It’s always a perfect time to share tips and strategies on how to enrich your journey by practicing daily self-awareness. A more mindful mind allows you to own and fully experience the celebration of who you are–your true identity–which will lead to a more consistent and authentic state of happiness and joy. Don’t you agree?
“Mindfulness is the energy that helps us recognize the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives.” – unknown
Whether you are male or female, creating a healthier mindset that you can tap into daily is crucial in your life and especially within your work environment. You can learn how to create a moment of joy, a feeling of happiness, at any time of the day.
[Tweet “Our breath is our barometer for our physical and mental state”]Here are a few tips to get you started:
Mindful Breathing
Our breath is our barometer for our physical and mental state – and the foundation of mindfulness. Mindful people know that calming our breath is the key to calming our mind.
Take Walks
Going for a walk can be an excellent way to calm the mind, gain new perspective, and facilitate greater awareness.Walking through green spaces may actually put the brain into a meditative state, according to a 2013 UK study. The act of walking in a peaceful outdoor landscape was found to trigger “involuntary attention,” meaning that it holds attention while also allowing for reflection.
Ways to Implement:
Walk around your house
Walk around your office
Walk before work
Walk during lunch
Walk after work
Gather a group of friends, colleagues or coworkers for accountability
Play & Create
Mindfulness and creativity go hand-in-hand: Mindfulness practice boosts creative thinking. Challenging creative work can get you into a flow state of heightened awareness and consciousness. Try engaging in your favorite creative practice, whether it’s baking, doodling, or singing in the shower, and see how your thoughts quiet down as you get into a state of flow. Stat of flow meaning, what can you do and lose track of time? That is flow or being in the zone.
Ways to Implement:
Make a list of all the activities you lose track of time when participating, that more than likely means you’re enjoying what you’re doing. Do more of that! Schedule it weekly, bi-weekly, or AT LEAST monthly. You need time for play and creation!
Detach From Gadgets
Mindful people have a healthy relationship with their mobile devices – they set (and keep) specific parameters for usage. Those who mindfully interact with others look up from their screens and into the eyes of whomever they’re interacting with, and in doing so, develop and maintain stronger connections in all their relationships.
Ways to Implement:
When having a meal with family, friends, colleagues, put your phone aways. Practice being present and making eye contact.
Keep your phone out of your bedroom, use a traditional alarm OR put your phone in the bathroom
Slow Down
Try to practice all of the above, and add in a healthy dose of sleep, including naps. We must, must, must, slow down. Take a moment to think about what helps you slow down, calm down, and feel at peace. Do more of that!
Ways to Implement:
Purchase SLEEP SMART by Shawn Stevenson, implement a better sleep routine. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out of this book and all it has to offer. (Another article for me to write soon)
Take quick naps within your car if you work 9-5 or on your lunch break
Meditate
Go back to your deep breaths
Drink Water
Studies show that even mild dehydration can impair many aspects of brain function. We all can aim for as much mental stability as possible.
Ways to Implement:
If your issue is cold water, drink it at room temperature or drink it hot/warm with fresh squeezed lemon
Use a straw to drink it faster
Chug a glass before each meal, boom 3 glasses OR chug a glass before and after each meal and you have a minimum of 6 glasses of water
Envision & Dream
Engaging in imaginative thinking and fantasizing may even make us more mindful. Research has found that those whose daydreams are most positive and most specific also score high in mindfulness.
Ways to Implement:
Create a vision board of your dreams, goals, and desires
Listen to your favorite music and do nothing but relax and fantasize
Sense of Humor
A critical factor in cultivating a mindful personality is refusing to get wrapped up and carried away by the constant tug of the emotions. If you can remember to laugh and keep an even-keeled through the ups and downs, then you’ve come a long way already in mastering the art of mindfulness.
Ways to Implement:
Grab ahold of your friends that make you laugh and keep them by your side
Keep a list of humorous resources so that you can lighten the mood asap
Healthier/Balanced Diet
We are what we eat; that is the truth. So if you’re constantly feeding your body junk, carbohydrates, and sugar, and not enough vibrant-colored fruits and vegetables, you’ll feel sluggish and most likely make poor decisions throughout the day.
Ways to Implement:
Be sure to have something green at every meal
Make green smoothie with kale, swiss chard, celery, carrots, etc. Use some green apple for a sweeter taste
A green apple every morning, cold, within a smoothie, or chopped up and heat it up on a stovetop with organic honey. This will kick start your day or just right!
Green apples have:
Less sugar
More fiber
Higher antioxidant levels
More anti-aging and beauty benefits
and More vitamins
than red apples!
Communicate
While developing your communication skills, happiness also increases as you minimize destructive conflict. Effective communication makes you happier by helping you: reduce verbal fights, manage anger, express yourself to “get things off your back”, and change other situations to increase relationship-enhancing feelings.
Ways to Implement:
Research and read other tips and tactics
Practice, practice, practice. With friends or family members, you can even role play
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, and as a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally?Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
I’ve accepted that sometimes we have bad days and have moments of doubts and sadness. It’s okay. I’m human.
2. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
I appreciate my amazing body for being strong and flexible. I appreciate my mind for wanting to be a student for life. I love learning and appreciate that more than ever.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not onlywhat makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
Being an Amazon Bestseller for my quote book, Get All A’s in the Game of Life: Entrepreneur Edition. We hit bestseller and listed for #1 Gift Ideas and #1 New Releases for over a week!
4. Of course, we all have imperfections, or so we think. In truth, we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? Likewise, what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
Ugh, so many, LOL. Sometimes I’m too optimistic it can be annoying to others.
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to appreciate and express all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU! In fact, sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!) Therefore, Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my courage and strength in motherhood, I love how I have the opportunity to spend the days with my twins and I’m extremely grateful for it.
