Now that people are more aware of how to use mindfulness as a way to deal with stressful situations, reduce anxiety, and deal with a fast-paced world, there are thousands of articles teaching you how to slow down and be present.
However, some of us may already be doing this without even realizing it.
It may be a self-taught way of dealing with everything around you, or you may have observed someone else doing it.
Regardless of what it is, it has helped you slow down and become aware of everything around you and within you.
Today we’re going to explore 4 ways you practice mindfulness every day without even realizing it, according to psychology.
1) Take Deep Breaths
When you’re in a particularly stressful situation, do you find yourself having to take deep breaths?
Did you know that this is a mindfulness practice? Most of us do this when we’re trying to calm ourselves down when we’re stressed, but there’s a scientific explanation for it.
Research suggests that our breath acts as a remote control for our brains, directing the signals it produces to stimulate our memories and emotional processing centers.
This means that breathing plays a fundamental role in regulating our emotions, thoughts, and behavior. It mentally prepares us with the right postures to navigate whatever lies ahead of us.
In addition to taking deep breaths when you’re in a negative situation, do you also practice this throughout the day?
Maybe you do a yoga session at the beginning of the day to energize your body. In yoga, breathing is essential to a beneficial practice.
Or maybe you make sure to calm your mind to sleep at the end of the day. Without the distraction of technology, make sure to wind down with a short meditation session – which also relies heavily on breath control.
If you find these familiar, you’re practicing mindfulness every day without even realizing it.
To further integrate mindfulness, you could try longer meditation sessions, increasing your awareness of your breathing in different situations and how to best use it to your advantage, or simply waking up with a few nourishing breaths while setting your intentions for the day.
Which brings me to my next point.
2) Setting our intentions for the day
When you wake up, do you make the effort to write down a list of goals or tasks you want to accomplish for the day?
This is in addition to the larger goals or milestones you have set for yourself in the medium to long term.
If so, you are incorporating a very important mindfulness practice into your life, and you may not even realize it.
According to psychology, setting intentions enables us to strengthen the connection between the lower and higher centers of ourselves.
It can have a huge impact on our day, by transforming how we speak, act, and respond to people or situations around us – especially in difficult situations. It can motivate us to be more compassionate and kind, rather than reflexively responding with rudeness and aggression towards others.
Starting our day with this habit sets us up for a better and more helpful attitude towards the day.
If you already do this but struggle to keep it up throughout the day, try writing down this intention in places you will be passing by a lot – like the bathroom or kitchen. If you are out and about all day, why not put a small piece of paper in your notebook or save your intention on your phone?
During the day, remind yourself of your intention by pausing and breathing to be aware of your current state of mind. Then, guide yourself to the intention you set for yourself before continuing with the rest of your day.
With practice, this will become very second nature to you.
3) Eat Slowly
I have a very bad habit of eating very quickly. For me, mealtimes are just sessions to fuel my body before I start working on the next part of my day, if I’m eating alone.
Or I eat while watching a YouTube video, or I scroll through TikTok just to keep my mind active while I eat.
You may have a healthier way of eating that you may not even notice. Instead of eating quickly, you can slow down when you eat, chew, and take the time to appreciate the things around you.
You may use this time to slow down your eating pace, as it’s one way you can better connect with yourself amidst the noise.
If so, you may be incorporating mindfulness again without even realizing it.
You may not know this, but mindful eating elevates the simple act of fueling ourselves into a richer experience, one that not only meets our nutritional needs but also our senses and subtle needs. It forces us to pay full attention to our bodies and what we’re truly hungry for.
It also helps us take better care of our digestive systems, as we honor our hunger, avoid overeating, and listen to how our bodies process food.
4) Journal
Do you keep a journal by your bedside to jot down your thoughts at the start of the day or before you go to bed?
You do this to track your thought processes throughout the day or simply to express how you’re feeling in that present moment.
By doing this, you’re incorporating mindfulness by being aware of how you’re feeling. Most of us go through our days without remembering much about how we’re feeling or how we’ve responded to certain situations.
However, keeping track of this can help us respond better to situations by increasing our awareness of our feelings and emotions.
Sometimes we can do this on the go. We can record our feelings on our Notes app by writing a few sentences. This can help take our mindfulness practice a step further.
Instead of processing prompts, why not allow yourself to fill a few pages by writing through a stream of consciousness as well?
This helps to break the routine of journaling and prevents us from seeing the habit as a way to achieve mindfulness by processing specific prompts – which can be very helpful if we’re just starting in journaling.
Mindfulness Practice
If you can relate to the practices above, you may have been incorporating mindfulness into your daily habits without even realizing it.
Most people don’t have these habits, so it’s great that you’re already making progress in this area.
You might consider taking your practice a step further by going deeper—extending the time you spend in meditation sessions, journaling more regularly, and being more present in everyday interactions like walking, commuting, and talking to people.
