It seems like everybody is talking about mindfulness these days, but what really is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment and aware of what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, as it turns out, the benefits of mindfulness are both mental and physical. Not only does practicing mindfulness reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, but it\u2019s also been shown to improve your sleep, boost immune functions, assist in weight loss, and lower blood pressure. Additionally, practicing mindfulness is also known to increase your focus at work and school and to improve relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If one practice is known to do all of that, isn\u2019t it worth trying? Here\u2019s a list of simple mindfulness activities that you can incorporate into your daily routine\u2014and the best part is, anyone can try them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The first mindfulness practice is meditation<\/a>. The point of meditation is to purify your mind, get rid of \u201cpsychic irritants,\u201d and bring you to a state of tranquility and awareness. However, meditation can be intimidating for newcomers. You may wonder, \u201cHow am I supposed to sit?\u201d \u201cWhat am I supposed to think about?\u201d \u201cHow long is long enough?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n So here are the meditation basics as described in Mindfulness in Plain English<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \r\nTITLE: Mindfulness in Plain English Determine how long you are going to meditate. Beginners can start at 10-20 minutes. But don\u2019t worry about attaining any particular goal within a particular time period\u2014 this will just be distracting and counterproductive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sit in a comfortable pose. Do not change the position again until the time you determined at the beginning. Shifting positions will avoid giving you a deep level of concentration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sit motionlessly and close your eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your mind is like a cup of muddy water. Keep it still, and the mud will settle down and the water will be seen clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mind must focus on a mental object that is present at every moment. The book recommends starting with focusing on your breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take 3 deep breaths. Then breathe normally and effortlessly, focusing your attention on the rims of your nostrils where the air is flowing through<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep focusing your attention on your breath.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not verbalize or conceptualize anything.<\/strong> Simply notice the incoming and outgoing breath, and notice as the breath lengthens as you relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When your mind wanders and gets distracted, bring it back. The book suggests counting in a variety of ways, basically to distract your mind back to breathing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When distracted, gently but firmly return to your focus. Do not get upset or judge yourself for straying. Do not force things out of your mind\u2014this adds energy to the thoughts that will make them return stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over time, your breathing will become shallower and more subtle. This is an indicator of concentration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The mind must keep up with what is happening at every moment, so do not try to stop the mind at any one moment. This is momentary concentration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you feel in a state of concentration, the mind can then move to other sounds, memories, or emotions, one at a time. As they fade away, let your mind return to the breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Establish a formal practice schedule. Set aside a certain time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once a day is enough when you begin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Start with 20-30 minutes of sitting. Over time, you can lengthen this; some regular practitioners can sit for hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oftentimes, we simply react to problems as they arise. However, when we just react, we\u2019re often responding from a place of negative emotion such as fear, anger, or frustration. Stopping for just a few seconds to observe and identify your current experience can help you respond to it with wisdom and clarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if we\u2019re about to eat a piece of chocolate, we should first take a moment to recognize the anticipation we feel, and perhaps the underlying guilt or judgment. We might then decide to eat it anyway\u2014fully present and able to enjoy the experience\u2014or we might put it back and go for a jog instead. The point of a pause is that we don\u2019t know what will happen next; it leaves us open to the entire world of possibility. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pausing might seem awkward or unfamiliar, but there are already many moments where we take the time to do so. In the shower, perhaps, or while driving to work, we often find that we\u2019re not worried about anything in particular\u2014our minds are free to wander. A pause might be the sigh of relief when you figure out a difficult problem, or the moment when you lie down in bed and let go of the day\u2019s stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The philosopher Ajahn Buddhadasa calls these short pauses \u201ctemporary nirvana.\u201d We briefly experience true peace and freedom when we stop chasing or resisting experiences. He writes that those pauses are necessary; without them we\u2019d either die or go mad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The famous pianist Arthur Rubenstein was quoted as saying that he didn\u2019t handle the notes better than anyone else\u2014his art lived in the pauses. Like in music, the silence of a pause creates a background that brings the foreground into sharp relief. It makes what comes after it more deliberate and more meaningful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, the pause is the moment when we can see all of the branching paths forward. For example, if someone has insulted us, in that pause we can see the various ways we could respond. What would the result be if we fought back; would the person back down, or would it simply escalate? What if we simply let it go; would things go back to normal, or would the person take it as permission to continue? There may not be a single correct answer, but in the pause we can see our options and try to choose wisely. