I’m sure you are no stranger to the hot buzzword of “mindfulness,” nor do I assume you have no idea how to be mindful. With all the videos, podcasts, blog posts, and conversation surrounding the topic, I’m certain you have some tricks up your sleeve to keep you tethered in the present and aware of life around you.

This blog’s purpose isn’t to teach you what mindfulness is or how to be mindful but rather to add a few more tools to your tool kit.  Let’s get into it!

MINDFUL BODY HACKS:

• Check your posture

  • Is your chin jutting out? How are your shoulders positioned? Is your low back arching/is your booty sticking out?

  • If you’re standing, are you dipping into one ankle more than the other? Are you locking your knees? Are you sinking into one side of your hip, being all sassy-like?

• Breathing

  • Check in with your breath: breath longer and slower than you normally would -- 5.5 seconds in and out is ideal, according to many breathing experts.

  • Let your belly be soft and expansive.

  • Nose-breathing = superior. Mouth breathing = not so great.

• What does your face look/feel like?

  • You don’t have to be all sunshine smiles and bright eyes, but typically frowning or having a blank face doesn’t make us (and others) feel as warm and nice as having even a tiny little smile on our faces. Try an “energetic smile,” where you feel the corners of your mouth slightly lift/widen. No need to TRY, just feel it and let it be felt. 🙂

  • Allow your jaw to relax and sink away from your ears.

  • Unknit the brows and imagine all the lines on your forehead disappearing.

  • BONUS POINTS: Throw some gratitude at your teeth, tongue, and lips! Imagine what daily life would be like if you didn’t have them.

MINDFUL CELLPHONE HACKS:

• Set alarms throughout the day to drink water, stretch, go on a quick stroll (even through the office), do a 3-5 minute meditation/breath-work practice, etc.

• Keep your phones/computers/screens on “night-mode” (whatever that looks like for your specific device) even during the daytime, so that your screen is as warm-toned as you can stand it; and having it “dark” mode for Apple users, where the background for texts, emails, social medias, etc. This will help ease eye-strain and realign your circadian rhythm, which is paramount for overall health.

• Check your neck posture when scrollin’… you know this one.

• When you feel like numbing out with Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or Candy Crush, consider connecting in another way: send a nice little message to a friend or loved one. Think about the incredible blessing we have of being connected to so many people, at all times.  Use this to your advantage! Send a love note, a video of yourself dancing to a song that reminds you of someone, or send a voice memo to someone who values conversation.

MISC. MINDFUL HACKS:

• Pay attention to what kind of music you’re listening to

  • We hear a lot about being aware of the information we’re consuming on the daily, be it news, TV, podcasts, politics, etc., but what about the tunes? Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I need a one-hour playlist of sad songs to cry and move to; but if we’re ONLY listening to sad stuff, or angry stuff, or super duper massively offensive stuff, that can do some things to us too. I’m not telling you what to listen to -- or to only listen to “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers on repeat, all day -- just reminding you to check in with your auditory choices now and then.

• Over-exercising is just as detrimental as under-exercising. I know this one very well. Ouch. (Rest).

• Schedule time in your calendar to emotionally rest

  • I love a good 45 minutes a day to do nothing -- and I mean, NOTHING. Or, give yourself whatever time you can throughout the week to get back to the REAL you, not the one who DOES or GOES or TRIES… but the one who IS.

• Start your day in a way that excites you

  • If you have something to look forward to in the morning, be it your favorite latte or breakfast item, or 30 minutes of solitude, or reading a chapter of the book you keep wanting to finish, or if it’s dancing in the backyard, do it! Whatever it is, if you’re excited to do it, waking up will be easier, and the first bits of your day will set the tone for the rest. And we love a good start!

There’s about a billion more tips and hacks we all could conjure up -- but I’ll leave these ones here to marinate so that they may actually be felt, processed, and implemented, instead of just another thing we read and forget almost instantly. (Guilty). 🙂