When we are stressed and have a lot on our plate, sometimes the last thing we want to do is engage in a daily mindfulness practice.

We tell ourselves that we don’t have the time or can’t do it. We come up with lots of reasons why not.

What we focus on is what we get more of in our lives. So, let’s focus on what it’s like to be mindful and feel the benefits of our mindfulness practice.

If you don’t have a daily mindfulness practice or haven’t been engaging with your Mindfulness App, don't stress.  There are simple tools that you can engage with to minimize stress and feel more content.

BREATHE

Breath work reduces stress and is a vital part of any mindfulness routine. Here are three breathing techniques to help you release, relax, and let go:

#1. Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose with the out-breath longer than the in-breath. 

Listen to music that you love or anything that you find calming and supportive as you breathe.

#2. Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose with no pause between the in-breath and the out-breath. 

You breathe in through your nose until your lungs are almost full and out through your nose until your lungs are almost empty.

Weather permitting, you can breathe sitting outside, connecting with nature and allowing yourself to feel grounded into the earth and fully present here now.

#3. Breath in through the nose and hold your breath for a moment. Breathe out through the mouth and hold your breath for a moment. 

You can count to five breathing in through the nose, hold for four, and count to five breathing out of the mouth, hold for four. 

Next, breathe in through your high heart or heart chakra, filling yourself with love, and breathe out feeling yourself expand and ground into the planet.

Practice these breathing techniques for three minutes or more every day. You can focus on one, two, or all of them, whatever feels right to you.

Breathing helps you:

to switch from fight or flight to rest and relax mode.

to feel calm and able to handle whatever life presents.

to let go of what's been causing you to contract and play small.

to have more space to be your best self.

HAVE FUN & LAUGH

Laughter is literally the best medicine. 

When you have a good heartfelt laugh, something naturally releases.  You feel lighter, clearer, and brighter, like you’ve dropped a heavy load. 

Need help?

Try Laughter Yoga; there are laughter yoga groups all around the world.

Watch funny videos on YouTube by standup comedians.

Watch movies and TV shows and series that are comedies.  There’s a wide variety on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and many other platforms.

Hang out with friends who bring lightness and joy to your life.

Engage in hobbies that promote feelings of well-being, like gardening, listening to upbeat music, and dancing. 

Make it a priority to find ways and time to laugh and feel better about yourself and life.

MAINTAIN HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Healthy relationships help you to enjoy a love-filled life, and focus on what uplifts you and the way you see and experience the world.

Here are some tips for maintaining healthy relationships:

#1. Be compassionate and empathetic with the people you love and care about. 

Be affectionate.  Say kind and supportive things. Share a good, heartfelt hug.  

Be grateful for and appreciative of your family, friends, and partner. Allow them to express love, appreciation, and gratitude for you. Love is enhanced when we are both giving and receiving.

#2. If something happens to disrupt a healthy, loving relationship like an argument or disagreement, breathe and review what happened.

How did you contribute to the interaction, if at all?  What could you do differently next time if something similar arises?  

Visualize a new loving healthy reality where there was once strife.

How does it look and feel?

What did you clear and release to get there?

How do you feel inside now?

Once you have released the charge, have a conversation. Share how you feel.  Apologize and make amends if need be. Always ask yourself: What would love do now? How may I best serve?

We can only control ourselves. What our partner, family or friends do is up to them.

And some people and groups are toxic and do not belong in our lives. The relationship is neither healthy nor supportive and needs to end. It’s important to love ourselves enough to terminate toxic relationships, review why we manifested them, and what we’ve learned from the experience.

Focus on your re-choosing:  attracting and enjoying healthy relationships. And take action on the ground, one step forward at a time, to make it so.

PETS

Our pets can be a great source of comfort and companionship. They bring us laughter and joy. Be grateful for the pets in your life and have graced your life. What are some memories that touch your heart, moments that you cherish and make you smile?

Even if you don’t have pets, remember interactions with the animal kingdom you enjoyed, such as horseback riding, swimming with dolphins, and whale watching.  

Remember what you love and cherish about our beautiful animal kingdom.

ACCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE

How you feel about yourself is a choice. Everyone makes mistakes. The key is to see your mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow. 

What could you do differently next time when a similar situation arises? How will that look and feel?

No matter what’s going on in your life, you can love and accept yourself as you are, warts and all. You have strengths and weaknesses. You have bits that are shiny and bright and bits that are not. 

Everyone does.  No one is perfect.

Sometimes you need to adopt new habits because what you’ve been doing no longer works. Sometimes you need to forgive others and accept where they are at.  That takes courage and self-determination.

Some ways that you can nurture your feeling of acceptance are:

#1. Choosing to coach yourself positively, to be an inner coach instead of an inner critic.  This means championing yourself, talking to and supporting yourself the same way you would a dear friend.

#2. Working with affirmations, such as: I am worthy of love. I am worthy of success. I am choosing to love and accept myself as I am. 

#3. Visualizing success, for example: Taking time each day to see yourself taking steps forward, achieving goals, being positive and loving, and doing things that make your heart sing.

EMBRACE SPIRITUALITY

It’s uplifting to embrace your spirituality, having faith and trust that what will eventuate is love. Faith and trust are sacred qualities that uplift and support you to be your best.

Support your faith and trust with affirmations, mindfulness, and meditation. 

Affirm: I love and accept myself as I am. 

Breathe and bring more love and acceptance into your life. Breathe and welcome more joy and laughter into your life. Breathe and let go of what’s not serving you. Breathe, and be with people who enhance your life and support your evolution and growth.

Spend time loving yourself. 

If you have trouble loving yourself, pick someone you love and feel yourself loving them. You couldn’t love them unless you already love yourself; so, transfer that love to yourself. Feel the love, and allow your self-love to blossom and grow.

Keeping it Simple

Breathwork, Laughter, Healthy Relationships, Pets, Acceptance, and Spirituality are mindfulness skills, tools, and ways of Being that bring peace and calm assurance into your life; and help you feel more capable and secure, loved and loving.

Keep it simple.  Acknowledge every success, no matter how small.  Celebrate milestones.  Record positive changes and be patient and kind with yourself as you evolve and grow.

At times, the road may be rocky.  Life may throw you a few curve balls, and your mindfulness practice may not seem to work.  Keep going.  Keep practicing and applying yourself.  Never give up.  Breathe and keep coming back to your heart.  

Mindfulness is not just a series of practices, it’s a way of Being that, with daily engagement, becomes an intrinsic part of who you are.