Hey there friends!
As always, it's me, Danielle! Your virtual bestie, ready to support you on your foot path of mindfulness and self-awareness. I am here for you, to support you and stay close by you, right in your back pocket when you need me! Let us discover, learn, laugh and fill our hearts together on this amazing adventure.
Let's get right into it!
I haven't always been as mindful as I am now. NO WAY! It took me a while to even discover what "mindfulness" was. Years back, I started to see phrases like "mindfulness" , "mindful breathing" , "mindful eating" , "mindful living" pop up on social media and in magazines etc ... I reflected to myself, ok mindful is just being mindful. WRONG. It is so much more complex than that. So I truly asked myself, what is mindful and what does it truly mean to BE mindful? And were all these social outlets using this word too loosely and following a fad?
Of course it's not, because mindfulness could never be a fad, it's a part of everyones life, just in varying degrees. There is so much more to it's practice that we need to know and share than just the word to use for a catchy headline.
Simply said, mindfulness is being aware, however it's not as easy to practice mindfulness without some tips to prepare you with your new found skill! Below, I will suggest my top 5 tips to mindfulness and how I began to practice it daily.
1. Bring on the Quiet
You really need to set aside time in your day for stillness and quiet. Even 10 minutes to start this practice will bring on phenomenal opportunity for change from internal reflection. In this society we do not take enough time for quiet. There’s always something running, playing, humming, someone talking, a fan going etc etc. Let us disconnect as best we can from any sort of power and just be still in quiet. I was able to start doing this by setting my alarm 20 minutes earlier than usual in the morning. I had 10 minutes of quiet and an extra 10 minutes as a reward to help my morning run smoother.
2. Use the Tools
You tools! Such as but not limited to, affirmation cards, free guided meditations or scents and sounds that relax you! I love running a floral scent through my diffuser that reminds me of summers as a child, no cares, no stress and I take 5 minutes with my affirmation cards and read a couple to bring some positive messages and mantras to my days vibe.
3. Share Experiences
Share what you experience. Whether with friends, social groups or a group of like minded individuals at a class or course! Connect with like minded people. The universe will continue to deliver people like you into your life if you get the momentum going. Be vocal about your thoughts and experiences and share authentic ideas with others!
4. Pause Between Transitions
When you are ready to move onto a different task for the day, really stop and reflect on your current task. Ask yourself a couple questions. Examples can be … Did this task help me in any way or hinder my daily progress, why and how can I alter this for future experiences so I gain more from this type of task or event. Did this task or event help me progress, should I do it more often, can I include a friend in this? There are so many reflections to be had. And lastly before you transition to a new task for the day, thank yourself for going through or doing whatever you just did and praise yourself for your commitment whether it is mini or massive.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice
Mindfulness truly does take practice. Like anything, it’s a skill! Commit to trying to implement these 5 tips for 30 days and you will likely find it soon becomes second nature to start being more mindful. There are so many more skills to go along with mindfulness but I believe this is a wonderful place to start with 5 great tips for implementation!
There is SO MUCH more to being mindful and the topic holds such depth. This is why it is often overwhelming to start the practice of being mindful. I hope with these 5 super important yet easy to implement tips, will help you begin a practice of mindfulness in your own life. I hope it brings you the joy it did for me, when I became aware of mindfulness.
Have questions, please share! I love corresponding with my Mae North Family, and you help my awareness on what hot topics are out there right now and what would benefit as my next blog post!
Also, need some of those tools in tip 2? Check out our shop, we've got it all!
XXO - Danielle @maenorthmarket
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