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bren\u00e9 Brown suggests a similar practice in her guideposts for living Wholeheartedly<\/a>. Brown suggests practicing stillness and calm. According to Brown, practicing stillness means taking the time to be still and quiet. <\/strong>This might take the form of praying, meditating, or quietly reflecting. Practicing calmness involves stopping yourself from acting on strong, reactionary negative emotions<\/strong> such as anger or fear: for instance, stopping yourself from reacting to bad news by lashing out at the messenger. To stop yourself from being harmfully reactionary, Brown suggests taking a moment to breathe before you react to things.<\/strong> This gives you the time to think before you act<\/a> and analyze whether acting on your emotions is the right approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pausing before you react isn\u2019t the only way to promote calmness. Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence<\/em><\/a>, recommends challenging your anxious thoughts to promote calmness. For instance, if anxiety makes you think, \u201cthis situation is a disaster,\u201d you might challenge the thought by asking, \u201cIs this situation really<\/em> that bad? Will I even remember it in a week, a month, or a year?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Approaching a loved one and asking for a hug may also help you to keep calm. In The Body Keeps the Score<\/em><\/a>, Bessel van der Kolk argues that physical touch such as hugging has a soothing effect, helping even victims of trauma to feel protected and calm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For more on the art of pausing, read our summary of Tara Brach\u2019s book Radical Acceptance<\/em><\/a> <\/em>and Bren\u00e9 Brown\u2019s <\/em>The Gifts of Imperfection<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of being mindful is being in the moment, and nothing takes out of the moment more than technology. Many of us are glued to our smartphones, tablets, and laptops, slavishly checking Facebook updates, refreshing email, and scanning Twitter. Although most people adopted these technologies for their benefit, they\u2019ve become so tethered to them that they\u2019ve lost control of how they spend their time and attention. People feel overpowered and exhausted by the multitude of digital tools at their fingertips, including devices like smartphones and tablets, websites, addictive apps, and social media platforms.<\/strong> Meanwhile, tech companies continue to invest major resources into making their products and services addictive so that you\u2019ll continue scrolling and tapping. However, there are ways to escape the addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \r\nTITLE: Deep Work In his book <\/strong>Deep Work<\/strong><\/a>, Cal Newport says that social media is insidious in that it seems like you\u2019re doing productive things when really the gains are minor.<\/strong> It\u2019s also difficult to maintain mindfulness and live in the moment when social media is reminding you of all of the bad things happening around the world, selling you products you don\u2019t need, and updating you on the activities of strangers. The overload of useless information can be overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To begin managing the way you use tech, Newport suggests taking the following steps to examine each of your tech tools in regard to their benefits and cost. <\/strong>This will help you see which tools are worth your time and which aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breaking out of the dopamine cycle of social media is easier said than done. There will be an adjustment period: Research shows that it takes about eight days for your brain to calm down and become accustomed to a lower level of stimulation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resisting the attention economy<\/a> is a David-and-Goliath battle against tech companies\u2019 efforts to keep your eyes glued to your screens. Here are some strategies to arm yourself for the fight in being more mindful with your technology use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Delete your social media apps.<\/strong> These apps are designed to be more addictive than the web versions, so the best way to disarm the attention economy\u2019s most potent weapon is to delete the apps from your smartphone. When tech companies shifted their services to mobile apps, their influence and advertising revenues skyrocketed. Since apps proved to be a major moneymaker, social media companies invested heavily in making them as addictive as possible. The swipe-down method of refreshing the newsfeed on Facebook\u2019s mobile app was designed to increase user engagement because it plays into intermittent positive reinforcement. In addition to the addictive designs, social media apps are always with you when they\u2019re on your smartphone, making it almost impossible to resist checking them when you have a few free moments while waiting in a lobby or standing in a checkout line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The key to this advice is that you don\u2019t have to stop using social media entirely\u2014you just need to change the way you use them so that you have more control. Since you\u2019ll have to log onto a computer to access those platforms, it will naturally limit how often you use them, and you\u2019ll be more selective about when and why you log on. Many people who have tried this strategy changed the way they used social media: Instead of signing on frequently and scrolling aimlessly, they began using it briefly just a couple of times a week for specific uses. Other people stopped using social media, because the barrier of logging onto a computer for access outweighed the benefits. (Side note: If you decide to delete your social media accounts entirely, the process can be tricky. Read our summary of the Wired article, \u201cHow to Delete Your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok\u201d for tips for navigating this process.<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Limit your smartphone\u2019s capabilities.<\/strong> Block all distracting apps, websites, and functions on your digital devices, ideally by default or on a set schedule\u2014for example, during work hours\u2014and then unblock certain services when you need them. There are several digital tools that help you to create these blocks, such as Freedom and SelfControl. The goal is to turn your smartphone, tablet, or computer into a single-use device as much as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When computers were first invented, it was the first time that a single machine could perform a wide variety of tasks, as opposed to something like a calculator that could do only calculations. Consumers valued the fact that computers allowed them to be more productive<\/a> with just one piece of equipment. Over time, people began to use computers to perform multiple tasks all at once<\/em>. However, switching back and forth among different apps and functions is less efficient than focusing on one task at a time\u2014especially because those apps are designed to pull you into a time warp of distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Use social media strategically.