Spring Break is a great time to either begin or reinforce a practice of mindfulness. Many people think mindfulness is difficult, but it is just something that has to be learned and practiced like most anything else. If you have tried mindfulness before and found yourself kind of forgetting about it as the day gets going, sticky notes and other reminders are a great way to commit to the practice and stay on track. And there are so many benefits to being more mindful throughout your day.
It really does seem like the world intends to keep us on autopilot. Have you ever arrived at work, but not remembered how you got there? How about promising a good friend that you will call them, yet the whole day flies by and you never gave it a thought. You are not a terrible person. You are a machine. Our days are set up with 24 benchmarks: we go to sleep, wake up, shower, dress, drop kids off, head to the office, come back home, and go back to sleep almost all without a thought. It is only once someone cuts us off on the road or we have some other unusual event that we even look up from our coffee cup and notice that the sun is shining.
We are missing out on our entire lives.
Mindfulness looks different for everyone. You have to find the tools that work for you, but there are definitely techniques that will work for you. Tips that will help you slow down a little and squeeze a little more of the good stuff out of life. We do not have to be robots.
I found a really useful article about practical steps you can easily take to incorporate more mindfulness throughout your day here. I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s important to slow down and get better control of your life and your emotions. You will find that a few moments of adding mindful techniques to your day will pay off in dividends. You will be more calm, more focused, and better in touch with your wants, needs, hopes, and desires. You also may end up being a little more kind and patient with yourself which will help you live a happier life. Give mindfulness a try as you picture all of the parts of your mind and spirit growing and emerging from the long winter break, in the same way, the flowers and the trees around you are also doing. Enjoy the time to stretch and grow as the weather warms up. Promise yourself a life in full bloom.