The Art of Mindfulness: 4 Tips for Finding More Awareness & Calm
Do you find yourself feeling stressed, distracted, and overwhelmed most days?
Maybe you feel like you are bombarded by stream of notifications on your phone, or you’re always rushing here and there, ticking off a never-ending to-do list?
You’re not alone.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the things we have to do tomorrow, the emails we have to send, decisions we have to make, not to mention the time we spend worrying about our past or future.
I firmly believe that mindful presence and awareness are not only essential for our health but are the antidote to so many of our problems. Our focus is so often pulled outwards; we eat in a rush whilst doing something else, we operate on high alert with notifications on our phones pinging all day, and we rush from task to task never fully feeling like we’ve achieved anything.
I believe it’s this lack of daily self-awareness that is causing so much of our dissatisfaction and is negatively impacting our lives.
When we can cultivate a practice of mindfulness it allows us to tap into our inner wisdom and gives us immediate relief from the stressors of everyday life. When you can commit to daily moments of mindfulness and inner connection you can gain profound awareness, discover untapped clarity, and improve your health exponentially.
So many people come to me struggling with knowing who they are and what they want. Seeking an authentic life but it all starts with connecting to yourself, listening to your body, and being in the moment.
By looking rushing through our days looking outwards we end up unhappy and unhealthy. True wellbeing starts from within.
So what is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is about self-awareness and maintaining that awareness from moment to moment. It isn’t a perfect practice - you have to approach it without judgment, but instead become curious and notice the things within and around you.
Research shows it has the ability to completely transform the structure and function of the brain - it’s that powerful! It strengthens neural pathways involved with brain function, emotional resilience and regulation, self-awareness (which is the pillar of Awellness!), and adaptability to stress - which let’s face it, we could all do with.
Not convinced yet? Here’s what the data shows:
Mindfulness helps your physical health:
It lowers your blood pressure, your heart rate, and your stress hormones
It can decrease levels of anxiety, depression, and pain
It can improved your sleep, immunity, and your digestion
It enhances your focus, memory, and cognition
This is where it gets really good…. Along with the physical benefits it can also:
Help you identify your sense of purpose and peace
Strengthen your emotional resilience
Connect you to a deeper sense of self awareness
Create new habits that you can stick to
Can you see now why I love it and recommend it to my clients?
So how do you practice mindfulness?
I work 1:1 with clients to help them regain their energy levels, find a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives, and balance their health and wellbeing.
Within my Homecoming Program, I support individuals with tailored plans that include nutrition, starting and maintaining healthy habits, and mindset shifts. But regardless of who I’m working with, we always lean on mindfulness techniques.
Why? Because your mindful awareness is at the ROOT of your wellbeing journey - whatever your goals are.
Ready to start being more mindful?
Here are four ways you can introduce mindfulness into your daily routine:
Breathing with Awareness
Everything starts with our breath and even though we do it naturally without even thinking, when we can learn to control it, and focus on it, we have the ability to regulate our nervous system which in turn supports so many of our physical health goals (read the physical benefits above). To start practicing breath awarewness, simply focus on your natural breathing pattern. Notice your breath going in and out of your nose. Tune in to the rise and fall of your breath within your belly and chest. And every time your mind wanders, simply bring it back to your breath.
You only need to do this for a few minutes a day to start seeing the benefits. I like to do this in the morning upon waking to connect in to my body, and throughout the day to manage stress.
Moving with Intention
One of my favorite ways to exercise is Pilates - not only is it amazing for strength and stability, but it’s incredibly mindful. You can also practice moving with intention and mindfulness with things like yoga, walking, and running. You do this by focusing on your body’s feelings and physical sensations and moving into the body every time the mind waders.
When you practice these movements, try to be fully engaged in the experience and avoid things like listening to podcasts or music as you do it. Simply be aware of your body and how it feels.
Some other tips for moving mindfully are to stop every 45-60 minutes and move around - feel your feet on the ground (if you live near grass or a beach, get your toes out and feel the bare earth beneath you for an even more grounding effect!)
Physical activity benefits are most effective when it is unstructured and integrated into daily life. NEAT, or ‘non-exercise activity thermogenesis’ is the total amount of energy expended when you are not eating, sleeping, or engaging in structured exercise.
So things like walking, gardening, dancing around the kitchen (my fave!) stretching while watching television, cleaning, and even fidgeting are all great ways to increase NEAT.
The beauty of NEAT is that it doesn't require you to add more time to your day; you can fit in small amounts of movement whenever and wherever you want.
My top Mindful Movement tips:
Take more walks - it doesn’t have to be far, but get your body moving as much as possible. I love to walk outside for around 10-15 minutes after every meal
If you need motivation - try using a pedometer app on your phone or smartwatch to count your steps (try hitting 10k steps!)
Another great tip is to simply park further away from store entrances or take the tube/metro one stop earlier if you’re in a city.
And finally, I love to take a walk around my apartment or office when I’m on the phone. It helps me with creative thinking as I feel more receptive and open, and less static (literally!)
Some of the benefits of moving this way include supporting your digestive system and metabolism (which helps with weight management). It promotes regular bowel movements, supports gut health, and supports and strengthens your Lymphatic and Immune Systems.
Moving this way can also help reduce inflammation by changing blood characteristics! It also helps reduce and help manage stress (which we all need from time to time) and one of the reasons I love to make movement part of my day is that it produces endorphins and induces the “feel good” emotions! What’s not to love?
Eating Mindfully
Studies have shown that eating slowly and mindfully increases positive emotions, and satiation, and actually helps you digest! Did you know that your digestion starts when you look at your food? Before it even hits your mouth.
So many of my clients come to me with a variety of stomach issues - from bloating and IBS to constipation and sluggishness. When we can work to improve our gut health and digestive wellbeing you feel SO much better and healthier. You do this by smelling your food before you eat it. It sounds weird but data shows that smelling and looking at your food before you eat it starts the digestive process and your stomach enzymes start to react - this means your belly is expecting food.
Then when you start to eat, avoid watching TV or scrolling through social media, and instead close your eyes and really taste the food. Is it sweet or salty? What is the texture? How does it feel? Notice all those sensations.
Decluttering and Tidying
As you can read on my about page, you’ll know that home decluttering was the catalyst for my lifestyle overhaul. It changed my life - quite literally. And now with shows like Marie Kondo, The Home Edit, and Minimalism (read the full list here), it’s easy to see why taking care of your physical space can be so beneficial to your inner peace.
Start small and simple: try to organise one space at a time, and get rid of things you no longer use or find joy in. My favourite trick which I learned from Marie Kondo is to pick up an object and ask myself if it sparks genuine joy. If the answer is anywhere near a NO or a not sure - I get rid of it. I only keep things in my home that bring me pleasure in some way.
Taking these tips forward
My job as your coach is to help you integrate these facets into your daily life, so you feel a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and health. My final piece of advice is to give yourself permission to not be perfect. Approach these tips with compassion and curiosity - and let yourself discover the art of mindfulness.
Are you ready to feel healthier, happier, and connect with your authentic self? Let's explore the life-changing power of mindfulness within my 5-month health coaching program: Homecoming. I’m here to nurture your inner wisdom, so you can live a life that’s aligned and authentically yours.
This journey starts with a FREE call - book yours here.