<\/strong> When it comes to being intentional about digital use, take a cue from social media professionals, such as marketing directors and social media strategists\u2014they have to be smart about avoiding distractions, or they\u2019d get nothing done. The best defense is a good offense. If you create a plan<\/a> for using technology in a way that maximizes the benefits and minimizes the pitfalls, you\u2019ll be better able to avoid distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider the social media habits of one professional as examples of strategies you could use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4) Transition to \u201cslow media.\u201d<\/strong> The current digital landscape formed so quickly that most people adopted smartphones and social media apps without stopping to think about how to use these tools mindfully. However, it\u2019s critical that people pause to consider their digital habits before diving even deeper into technological addiction. That\u2019s the aim of the Slow Media movement, which encourages people to shift their media consumption to high-quality sources over convenient, low-quality media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, let\u2019s look at the slow media approach to news consumption. Many people get their news by checking social media and various news and aggregation sites throughout the day. One way to embrace slow media is to avoid breaking news, which is often redundant and sometimes incorrect. Instead, if you wait until the full article is published several hours later, you will get more accurate and complete information. In the same vein, make an effort to seek out opposing views on controversial stories. Additionally, limit your intake to only high-quality news by looking for stories by writers you respect. Finally, be intentional about how, when, and where you consume your news: You could start each day by reading the newspaper, and, whenever you come across longer pieces, set them aside for the weekend. Then, on Saturday morning, go to a coffee shop and read those articles without any distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5) Get a \u201cdumb\u201d phone.<\/strong> Since smartphones are the most potent weapons in the attention economy<\/a>, trading your smartphone for a cell phone that can only make calls and send texts is the most effective action you can take in resisting tech addiction and overuse. And, as tablets and laptops become lighter and more portable, getting rid of your smartphone is less radical than it seems. If you can\u2019t completely ditch your smartphone because you need it for work or other logistical reasons, you could get a tethered dumb phone: When you want to have some time without your smartphone, activate your tethered phone to have texts and phone calls forwarded from your smartphone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, you may be thinking, \u201csure, I can try to practice mindfulness at home and on my days off, but how am I supposed to apply these practices to my work life?\u201d After all, that\u2019s where you spend most of your day. But don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ve got you covered there too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In his book Indistractable<\/a>, Nir Eyal discusses how to be more mindful in the workplace. Eyal suggests reducing your external triggers<\/a> so you can be fully in the present and concentrate on the work in front of you. Here are Eyal\u2019s tips for avoiding different types of distractions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nTITLE: Indistractable 1) Other people:<\/strong> Create an obvious visual cue that tells other people that you\u2019re not available for interruption. This can take any form that makes sense to you, such as a sign on top of your computer monitor with the message, \u201cI\u2019m focusing right now, please come back later\u201d or a designated hat or pair of headphones that signify deep focus time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Email: <\/strong>Checking your email and responding to messages may feel<\/em> productive, but it can take up hours <\/em>of your day. To reduce your overall email time, you have to manage two factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Group chat: <\/strong>Set three boundaries around your group chat use so that it shows up in your workday as a tool for traction<\/em>, rather than invading your workday as a distraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4) Meetings: <\/strong>Often, meetings are an excuse for someone to get others<\/em> to think about a problem they have. They interrupt employees\u2019 schedules, and when attendees are stuck in a boring and unproductive echo chamber of the same ideas around an issue, they\u2019ll be triggered toward distracted behaviors. You can make meetings more meaningful in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5) Smartphones: <\/strong>Your smartphone is probably one of the most distracting things in your life, but it can also be a useful tool for a variety of tasks. Maximize your phone\u2019s use as a tool for traction by first rearranging your apps and then adjusting their settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6) Desktop: <\/strong>When you work against the background of a cluttered desktop, you encounter many visual reminders of questions to answer, tasks to complete, or ideas you wanted to research. These visual reminders of easy and interesting tasks can easily trigger you to escape from the discomfort of your work. Combat this by sorting everything into out-of-sight folders. <\/strong>This organizes your desktop so you can find what you\u2019re looking for quickly and reduce your chances of being distracted by visual reminders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7) Articles: <\/strong>When you come across an interesting article, you\u2019ll often read it right away\u2014at the expense of what you should<\/em> be doing\u2014or you\u2019ll keep it open in a browser tab so you don\u2019t lose it, which clutters your workspace with tempting visual reminders. Articles are knowledge-boosting tools when used the right way\u2014rather than cutting them out, change how and when you spend time on them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 8) Social media: <\/strong>One of the most addictive features of social media is the \u201cnews feed,\u201d where you can scroll through endless pictures and posts. Without the news feed, social media becomes less addictive and more in your control. There are two methods you can use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another reason you should try to be more focused on your present task at work is that each time you switch between tasks, you retain some mental residue from the previous task. It takes time for you to adjust to the new task because of this residue\u2014it might be minutes before you get into the groove of the new task. Even worse is that if you\u2019re switching between tasks every few minutes, you might have zero time in which you\u2019re fully focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an interview, Deep Work author Cal Newport stressed the importance of understanding that \u201ctask switching\u201d isn\u2019t all that different from multitasking<\/a>. He says that most people try to do one thing at a time<\/a> because they know they shouldn\u2019t multitask\u2014the problem, he says, is that most people don\u2019t realize that they shouldn\u2019t be frequently switching between \u201cthings\u201d either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only can practicing mindfulness improve your mental and physical health and your work life, but it can also improve your relationships with friends, family, and loved ones as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of the pains and fears we carry are the results of our relationships with other people. Therefore, we can\u2019t truly heal while isolating ourselves.