In this blog post, we will delve into the best mindfulness activities for adults to practice on a daily basis.
Mindfulness is a very crucial concept that can improve every aspect of your life. Just 15 minutes of mindfulness practice will improve your mood, elevate your thoughts to higher levels and even improve your overall mental health.
You don’t need to spend your days being bombarded with numerous negative thoughts and other irrelevant ideas anymore. Take care of yourself and your mind by considering any of these 15 mindfulness activities for adults to make your mind and body more robust.
Let’s explore.
Making A Gratitude List
A Gratitude list or journal is a list of things you are grateful for.
It could be a success you had at work. Feeling grateful for a friend who gave you a lift or even a simple smile from a co-worker. All these things help you to see the positive side of life and with the added effect of being more mindful of what good life we have.
Becoming more optimistic by keeping such a list will help you to lead a mindful and healthy lifestyle.
You can start on this journey of practicing gratitude using these gratitude prompts:
- What will you consider to be nice about yourself?
- What makes you laugh?
- Write about a friend you like.
- Why do you find yourself smiling during a conversation?
- Write about a concept that elevates your mind.
- Write about a friend who helped you when you were hard-pressed.
- List five things you are grateful for on a daily basis.
These prompts will help you in your practice of being grateful.
Writing Expressively
In the process of keeping a gratitude journal, you are in a way writing.
However, writing expressively makes you more aware of your thought process. By doing so, you get a gist of the structure of your thoughts and then lay them before you in a piece of writing.
Many research studies have studied this phenomenon. It’s healing and does wonders to your mind and body. In short, it builds in you a mindful and robust mind.
Active Book Reading
The act of reading activity engages the full spectrum of your mind.
All your mental resources are arrested and used to comprehend the information before you. Words, sentences, and paragraphs consumed and related to each other.
As this process continues, the mind becomes extremely mindful of what it reads. You become mindful of what you see and how your mind structures the information you’re consuming.
Start reading actively and boost your brain.
Focusing On A Single Task At A Time
When your mind focuses on a single task it frees up your working memory to focus on incoming information better than when multitasking.
You could be behind your desk or at home working on your computer. The best strategy is to free your space in order to reduce distractions. Doing so will help your mind stay focused.
Gain a focused and mindful mind through this activity.
Doodle Your Thoughts In A Book
Doodling your thoughts every day will help become more aware of your thought process and help you direct your thoughts more effectively.
To start, pick a journal or commonplace book. Think of a concept and start visualizing that information on paper. The idea is to be consistent with it.
You can doodle when you are reading a book or even when you are staring at your surroundings. Doodle everything you see and very soon you will become mindful of your inner thoughts and your external environment.
Don’t waste time and start doodling.
Focus On A Beautiful Thought
In the words of Bruce Lee, A Successful warrior is the average man with laser focus. Yes, but in the same sense, a mindful mind is one that can focus on a selected thought for a long period of time.
Although it takes consistent practice to do so, you can start gaining good results within days.
First, find a quiet place in your home or workplace. Sit down and relax your posture. Take some deep breaths and find a single thought you want to focus on. It could be anything positive you did or want to accomplish.
Perform this exercise consistently and you find yourself incredibly mindful of what goes on in your brain.
Playing A Puzzle
Puzzles are great sharpeners for the mind but also help you focus the mind.
Puzzles help you to concentrate the mind more effectively. And just like any other skill, the more you train your mind the better it becomes. In the process of playing a puzzle, our minds zoom in on the tactics and strategies we are using. This helps us to develop laser focus which flows into other areas of our lives.
Focusing your mind couldn’t be easier.
Book Coloring
This is a simple exercise that will make your mind focused.
The most important aspect is to practice consistently. if you concentrate on it, you will improve. Find a tutor if you want to skyrocket your progress. Initially, buy cheap pencils and colors for starters.
Color to the best of your ability.
Listening To Calm Music
Music, specifically calm meditative music calms the mind.
After a long day of work, you can enjoy a peaceful and restful set of tunes to help you wind down.
Visit our music section for more resources on where to download free music and a list of music genres.
Practice Self Compassion
This exercise is an activity that clears your mind of negativity.
According to research findings, the very act of extending kindness to yourself helps you to become more mindful. As you extend those emotions to yourself, it primes you into a more loving, passionate, and non-judgmental person.
Putting it all together, this activity keeps you mindful of yourself and how you think.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is also another mindful exercise you can lodge into your daily routine.
When it’s breakfast, supper, or dinner, try to pay attention to the food you eat. Be mindful of every bite, the sound, and even as it goes down your oesophagus into your stomach. This intense focus on how you eat will make your mind focused and concentrated.
Stretching Exercises
Stretching is a great way to practice mindfulness.
It’s easy to start and can be done in the comfort of your home. In addition, according to research, it improves your flexibility and cognitive coordination aka mindfulness.
Stretch your way to mindfulness.
Body Scan
If you find stretching a bit physical, try a body scan.
A body scan is an act of sitting comfortably and opening your awareness to every part of your body. It is very relaxing for both the body and mind.
It is one of the most effective mindfulness practices.
Mindful Gardening
Just like mindful eating, gardening mindfully focuses the mind on itself and the activity in question.
Pay attention to the soil, the seeds, and even the splash of water when in your garden. Every piece of information should be within your focus. In addition, pay close attention to the little animals in the soil.
Happy Gardening!
Walking Meditation
Walking meditation is one of the most common forms of mindfulness practice.
It is simple. All it takes is to bring your attention to your feet and notice how you walk. The best part is you can incorporate it into your daily schedule seamlessly.
Lift your mood by walking mindfully.
Related Articles
- 5 Simple Hobbies To Help Your Brain Work Faster And Smarter
- How To Learn A New Skill Faster
- How To Be Consistent With Your Hobby
References
- https://blog.gratefulness.me/20-gratitude-journal-prompts-for-self-discovery/
- https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/wellness-mindfulstretchingguide.pdf
