Tackling Mindfulness: 5 Easy Ways to Add Mindfulness to Your Daily Routine This Year by Sarah Southwell

Mindfulness seems like hiking Mt. Everest somedays, to be performed by experts and achieved only after perfecting the skills needed to make the climb. To make mindfulness feel like something I can achieve every day, I break it down into bite-size bits and aim to check at least one off my list each day.

1. Meditation

Another word that seems insurmountable somedays, but if you make meditation work for you, it’s easy to do. You don’t have to sit criss-cross-applesauce on the floor with your hands in a mudra and incense burning with chimes in the background. The way I started to meditate was a walking meditation where I go on a short walk and allow all of my thoughts to flow out as my feet take steps. Recently, I have been doing a word-find meditation, which is a lot like walking your dog on a leash with your mind being the dog. You let it go off on a thought and then bring it back to find the word. You can even do meditation while washing the dishes or folding the laundry or any task that doesn’t demand much concentration and you can let your swirling thoughts and feelings settle for a little bit.

2. Run Your Energy

Sit quietly and imagine a column of energy running from your hips all the way to the center of the earth. This columnar grounding chord is wider than your hips and it acts like a vacuum sucking out all of your stuck energy and other people’s energy that is weighing you down and not allowing you to be your most vibrant self. This column also grounds you, so you feel safe and peaceful. Then you pull earth energy up through the bottom of your feet, which dumps unhelpful bits of energy from your lower energy field down your grounding chord. Then pull celestial energy down through the top of your head and let it clear out the back channels of your energy field and dump anything that isn’t serving your higher good down your grounding chord. Then run both your earth and celestial energy up through the front channels of your body and out the top of your head. This flows into a multi-layered bubble around your body, which is your aura and protects you and projects you throughout your day. This was a lot to read but it truly only takes five minutes and feels so good.

3. Use Mantras

This has been one of my favorites and it’s so easy to do. Find sayings that help remind you where you want your thoughts and feelings to be, then write those sayings on paper and tape on your refrigerator or the dash of your car or write them on your mirror or your window. I use the saying, “I am the mountain, not the storm,” when I am trying to rise out of anxiety. I have been known to even write it on the back of my hand so that it is with me all the time. These sayings bring you back to the present moment and remind you that feeling good is where you want to be.

4. Breathe

I know this is an old stand-by but it does really work and I find I need to remind myself to breathe every day. I will get caught up in some action in my life and the next thing you know I am being swept away by emotions, either good or bad. I catch myself and take a few deep watermelon belly breaths and quickly I feel peaceful and more grounded. Breath is a tool we have available to us everywhere, all the time and it’s the most powerful for getting back into the present moment.

5. Feel Gratitude

Last, but certainly, not least is feeling grateful. When you feel gratitude for someone or something, you cannot feel any other emotion in that moment. It fills your heart with warmth and you begin to glow and that good feeling fills your entire body and energy field. You don’t need to wait until you win the lottery to feel grateful for what you have in your life, just getting out of bed and being able to see and hear can be enough to fill you with this warm feeling that helps you attract what you want in your life, which is love and abundance.

Remember, you don’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to do it all; just breathe, smile and feel grateful for one thing and you’re in the zone of mindfulness.

The content on 30Seconds.com is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered medical advice. The information on this site should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease, and is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult your personal healthcare provider. The opinions or views expressed on 30Seconds.com do not necessarily represent those of 30Seconds or any of its employees, corporate partners or affiliates.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community, and follow us on Facebook to get inspiration in your newsfeed daily. Inspire and be inspired.