<\/strong> Community is a powerful and necessary force, and having mindful relationships<\/a> can help us to fully engage with it just as it helps us engage with our own inner lives<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we have awareness and compassion in our relationships they can be powerful tools for spiritual growth<\/a> and healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few mindfulness activities we can practice when it comes to our relationships with others<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When communicating with others, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/em><\/a> author Stephen R. Covey urges you to try to understand their <\/em>perspective before asking them to understand yours<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Covey points out that you can\u2019t reach a mutually<\/em> beneficial solution without first understanding the other person\u2019s interests. This requires empathic listening<\/a>, or striving to understand the other person\u2019s perspectives by interpreting what they\u2019re saying as well as how they feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Covey suggests you practice empathic listening with these exercises: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Specific Strategies for Empathic Listening<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Covey\u2019s exercises allow you to practice empathic listening, but he doesn\u2019t provide many specific strategies. Supplement Covey\u2019s exercises with these practical strategies for empathic listening<\/a> from the Crisis Prevention Center: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another mindfulness activity is to learn to be present in your relationships. It\u2019s one thing to be present with yourself, but a relationship brings another person (and her ego) into the dynamic and requires a lot of give and take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eckhart Tolle gave great advice for practicing mindfulness in relationships in his book The Power of Now<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \r\nTITLE: The Power of Now First, stop judging yourself.<\/strong> Accept yourself and the present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that love exists within you. You do not need your partner or your relationship to access true love<\/strong>, so you don\u2019t need to cling to either. Accept her and accept the relationship as it unfolds naturally, knowing that your love and happiness don\u2019t need to be tethered to every up and down you experience with your partner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, stop judging your partner.<\/strong> Accept her fully, without the temptation to judge or change her in any way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When your partner acts on her ego, do not judge or react; judgment means you are confusing her action with who she is, or that you are projecting your own ego onto her.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you get into an argument or conflict with someone, observe your defensiveness when being attacked, as well as the aggression in your counterattack (if you do so). Notice your attachment to your views or opinions, your need to be right and prove the other person wrong. Recognize that your ego<\/a> is fueling your reaction<\/strong>; acknowledging this will help to dissolve it. With practice, you will realize in future arguments that you have a choice not to react. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Acceptance of both yourself and your partner dissolves mind games, clinging, and the inclination to create a victim and perpetrator in the relationship.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\r\nAUTHOR: Bhante Gunaratana
\r\nTIME: 18
\r\nREADS: 34.2
\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/mindfulness_cover.jpg
\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: mindfulness-in-plain-english-summary-bhante-gunaratana
\r\nAMZN_ID: B003XF1LKW
\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Start Meditating<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Continue Meditating<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Some Questions to Consider While Meditating:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Learning to Pause<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stillness and Calm<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Limiting Your Technology Use<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Manage Your Devices<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\r\nAUTHOR: Cal Newport
\r\nTIME: 18
\r\nREADS: 184.3
\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/deepwork_cover.jpg
\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: deep-work-summary-cal-newport
\r\nAMZN_ID: B00X47ZVXM
\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Strategies for Reclaiming Your Time and Attention<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Use Mindfulness at Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nAUTHOR: Nir Eyal
\nTIME: 52
\nREADS: 213.5
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/indistractable-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: indistractable-summary-nir-eyal
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Avoid Multitasking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Use Mindfulness in Relationships<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Empathetic Listening<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Be Present in Love<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\r\nAUTHOR: Eckhart Tolle
\r\nTIME: 28
\r\nREADS: 30.1
\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/powerofnow_cover.jpg
\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-power-of-now-summary-eckhart-tolle
\r\nAMZN_ID: B002361MLA
\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 1: Acceptance<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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