Fit mindfulness into your routine - Hobbyism

Mindfulness has grown in popularity increasingly and that’s because it helps to combat stress and anxiety. In a nutshell, mindfulness is a form of meditation that focuses the mind on the present moment and helps with relaxation. If you can fit mindfulness into your routine it will prove beneficial to your mental well-being.

Set a time

If you want to fit mindfulness into your routine, the first step is to dedicate a specific time in your day. A mindfulness session can take as little as 3 minutes so it is super easy to fit into your day. If you find it difficult to find quiet time at home then try doing it on your lunch break or once the kids have gone to bed.

Do some research

So now you know when you want to practice mindfulness but you’ve got no idea how to do it? Luckily for us, Andy Puddicombe is a pro at mindfulness and created a cool app called Headspace which talks you through some simple exercises. The great thing about headspace is they have an app and a website that also features the sessions. You can also pick how long you have to listen.

If you want to know a bit more about Andy’s story check out his Ted Talk.

If you don’t want to sign up to Headspace there are quite a few apps on the app store that are available and there are plenty of videos on Youtube.

Test run

Do a test run before your allocated time. If you get to your specific time and spend 10 minutes downloading apps or looking through youtube you’ll get distracted and move onto cute cat videos. Whenever you have a spare minute find your favourite mindfulness platform beforehand.

Get rid of distractions

Find a quiet place to go and sit, free from distractions
Turn off all devices you’re not using – especially the TV
If you’re using your phone to listen to the meditation then turn it to do not disturb
Let everyone know you don’t want to be distracted
If the house is too noisy put some headphones on and head out to the park or somewhere quiet.

Involve your friends

If you have some friends or family that might be interested then invite them round for a mindfulness party. Everyone loves a party, right? You could always follow the session with some gin and nibbles to make it more enticing.

Stick to it

The hardest part is sticking with it but the best way to remember is to add it to your diary, set it to recur and add a notification to remind you. Alternatively, whenever you get a quiet minute click on your chosen app and do a 3 minute session. Listen to it whilst you’re cleaning your teeth in the morning/evening.

Don’t beat yourself up if you forget to do it, you can always pick up where you left off. You got this!