We’re all busy.
That’s something I’m sure we can agree on. But, have you considered that “busyness” can be separated into two types? External and internal.
- External Busyness. Our daily lives are filled with appointments, tasks and responsibilities that demand our attention, time and energy. This is “external busyness” - and often it’s quite difficult for us to control - at least in the moment.
- Internal Busyness. This is your thoughts and feelings, worries and concerns. This type of “headspace busyness” can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed..
Fortunately, we can learn to have control over it, which is where mindfulness techniques help. Mindfulness is noticing your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without getting carried away by them, and bringing your attention back to the present moment. Learning how to do this and practising it regularly has been scientifically shown to increase your ability to focus, your resilience to stress and boost your happiness.
The really good news is that it's easy to learn. You don't have to become a disciplined meditation expert, overhaul your lifestyle, or change anything about your daily routines.
This article will explore five quick mindfulness practices that make it easy to sneak daily mindfulness into your current routines and lifestyle and quickly learn to reduce stress and boost well-being.
Simple mindfulness technique 1:
Mindful breathing
This is obviously our top choice and for good reason. Your breath is the perfect anchor on which to learn to focus because not only does it work from a mindfulness perspective but also, when paired with conscious breathing exercises, has a physically calming effect on the nervous system.
How to do mindful breathing in 5 minutes
Find a comfortable position and shift your focus to your breath. Pay attention to the speed and depth of each breath without trying to change it. Notice the feeling of the air as you breathe and the movement of your body.
Each time you notice you’ve become distracted - just gently refocus your attention on your breathing. After a few breaths, begin to count in your head the length of each breath, timing them to last for 4 seconds each. Then after a few breaths more, begin to leave a 4 second pause between each inhale and exhale.
If keeping track of timings is difficult, or getting in the way of paying attention to the sensation of breathing - then check out our Luma³ mindful breathing product range which helps with this.
Simple mindfulness technique 2:
Gratitude practice
The wonderful thing about making gratitude a daily habit is that not only does it provide a moment to calmly reflect - but doing it regularly can actually have a positive effect on the way your mind perceives the world around you. Essentially, practising paying attention to positive things means you notice them more and therefore perceptually have a better day. We love the “3 Positive Things” model for daily gratitude practice.
How to practise gratitude in 5 minutes
Find a place where you can be undisturbed for 5 minutes. Close your eyes and mentally scroll back through the last 24 hours. Try to do this like a movie playing in your mind, starting this time yesterday and remembering and reflecting on each event as it occurred.
When you come to an event, feeling or experience that was positive make a note. It can be a mental note or written down. It doesn’t have to be huge, just something positive. It could be as small as a friendly interaction with a stranger or as huge as landing your dream job,
Writing it down is a great way to make sure you really reinforce the memory of that positive experience. When you make your note - try to get into the details of the experience: what happened, who was there, how did you feel and what did it mean for you?
It’s great to do this in a special daily gratitude journal reserved just for this purpose. Then, over time you create a record of all the wonderful things that happen day to day.
Simple mindfulness technique 3:
Mindful walking
It seems like such a mundane thing but walking is an excellent way to practise mindfulness. A good way to explain what this is to describe the opposite. Have you ever arrived somewhere and had very little recollection of the journey there? You probably spent the entire time in your head, either thinking about the past or worrying about what’s coming next. Mindful walking is the opposite of this. You make the walk the focus and live in that moment for a few minutes.
How to practise mindful walking in 5 minutes
Step outside and begin to walk to your destination. Start by paying close attention to each footstep; notice the feeling of the ground pressing against your feet, the motion of your body as you move forwards and where you feel the impact of each step in the rest of your body.
Start to pay attention to your surroundings, look for details in the buildings and nature that surrounds you, without thinking too much about it. Allow your attention to move from your surroundings to your body naturally.
As soon as you notice you’ve become involving in “thinking” about something rather than simply observing, gently refocus your attention on the sensation of walking.
Simple mindfulness technique 4:
Mindful listening
Mindful listening is a great technique on its own or paired with mindful walking. It’s about tuning into your daily ambient soundtrack. The things you usually tune out as “noise” can become a sensory anchor to keep you grounded in the present moment. The great thing about mindful listening is the sounds are often short and momentary meaning you can notice them and then let them go quickly which is an important aspect of mindfulness practice.
How to practise mindful listening in 5 minutes
Take a few breaths to help relax your mind a little and then begin to actively listen to your surroundings. Don’t hunt for sounds, instead let them come and go as they become apparent to you. Notice how loud they are, the rhythm or frequency; pay attention to the direction of the sounds and their distance.
Avoid labelling or judging the sounds in anyway as “good” or “bad” - just notice how each one is different from the others.
As with the other techniques, it’s normal to become involved in what a sound “is” or what it means. When you notice yourself thinking like this, let that thought go and refocus your attention on the next sound.
Simple mindfulness technique 5:
Body scan
Anyone who’s practised meditation more formally will likely have heard of this. It’s about tuning into your internal sensations and becoming aware of your body. As a bonus, it’s arguably the quickest of the techniques and can be completed in around 30 seconds.
We often ignore how our body feels, in much the same way we tune out the sights and sounds that surround us. Paying attention to our body is a great way to bring our attention into the present moment.
How to practise a body scan in under 5 minutes
Get comfortable and close your eyes, then take two or three deep breaths to help relax your mind. Start by focusing your attention on the area just slightly above your head. Then, imagining the slow steady motion of a photocopier moving across a page, gradually move your attention down through your body, paying attention to each part of your body as you go.
Notice the top of your head, your face, neck, shoulders and so on. Don’t judge or try to change what you notice, just be present in the sensations as they occur. When you reach your toes, if you have more time, move back to the top and repeat the exercise.
Attention without judgement, distraction without punishment.
You’ll have noticed a theme in the mindfulness techniques above. It’s about:
- paying attention to things as they arrive but not making judgements about them.
- accepting that it’s normal for the mind to wander and about letting go of thoughts without beating yourself up.
- practising being in the present moment and strengthening your ability to let go of distractions and refocus your attention.
Doing this in short bursts and making a habit of doing it often gives your mind the space it needs to rest and helps you to stay calm, happy and focused throughout the externally busy environment we all move through each day.
