There are many to choose from, but the best mindfulness exercises may be those that are simple and accessible to everyone and can still really help us live in the moment. However, mindfulness does not happen by itself, as with most things worth doing, mindfulness needs to be worked on and practiced regularly in order to be of the greatest benefit to us.
One of the best mindfulness exercises is the Mindful Pause. This is so simple, yet very effective and it only has two steps:
First of all, we pause and feel our inhalation and exhalation for 10-15 seconds.
Then we end up asking ourselves, ‘Which of my character strengths should I highlight right now?’
mindfulness quote
‘If we are not completely ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything’ – Thich Nhat Hanh
This exercise is so effective because it’s so short, it doesn’t take much of our daily schedule, and it’s easily integrated into whatever we’re doing, whether it’s waking up, eating lunch, emailing, or driving home from work, etc. It brings us into the moment and makes us think about our best strengths, prepares us to be our best selves and allows us to bring our strengths into the moment. This allows us to be ready for those challenging times, helps us handle stress more easily, and gives our strengths more freely.
The 24 character strengths are defined as:
Creativity: originality, ingenuity and adaptability.
Curiosity: interest, novelty seeking, exploration, openness.
Judgment: critical thinking, thinking things through, open-mindedness
Love of learning: mastering new skills and topics, systematically adding to knowledge
Perspective: wisdom, giving wise advice, having an overview
Bravery: Courage, not shying away from fear, standing up for what is right
Perseverance – persistence, industry, finishing what we have started
Honesty – authenticity, integrity
Zest – vitality, enthusiasm, vigor, energy, feeling alive
Love: both loving and being loved, valuing close relationships with others.
Kindness: generosity, affection, care and compassion, altruism, ‘kindness’
Social intelligence: aware of one’s own/others’ motives/feelings, knowing what makes others mark character strengths
Teamwork – citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty
Equity: simply not letting feelings bias decisions about others.
Leadership: organizing group activities, encouraging a group to get things done.
Forgiveness: mercy, acceptance of the shortcomings of others, giving people a second chance.
Humility: modesty, letting our achievements speak for themselves.
Prudence: careful, cautious, without taking undue risks.
Self-regulation: self-control, disciplined, management of impulses and emotions.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence: amazement, wonder, elevation
Gratitude – grateful for the good, expressing thanks, feeling blessed
Hope: optimism, future mindset, future orientation.
Humor: joy, bring smiles to others, cheerful.
Spirituality – religiosity, faith, purpose, meaning
These strengths can be used at any time when we pause, refocus, and gain clarity on what is important in that moment. Mindful Pause can be very helpful in the transition period between work and the start of time at home. For example, when the Love character force emerges after a pause, we will immediately bring our full presence in a warm and interactive way with our family. When gratitude arises, it can remind us to be aware of how much we should be grateful in that moment and to feel blessed and moved to share those blessings with everyone around us. When our Kindness force emerges after a pause, it will remind us to be patient with the people around us and to intentionally listen and support them, and when we are alone, it will remind us to take care of ourselves. Mindful Pause can help us when we are dealing with frustrating behaviors from our children. If we pause and allow self-regulation and perspective to emerge, we can practice perspective and realize that they still love us despite their behavior, and self-regulation can prevent us from saying something that we later regret.
mindfulness quote
‘Explore the infinite dimensions of Being…’ – Darsham Baba
Other simple but better mindfulness exercises are:
Candlelight Meditation – This is great when we need peace and quiet and just need a quiet, dark room and a candle. Sit in a comfortable position and focus on the flame, not reflecting on the chemical reactions as the candle burns, but simply focus on the candle in a pure way.
Eating meditation: Instead of just gobbling down our food, we can take a minute to savor it. Look at the food, smell it, feel the textures as we chew it, and notice how it tastes. This exercise can quote mindfulness
just take a minute to see it for what it is
it makes a big difference and doesn’t have to be used throughout the meal, just occasionally.
Take a mindful break: Instead of checking emails, etc. in our rest, we should take some time to notice the sensations in our body and mind: listen to the sounds we can hear, feel the beats of our heart and be present in our body for a few minutes. moments, letting go of everything we are thinking about.
Taking a mindful shower: Instead of just showering, we can pay more attention to how hot the water feels, how the shampoo smells, how it lathers on our hair, and how the different parts of mindful showering cite.
Be aware of the wave of pleasure as the warm water washes over you, be aware of the shower gel, soap or shampoo.
our body feels This exercise can be extended to other habits such as brushing our teeth, etc. and we must fully immerse ourselves in the process.
Mindful walking: we can take at least 15 minutes a day to walk in a calm and peaceful environment, listening to all the sounds around us and focusing on the present, without letting other thoughts distract us as much as possible. Instead, we should focus on the thud of our feet on the ground and the rhythm of our breathing. When we walk through the forest, we should listen to the song of the birds, the rustling of the trees and the rustling of the leaves under our feet. It’s easier to focus on these simple sounds first when we’re having trouble concentrating. Our thoughts will often wander, mindfulness quote
focus on the feeling
but when they do, we should gently return to the present moment.
These mindfulness meditation exercises are extremely easy to practice and simple to incorporate into our regular daily activities and can help us better cope with difficult thoughts and feelings that cause us stress and anxiety in our daily lives. They can help us gain the ability to ground our minds in the present moment and face all of life’s challenges with a clear, calm, and assertive mind, allowing us to be fully present. Let’s try them all!
mindfulness quote
‘Understanding that you have control and influence over your own life is a key concept that you will need to understand in order to practice mindfulness’ – Janet Louise Stephenson
These aids will help you broaden your practice of mindfulness exercises:
Calm Down: 50 Mindfulness Exercises to De-Stress Wherever You Are: This book is the antidote to the stress of everyday life, with instant and effective exercises to help us slow down and find serenity.
The Mindfulness Journal: Exercises to Help You Find Peace and Calm Wherever You Are – This journal outlines exercises that are easy to do wherever you are and is the perfect companion for a calmer day. I’ve read this several times and keep it close by so I can dive into it when I need to de-stress!
Mindfulness Exercises for Beginners: A book that presents strategies on how to be mindful.
Mindfulness Exercises: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mindfulness and Meditation – This book explains the benefits of mindfulness and has short and long mindfulness exercises to fit into our daily lives.
