We could all use some mindfulness tools in our daily lives.
Our busy, modern lives often feel bound by the demands of others and the constraints of schedules. For many, mindfulness practices bring peace and white space back into their lives.
Finding our yoga mat at the end of a long day is our soft landing. A deep breath in the midst of traffic jams is our anchor in peace.
Here are some tips to help keep yourself accountable in this fast-paced world. These are my favorite daily mindfulness tools.
Morning routine (or morning ritual)
People who make their bed first thing in the morning get more done and feel happier during the day. Why? Because it’s an easy win first thing in the morning! Imagine starting your day already ahead, already having one thing checked off that old to-do list.
If making your bed can impact the rest of your day, imagine what a morning meditation could do!
It’s often easiest to start a new habit or routine in the mornings because we have fewer distractions. When we first wake up, the day hasn’t become overwhelming and busy yet (well — unless we miss our alarm).
A morning ritual doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort. If you already have a lot to do in the mornings, try waking up just 5 minutes earlier. Use those 5 minutes to create a ritual that sets you up for a mindful day.
Here are some ideas for a grounding, spiritual, and mindful morning ritual:
1. Go outside first thing in the morning and spend a few minutes looking at the sky with an eyes-open meditation.
2. Mindfully sip your morning coffee or tea, focusing on the taste. Don’t listen to or read anything. Still your mind. Delight in the pleasure of your morning cup and nothing else.
3. Spend 5 minutes stretching your body, thanking it for waking up on another beautiful day. Affirm your body has been restored, rested, and renewed after a great night’s sleep.
4. Sit up in bed, and before your feet even touch the floor, do your morning meditation. Do this before looking at your phone, too! When you are still groggy, your mind can enter a powerful “twilight” state.
5. Before checking your phone or anything else, write down your intention for the day. For example, “approach every conversation with love,” or “delight in all my activities.”
Set yourself up for success with a short and easy morning ritual. Consistency is the key! Choose something that you know you can do every morning, and start your ritual today. You’ll be amazed at how sacred your days begin to feel!
Tide app for timed focus
Tide is one of my most-used and most-favorite apps! There is a premium (paid) version, but I find the free version is enough for my needs.
The app has various different sounds to serve as “brown noise” or background music. You can have the sound play until you turn it off, or set it for a specific duration.
I love using Tide to keep me focused when I’m working, as well as remind me to take breaks for mindfulness, stretching, and nourishment. Here’s how I do it:
- Open the Tide app and select the option for Focus
- On the bottom left, tap on Focus Mode and change it to Work Mode
- If you want, change the Focus Tags to track what you’re working on
- Tap Sound Scenes to select what sound you’d like to hear (Tide works great with headphones!)
- Set the time duration for how long you’d like to focus. I recommend no more than 40 minutes at a time. Start with as little as 5 minutes.
- Tap Start!
When your duration is finished, Tide will stop playing the sound and emit a soft “ding” to let you know it’s time for a break. Take your breaks with Tide, and then tap again to return to work. Setting the “Focus Mode” to Work Mode uses the Pomodoro technique. This was created in the 1980s as a time-management method. It’s a period of time for working followed by regular breaks (and the duration of the breaks increases after 2 work sessions).
If you’d like, you can change the Focus Mode to Infinite or Timer. Infinite counts up (great for doing something like reading) and Timer counts down (try using it as a meditation timer).
You can customize the sounds and find which ones work best for you. My favorites are Ocean and Library.
Learn more and get the Tide app here.
“One-A-Week”
Starting today, pick one thing you do every day and commit to doing it mindfully for the next week. For example, brushing your teeth, showering, tucking your child into bed, driving to work, and eating breakfast are all great options.
Doing something mindfully means you give it your full focus. Your senses are engaged. Your mind is not wandering, making up stories, rehearsing conversations, or planning. Mindfulness is detailed and focused attention on the current moment — nothing else.
Let’s use the example of brushing your teeth. Rather than letting your mind wander as you wait out the 2 minutes, mindful brushing looks like this:
– Noticing the sensation in your gums as the brush runs over them
– Being in tune to your arm and hand muscles as they move the brush
– Paying attention to how you move the toothbrush back and forth, or around in little circles
– Noticing which side of your mouth you brush more
– Become aware of the moment: your breath through your nose, your feet on the floor, the temperature of the room, and any sounds you hear
After a week of mindfulness, change it up to a different habit or activity! In a short time, these “mundane” activities will feel like exciting new adventures with so much more richness and purpose.
Affirmations or reminders using IFTTT
We could all use a reminder from time to time. A free app called IFTTT (if this then that) can help!
IFTTT helps automate and integrate different apps that you use in your daily life. It can be helpful for a lot of things, but today I’m going to explain how to use IFTTT to send yourself automated meditation reminders.
First, install the IFTTT app on your phone by searching for it in Google Play or the iOS App Store. Once installed, set up your free IFTTT account and make sure you allow notifications.
Once you have IFTTT installed and log in, click the Create button on the bottom in the center (it looks like a + sign).
IFTTT now walks you through creating your own “Applet” in the format of “when this happens, do this.” We’re going to tell IFTTT that when it is a certain time, to send us a reminder to meditate!
Tap where it says “If This” with an Add button. Search for “time” or scroll until you see the dark gray “Date & Time” option. Tap “Every day at” and then set it to whatever time you’d like a daily notification. Then tap “Create trigger.”
Next, tap where it says “Then That” with an Add button. Search for “notifications” or scroll until you see the light blue Notifications option. Tap “send a notification from the IFTTT app.” Now, you can customize the notification message!
I like to add a short quote of affirmation to my reminder for extra motivation. You can always edit it later! Here are some ideas:
– “Meditation means letting go of our baggage, letting go of all the pre-rehearsed stories and inner dialogue that we’ve grown so attached to.”
– It’s time for your daily meeting with God!
– “The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake.”
– I am peaceful and free.
Once you’ve typed in your message, tap the Create Action button; then Continue; then Finish. That’s it! You will receive a notification on your phone with your custom message daily at your specified time.
