In our increasingly busy daily lives we can often struggle to set aside the time to practice being in the here and now, or in what we call Mindfulness. We often do things on autopilot or spend our time multitasking. For example, how often do you flick through your phone while you are watching TV? Do you ever get to work and don’t remember the drive in because you were swept away in your thoughts? Do you walk your family pet whilst on the phone to someone from work?
The good news is that mindfulness from a therapeutic perspective does not have to involve getting out your candles and robe, and focusing on your breathing for an hour straight! Instead, mindfulness can be thought of as:
‘bringing awareness to the here-and-now experience, with openness, receptiveness and interest’ – (Russ Harris).
With that in mind, we can actually practice mindfulness in every moment of our day, whether it be taking a shower, brushing our teeth, driving to work or eating our morning snack. Below are just two ideas of daily routines developed by Russ Harris (an ACT Therapist) to get you started. These are activities we all do which you can begin to practice doing mindfully. However, feel free to develop your own mindfulness of daily routines which work for you!
An Example of Mindfulness in Your Morning Routine
Pick an activity that constitutes part of your daily morning routine, such as brushing your teeth, shaving, or having a shower. When you do it, totally focus on what you are doing: the body movements, the taste, the touch, the smell, the sight, the sound etc. For example, when you’re brushing your teeth, notice the sounds of the water as it flows out of the tap, notice the water as it hits your toothbrush, and as it gurgles down the drain. Notice the temperature of the water, and the feel of it in your mouth. Notice the bristles of the toothbrush on your teeth and gums, the foam of the toothpaste in your mouth, the taste, and what it looks like (in a non judgemental way) when you spit out the toothpaste and rinse out your mouth, Notice the movements of your arms as you brush your teeth. When thoughts arise, acknowledge them, let them be, and bring your attention back to brushing your teeth. Again, and again, your attention will wander. As soon as you realise this has happened, gently acknowledge it, note what distracted you, and bring your attention back to brushing your teeth.
To learn more about mindfulness and how it can improve anxiety and depression, give our team a call on (03) 9882-88874 to book an appointment.
This tip-sheet is based on principles from “The Happiness Trap” by Russ Harris (2008).