Becoming More Mindful in Your Daily Life

These days it feels like life is just flying by! I've been so busy or distracted recently that I haven't had the time to just be still or present. One of my goals for this month was to be more mindful in my daily practices. Keep reading to learn ways to be more present in your daily life!

Drinking Coffee

I love my morning coffee — my favorite spot to drink my coffee is on the corner of our couch which overlooks the Hudson. This slow start to my morning helps me get ready for a busy day and just be present in the moment. I am aware of how the warm cup feels against my palms, the bittersweet taste, the steam rising, or the warmth as it passes through my throat. Rather than drinking coffee mindlessly or scrolling through my phone and ending up drinking cold coffee, I sit in silence and am fully aware of the present.

Active Listening

If you read my nighttime routine post, you'll know how important active listening is to mine and Anup's relationship! We spend time every night listening to each other, uninterrupted and undistracted. Active listening involves maintaining good eye contact, sharing facial expressions, nodding your head, providing reflections or paraphrases, and having an open posture. These simple gestures might seem obvious but they are important for showing the other person that you value what they are saying and helps them to feel heard. It's all too easy to pick up our phones while in the middle of a conversation or start formulating our responses in our mind instead of truly listening. Active listening is a mindfulness techniques that shifts our perspective about how we listen to those around us that takes practice and time!

Cooking Dinner

Over the years, I developed a bad habit of watching a movie or show while cooking! I know, I know you might be thinking "what's wrong with that?!" but this bad habit had grown into me always needing to have something playing in the background while doing anything in the kitchen, whether washing dishes, unloading the washing machine, organizing my drawers, or cooking dinner. During the day I'd be on my laptop working, and then at night I'd also be looking at a screen — there was never a break! Over the past month I've tried to be more intentional about being present while cooking. Cooking mindfully has allowed me to slow down, smell the aromas of the spices, listen to sounds of veggies sizzling, or watch the color of meat changing in the cast iron. Using all my senses while cooking has even helped me improve my cooking skills! I noticed that I enjoy cooking more and am happier when I a cooking mindfully (normally I am rushing to cook dinner after work).

Let me know in the comments below how you practice mindfulness in your daily routine! Thanks for reading!