challenge to an easy body scan which only takes a few minutes. Hope you like it!
Try doing one thing at a time for a whole day – Try doing only the thing you’re doing – without scrolling the phone at the same time or thinking about what to buy for dinner or something else. When you do that, you realize how much you are not in the present moment … So a full day of this is actually really hard, but try it! Half a day at least, or an hour.
Mindfulness walk – This sounds fancy, but what it really is, is that you take a walk and in the meantime you look at your surroundings – what colors, lights, beautiful houses or ugly construction mess can you see? Then you listen for sounds, ones that are close and ones that are further away. Feel if you can feel any scents or any wind, cold or heat against the skin.
Body scan – You can do this at home, perhaps before you go to bed. Lie or sit down. Feel your body against the bed or floor, how the weight is distributed. Notice which parts of the body feel ok and if there is tension or pain anywhere. Notice the breath and how the chest expands a little as you inhale, coming back together as you exhale. If your mind wanders – try a guided meditation, there are several good ones on Spotify, Youtube and on apps like Headspace.
If you’re thinking about new year’s resolutions, maybe check out our posts on New Year’s resolutions for 2022 and New Habits for 2021.
Be well and happy new 2023!
