Building mindfulness into your regular routine will likely bring about improvement in your sense of well-being, relationships with family and friends, your ability to focus, and better overcome the toll of physical and emotional pain. Exercising mindfulness has the ability to lessen stressors in your daily life so you can enjoy it more. Sounds amazing, right?

Follow these tips from psychologytoday.com to build mindfulness into your life.

• Practice deep breathing. It is not necessary to meditate for an hour. Take five minutes each day to focus on your breathing. Concentrate on the flow of your breath and the rise and fall of your belly.
• Tune into your senses. Be present in what you are doing and tune into your senses. Pay careful attention to what you are eating. Notice the color, texture, and taste of food, for example.
• Simply be. Leave some time in your daily routine to be aware of what you’re doing. Take a step back from hectic times and take time to simply be. When your mind wanders to thinking, bring it back to your breathing.
• Always forgive yourself. Be kind and forgiving to yourself when you build in a new practice like mindfulness. If you skip meditation for the day, don’t beat yourself up. Go easy on yourself as you gradually build this exercise into your daily routine.

Making this personal investment every day is essential in your quest for Optimal Wellbeing! Ask me, your Independent OPTAVIA Coach, about other ways mindfulness is beneficial.

Reprinted from Habits of Health Newsletter 11/2/20