8 Easy Ways To Practice Mindfulness In Your Busy Everyday Life 

Before inviting regular mindfulness practices into my life, I found myself hitting the pillow most nights after a whirlwind day & thinking, “wow—what even happened today!?” Those days left me feeling drained. Drained of confidence, energy, presence & joy.

Do you find yourself whizzing through weeks, months & maybe even years in pilot mode like I was?  Keep reading to learn 8 easy ways to practice mindfulness in your busy, everyday life. 

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What Is Mindfulness, Anyway?

Simply put, mindfulness is being fully present in the moment. It’s properly noticing & appreciating what is happening and discovering the subtle humor, immense beauty and sweet charm in the “mundane” daily life activities. 

When you focus on mindfulness, it feels like the curtain on life has been lifted. Things are still busy & often challenging, but almost dipped in honey, allowing you to savour it that little bit more. 

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I will defend mindfulness practices until the bitter end! I am a firm believer in how mindfulness can boost your confidence, challenge your inner critic & guide you to live a life of deep fulfilment. 

In fact, before every single boudoir photoshoot I do, I lead a guided meditation focussed on body peace, inviting you to exhale all the nerves, & inhale courage & your inner bad-ass model. 

While mindful practices such as yoga, journaling, & meditation are highly encouraged, they do take up more time, so on those weeks when you’re running on empty, they simply aren’t as accessible & adding another item to the list feels seemingly impossible.

So, let’s stay positive: there is absolutely a way to incorporate mindfulness & turn off auto-pilot, even for the busiest of us. 

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Easy Ways To Practice Mindfulness In Your Busy, Everyday Life 

If adding mindfulness practices to your busy life makes you feel instantly stressed, it probably means you need to do it more! 

Instead of thinking of these suggestions as things on your to-do list, reframe them as peaceful, purposeful pauses, not a full stop in your day. 

  1. Stop multitasking: You might not even realize you are doing this as much as you do! Next time you’re driving, washing dishes, folding laundry, cleaning the house or grocery shopping, mindfully press “pause” on podcasts, music, or background television & fully focus on the task at hand. How do things look? How do they feel? How does your body feel? What are your thoughts? What sensations do you feel on your skin/under your hands? Remember this: ‘When walking, walk. When eating, eat. ‘ – Dr Lucia Giombini.
  2. Do A Body Scan: When you wake up or when you go to sleep, try a mindful body scan. You can do this by sitting comfortably, (yes from bed) taking a deep, deep breath in through the nose, & exhaling it deeply out the mouth. As you breathe out, close your eyes. Recognize how your body feels in the moment & scan your body, starting from the top of your head, & moving down slowly through the body. Notice if anywhere feels tense, sore, or uncomfortable. This can take 2 minutes! 
  3. Write morning pages: Leave your journal on your bedside table so it’s super accessible for when you wake up. Your alarm goes off, and boom, write down 3 pages of your stream of consciousness, right away. Try not to think about it too much. Just write, putting pen to paper. This will help you to clean the mental clutter in your mind and start your day from a peaceful, centred place of mind. Looking for more inspiration? Check this out
  4. Put your phone down: Grabbing your mobile phone & mindlessly opening up an app has become like second nature for most of us, especially when in line, waiting for a bus, or waiting for a friend/partner/kids. Next time you notice yourself reaching for it, challenge yourself to put it away & instead do a body scan (#2) or observe the world around you with your 5 senses. 
  5. Breathwork:  Little is as centring and as beautiful as breathwork. In a moment of stress or anger in your day,  focus all of your attention on the physical act of breathing. Bring awareness to your breath, as it enters your body through your nose, and consider the journey it takes to all the way to your lungs. Then, notice where the breath travels as it leaves your mouth. This is your anchor, keeping you grounded.
  6. Eat slowly and savour your food: Mindfulness plays a part in eating. It asks you to take in all the flavours, textures & smells as your nourish your bodies. Mindfully eating includes being present when dining, including not watching television or phones. You can read more about the importance of mindful eating here. 
  7. Consume mindfully: Social media is a part of modern life & when used properly, it’s a fantastic tool for education, connection & fun. But, it also can make you feel lonely, inadequate & insecure. It can also lead to a lot of wasted time! One way to help this is to not stay logged into your social media accounts, so when you click the app,  you are prompted to stop & log in. This pause can be used to your advantage, as you can ask yourself “why am I going on social media right?” “What am I hoping to get out of this?” Depending on your response & mood, it might be better to go for a walk, make a hot drink or call a friend. 
  8. Listen deeply: To raise energy, alertness & mood, spend 2-5 minutes taking in the sounds around you. Listen firstly to the sounds closest to you, your breathing or a clock ticking,  then continue to move further away, noticing sounds in the next room and then further away like moving vehicles. 
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Challenge Yourself With Mindfulness 

With time & practice, mindfulness pauses throughout your day can be in tandem with almost anything you’re doing anyway, so it shouldn’t be overwhelming. Instead, it can be an enriching part of your life, making your days feel richer, elevating your mood & even leading to improved relationships with other people in your life. 

I invite you to challenge yourself by picking one of the 8 practices & try it in your daily life. Check in with yourself at the end of the week & see how full & alive it makes you feel.

What mindful practice will you try first? 

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