Leading a mindful life – this guiding idea has long since made the leap from esoteric studios into everyday life. But what does it actually mean to lead a mindful life, why is it even healthy, and how do you put it into practice?
Every trend needs its countertrend. In the case of digitalization, that is mindfulness: yoga replaces constant action, a book in the evening replaces “hanging out” on social media, companies hire “mindfulness officers” as an early burnout warning system, and on the subway, people no longer play Candy Crush but practice “conscious breathing” with the help of an app. Whether young or old, long-time hippie or top manager – the desire for a mindful life has penetrated almost all social spheres.
Mindful Living
Mindful living describes the mindshift to a more conscious existence, counter to the prevailing fast pace on autopilot that the age of acceleration brought in the form of social networks, multitasking, and self-optimization. Mindful living stands for focusing on the HERE and NOW and for more “me-time.” A conscious perception and observation of the surroundings, one’s own body, and one’s own feelings is meant to catapult the mind back into the present and bring greater appreciation to individual moments of everyday life – whether walking, eating, or working. This can have positive effects on well-being: restless people find inner calm more easily, stressed people lose the feeling of constant pressure, and overwhelmed people find it helps not to lose themselves completely. It increases concentration, reduces stress, and promotes emotional balance.
Studies also prove that a mindful life prevents high blood pressure, alleviates depression, reduces anxiety, and lessens gastrointestinal complaints. Sounds great, right? But how do you put it into practice? The same applies to mindful living: practice makes perfect! Suddenly reducing your life’s pace from 100 to 0, hastily booking a yoga trip to India, or scheduling hours of daily meditation – that is not sustainable in the long run. Because mindful living primarily means giving yourself time and practicing patience – after all, it’s about reducing stress, not building it up.
As inspiration, we’ll share our favorite practices for a mindful life that can be easily and gradually integrated into everyday life and can be increased step by step depending on your wishes and feelings.
Our 5 Favorite Practices for a Mindful Life:
1. Digital Detox
Whether at work or in private life – constant availability causes stress for many or can even become addictive in the worst case. In addition, our increasingly excessive use of mobile phones often robs us of the magic of many beautiful moments that happen outside our smartphones.
Digital detox, the digital detoxification, refers to the conscious decision to go offline and put aside or turn off your smartphone & laptop for a certain period. Whether that’s for an hour, a day, or a week – that’s entirely up to you.
Paradoxically, there is an app that can optimally support you in your digital detox. Check it out: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.ddc&hl=de
2. Conscious Eating
You become inattentive when a certain behavior has become automatic – that is, when we do it regularly and no longer have to think about it. Eating is one of those. This often leads to us gulping down our meals mindlessly. That’s neither good for a slim figure nor healthy! It’s high time to change that! So at your next meal: turn off the TV, put away your phone, pause, chew consciously, and savor the taste.
3. Meditation
How long can you sit quietly, switch off your thoughts, and fully concentrate on your breathing? Anyone who has tried knows how incredibly difficult meditation can be.
But meditation is not about sitting for hours in the lotus position until the pain becomes unbearable; it’s about finding a framework to direct your attention inward and stay with yourself for a few moments. Whether that’s a few seconds or whole days – it’s a matter of practice! Every single second is noticeable!
Here too, an app can optimally support and guide you: https://www.calm.com/
4. Gratitude
Whether it’s our health, our friends, or the fact that we have a roof over our heads – we often take these things for granted. Yet they could be gone at any moment! Gratefully recognizing and accepting these things as gifts gives every single moment new vitality and helps us appreciate them more.
Try it out and write down 5 things you are grateful for each day in a notebook.
5. Reflecting on the Day
It was just Monday, and now it’s already Friday – do you sometimes feel like time slips through your fingers like sand? That’s because we usually don’t consciously perceive everything we do and accomplish in a day. A mental, or better yet written, reflection of the day in the evening before going to sleep can help!
Write a daily list of all the things you accomplished that day. This way, you have your life back in your hands.
Sources:
https://kurier.at/wissen/achtsamkeit-der-neue-lifestyle-trend-der-burn-outgeneration/183.573.602
Mayer, Heike (2015). Mindful Living: The Little ABCs for a Life in the Here and Now
Williams, Mark (2015). Mindfulness Training: 20 Minutes a Day That Will Change Your Life
Bays, Jan Chozen (2012). Mindful Throughout the Day – 53 Light Exercises to Train Mindfulness
