Stay mindful while you drink a cup of tea

We’re in for a weird and possibility unsettling time this month as restaurants and hairdressers reopen, and we adjust and inch back to normality. So we’re offering you something to sustain you throughout July. Follow our 31-day mindfulness challenge… if you are mindful you will stay calm, grounded, focused and together…  

 

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Here are 31 ways you can stay mindful throughout this month. Choose to do one per day, maybe writing it in your diary, and rotating through your favourites on our list. Or dip in daily and find a few that take your fancy each day. Good luck – let us know how you got on!

  1. Choose a colour and decide to notice that colour as you ago about your day, every time you notice the colour stopping and acknowledging it.
  2. Take a drive and use this time to be mindful of everything around you without speaking on your phone or listening to music.
  3. Sit outside or by the window with a hot drink and observe the sky/clouds/greenery/stars for five minutes.
  4. Take an item to work that makes you feel calm or relaxed to keep on your desk, for example, a photo, plant or crystals.
  5. Scan the office for something to look at that’s calming, like a plant in a pot or picture on the wall. Take a few moments to focus on its beauty or colour, then you can return to your work with more focus.
  6. Observe your mood – without getting caught up in thoughts about it.
  7. After a meeting, spend a few moments in silence instead of automatically reaching for your phone or computer.
  8. Observe your feelings when reading emails and track the impact certain emails have had on your emotions.
  9. When queuing resist checking your phone. Instead observe your surroundings or chat with the people around you.
  10. Turn off your email notifications and mobile phone when focusing on a certain task to avoid being distracted by multi-tasking.
  11. Eat your lunch without looking at your phone, checking your emails, doing work – stay focused on the act of eating.
  12. Take deep breaths for five minutes before making important decisions.
  13. Take regular time out. Instead of chaining yourself to your desk set a timer and take a five-minute break every couple of hours to maybe go for a walk, stretch or make a drink to gain perspective.
  14. Find an alternative space to eat your lunch instead of at your desk so that you can enjoy temporarily being in a different environment.
  15. Keep track of your daily accomplishments; jot down three of your daily achievements every day.
  16. Put a reminder top pop up on your that asks ‘What mental state am I in?’ at three points of the day so you can be aware of your state.r the day, is your intention to be productive? To connect with others? To not let others moods impact yours?   
  17. Go for a walk on your lunch break and leave your phone at your desk.
  18. Set yourself boundaries not to check work emails/messages after a certain time each day to avoid working into the night.
  19. Wind down before bed without checking your phone or computer and spend the last 10 minutes before going to bed doing a meditation.
  20. Reflect on three things you are grateful for at the end of each day.
  21. Focus your attention on your body: are you feeling tension in certain areas or is your posture out of place? Take a moment to ask yourself how you can relax. This exercise can help you to regroup and gain mind and body awareness.
  22. Give yourself transition time. When you are work, stay focused on work and when you leave work to go home stay focused on your activities at home.
  23. Smile! Start your day by smiling for 30 seconds and notice how it makes you feel.
  24. Take a deep breath when answering the phone and stay focused on the person on the other end of the line and what they are saying rather than multi-tasking.
  25. Practise compassion when it comes to challenging people instead of being reactive to their moods.
  26. Break out of your routine. Sometimes we can fall into routines that can keep us running on autopilot. Try eating something different for breakfast, going to work on a different route, or doing a new activity. Spicing things up with something new can bring you back into the present moment.
  27. Try the STOP sign technique when responding to emails

    S  = Stop (do nothing)

    T = take a breath (or five breaths or breathe until you’re more relaxed)

    O = Observe (What are you feeling and thinking? Is this someone you have reacted to in the past? Is there a pattern of reacting that you can begin to understand better?)

    P  = Proceed (when you feel calm again, now you can respond if you need to)

  28. Before reaching for your afternoon snack check in by asking yourself whether you are stress eating or you’re really hungry. This can help you to remain more mindful of your eating habits. Is your 3pm binge hunger or really just a trigger to take a quick walk to de-stress?
  29. First thing in the morning spend time sitting in silence and focusing your attention on your breath. Meditate for five minutes to bring your body and mind into alignment. Collect yourself before you head out of the door. This will give you the energy to step into the person you truly want to be.
  30. Reflect on your day and let it go. Taking baggage to bed with you is a surefire way to have a restless sleep. As your day concludes spend a few mindful moments reviewing the day without judgment. Release whatever happened and file away the lessons learnt. In this way you will sleep more peacefully, knowing that the new day ahead is another opportunity for you to live your greatest good.
  31. Find a fragrance that makes you feel relaxed or calms you, such as rose, lemongrass or lavender.

 

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