Mindfulness for busy people: practical engagement solutions
- Got Ya
- May 17
- 4 min read
Finding balance in an otherwise hectic world Part II
As a follow-up of the last post on the powerful antidote of mindfulness in navigating life, this post will shed more light on actionable mindfulness practices that are targeted at taking one off the auto-pilot mode of living.
Here you will see that incorporating mindfulness in your everyday life does not require too much time commitment. It's about simple habits that will easily fit into your lifestyle, reduce digital overload and quiet a busy mind.
In our fast paced modern society, one may ask, ‘How can I use mindfulness to stop reacting to a busy mind’? Now, here is how to, but not an exhaustive list and certainly not in any particular order.
Journaling: have a day-to-day record of your thoughts, experiences, feelings, memories and goals. Writing about your thoughts may be tough but journaling is certainly a very powerful tool for self-care. By journaling, every element of busyness on one’s mind can be better put in perspective allowing one to address every issue mindfully.
Meditation breaks: descending down into oneself, pushing away all distracting thoughts and arriving at a state of nothingness which affords one the opportunity to focus on their breath or a mantra for a few minutes.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): this is one technique of relieving tension that so many people have found helpful. Here, you tense up particular muscles starting from your feet and up to your head for a few seconds and then, relax them. Practicing this frequently will help reduce unnecessary tension in your body.
Practice Kindness & Forgiveness: Mindfulness practices always invite us to recognize how living includes experiences of pleasure, but also of inevitable pain. We all suffer through life and recognizing this suffering in ourselves and others can help us to be less judgmental, more kind, and to practice acceptance of life with its pros and cons. This is a difficult practice for some people, that’s why it is important to practice as a beginner, not worrying much if we don’t manage to be as forgiving and kind as we would like to, and focus mostly on doing the best you can when we practice it.
To start, you can bring these words to your present moment: “I want to be kind and forgive myself”, “I hope others can find peace and love”, “I’ll go through my day with kindness and care”.
Gratitude: this is a very simple tool at our disposal that will improve our well being and that of others. It's just by being conscious of the goodness in your life even when things feel a little off. Gratitude turns what we have into enough and more importantly, turns chaos into order. It brings meaning to our past, offers peace for today and gives hope for tomorrow. You can decide to keep a gratitude journal and add to it everyday.
Pause from Autopilot & Multitasking: Autopilot is what we call to be in an “unconscious doing” through our day, like when we have breakfast without tasting the food or attend meetings without really paying attention to what’s going on, as we are “Not present” and lost insight our minds. To wake up from autopilot, give yourself some few minutes of time off. Find something that helps you relax, ground, and be present with. It could be listening to music, spending some time in nature or placing a call across to that dear one.
In the same vein, mindfulness can be applied in managing digital overload. Different media through screens attract our attention in many ways and to varying degrees but beyond all these, we must manage these overloads in order not to have our screen time out of hand.
There are many quick and simple mindfulness habits one can imbibe.
Here is an non exhaustive list:
Take a moment right after you wake up to meditate
Take deep breaths
Stretch and take short walks
Practice muscle relaxations
Affirm, complement, and show gratitude to others
Ask and take mindful hugs
Mindful listening of music
Reducing the tendency to multitask
Remind yourself of self love
Keep your phone and other gadget aside
Prioritize activities for the day by having a to-do list
Regularly check and feel your body
Practice active listening
Try anything new
Join a Mindfulness workshop or practice
It is advised that you start small, try out different practices and gradually weave into your daily routine that practice(s) that works for you. Just know that finding the right techniques that resonate with you can help you take back control over your life, then, you can live a more conscious life.
Know that mindfulness is just about being intentional. So, why don't you make a decision to be more intentional today and see the difference it all brings.
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