Mindfulness 

The Shift That Trains the Brain 

Mindfulness 

It suggests that the mind is fully attending to what’s happening, to what you’re doing, to the space you’re moving through. That might seem trivial, except for the annoying fact that we so often veer from the matter at hand. Our mind takes flight, we lose touch with our body, and pretty soon we’re engrossed in obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or fretting about the future. And that makes us anxious.


Mindfulness is a state of mind that involves being present, acting with intention, and approaching situations with an engaged attitude

Mindfulness

Is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Informal Mindfulness

Is the practice of being present and intentional in everyday activities.

It involves training your brain to focus on the present moment. 



Examples of informal mindfulness:

 Mindfully closing a door: Close the door with intention, making little or no noise. 

 Mindfully eating: Notice the taste, texture, and smell of your food. 

 Mindfully brushing your teeth: Notice the sound of the water and the smell of the toothpaste. 

 Mindfully washing dishes: Notice the temperature of the water and the textures of the dishes. 

 Mindfully walking: Notice how your body feels and the contact of each foot as it touches the ground. 



Tips for informal mindfulness:

 Slow down and pause to pay attention to each task. 

 Be aware of how you act and what is happening in the present moment. 

 Recognize your thoughts and your own internal dialogue. 

 Explore ways to relax your mind and body. 


One of the often-cited challenges to practicing mindfulness is finding the time to do it. The good news is that practicing mindfulness informally, for even 10 minutes a day, has many of the same benefits found with practicing mindfulness in a more formal way. All of the formal practices outlined here can also be adapted into informal practice or “everyday mindfulness.”


When we practice mindfulness in a more informal way we notice our experience from moment to moment, and bring our attention to one thing as many times as we can throughout the day. Some moments that occur often in which we can practice informal mindfulness can include:


  1. Washing dishes: Notice the water and feel the sensation of the warmth, the bubbles, and your hands on the dishes. Slow your movements down and pause for a moment to pay attention to each item you’re washing.
  2. Noticing nature: Listen to the sounds of the birds, insects or the leaves rustling in the trees as you walk by. If you live in the city, listen to the sounds of cars going by or the voices of people as they walk by your window.
  3. Listening: Listen deeply to people in your life with an open heart and mind. Practice not giving advice and just listen and allow people to be where they are. Listen with gentle, open focus on the laughter of people you care about.
  4. Showering: Feel the sensations and warmth of the water. Listen to the sound of the spray of the water around you. Notice your thoughts and feelings as you take in the entire experience of the shower.
  5. Driving: Pay attention with focused attention on what you see, the feel of the steering wheel in your hands and what you’re hearing around you. Relax your shoulders and notice what you’re feeling and experiencing as you mindfully drive.
  6. Parenting: Pause as much as possible and bring your full intention and attention to your parenting. Research shows that mindfulness can strengthen our parenting skills and impact our children in positive ways.
  7. Movement: While walking, running, stretching bending or anytime you’re moving your body throughout the day, bring your focus to the sensations in your body.
  8. Self-compassion: Notice when you’re being harsh and judgmental with yourself and guide your thoughts toward self-compassion.
  9. Breathing: Your breath is always with you, and you don’t need a formal practice to benefit from breath awareness. Pausing at any time throughout our day to connect to our breath and notice ourselves inhaling and exhaling is an important part of informal as well as formal mindfulness practice.