36 Ways To Practice Mindfulness Throughout The Day

Trust me, Practicing mindfulness throughout the day is one of the best decisions of your life. 

I made this exact resolution 5 years ago, and it has completely transformed my life from being a stressful, anxious, and arrogant person to a peaceful, joyful, and compassionate being. 

In order to cultivate mindfulness, you require time, consistent efforts, and proper techniques. And with these tools, mindfulness may become your natural habit. 

In this article, we will discuss many tools and techniques through which you can structure your day in a way that aligns with the practice of mindfulness. 

Also, these tips and tricks will develop a habit of mindfulness so that you would bear the fruits of well-being. 

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the ability to stay in the present moment with the awareness of thoughts, feelings, sensations, situations, or whatever comes to our experience. 

It is just about observing what we are doing or what is happening around us without making any judgments or interpretations. 

This ability doesn’t come overnight. Instead, it requires patience and solid practice. 

Many people only know few methods to develop mindfulness, such as yoga, meditation, and maybe breathing exercises. 

But, in reality, you can practice mindfulness anywhere at any time by integrating it with your routine activities. 

So, let’s make your whole day a mindful day. 

How To Practice Mindfulness Throughout The Day?

You can practice mindfulness all day by being aware (conscious) of what you are doing, what is happening around you, or by objectively observing your thoughts, emotions, or bodily sensations. In other words, It’s just about bringing your mind into a present moment without judging anything. 

It may look simple and easy to do in the definition, but it takes a lot of hard work, especially in the beginning. 

However, nothing is impossible. It’s just about knowing the right techniques and putting them to work.

Related Post: 8 Mindfulness Exercises

36 Ways To Practice Mindfulness throughout the day

Here are my 36 mindfulness practices that will work wonderfully well if you flex and cultivate them into your routine. 

1) Set a trigger

You can adapt a finger ring, hand band, watch, or anything that is available 24/7 with you as a trigger for mindfulness practice. 

Whenever you see your chosen trigger, remind your mind to be aware of what you are doing and settle it into a present moment.

2) Express gratitude

Expressing gratitude by being thankful for what you have and what you are. it is one of the 9 attitudes of mindfulness according to Kabat Zinn.

Being grateful is the best morning ritual to grow positive emotions in your heart. 

The daily practice of gratitude may cleanse your mind from negativity and improve your focus and ability to pay more attention.

3) Breath Slowly and Deeply

It is scientifically proven that control breathing calms your mind and relieves mental stress, anxiety, and insomnia. 

So, whenever you are free, don’t mess in social media; instead, take some deep breaths and develop mindfulness. 

4) Mindful Hygiene

Whenever you take a shower, clean your tooth, wash your hands, and go into the washroom, mentally be aware of your doing and notice your every move. 

Also, avoid using your phone in the toilet. 

5) Meditate daily (Most recommended)

This is the highly recommended practice for every mindfulness aspirant. If you keep meditating regularly, then after a couple of months, you will notice a big improvement in your mindfulness.  

So, choose any one meditation technique out of several and practice it daily. 

Here, I would suggest vipassana meditation or zen Meditation for every mindfulness practitioner.

6) Use affirmations

Repeat affirmations to reprogram your subconscious mind for mindfulness. 

Tell yourself I am mindful, I am vigilant, My mind always stays in the present, etc.

7) Mindful workout

When you do physical exercise, yoga, or go running, stay in the present and try to observe the strain in your muscle and your body movement. 

8) Walk slowly

Walk slowly with the awareness of your feet, legs, or hands movement. Notice the sensations happening in your feet or legs.

9) Barefoot walk

Walk barefoot in a safe place like a garden and observe the sensations occurring at the bottom of your feet. You can also notice the systematic movement of your legs and hands.

Apart from mindfulness, walking barefoot may provide several other health benefits.

10) Take a cold shower

Take a shower using water that is less than 2-4 *C from room temperature. 

The touch of such cold water will naturally activate your brain and bring your mind to the parent state. 

11) Eat healthy and live food

In order to stay healthy and energetic all day, you should avoid eating processed food and sugary items. 

Instead, eat fresh salad, vegetables, and fruits as much as possible because they consume less energy to digest and help to keep your energy level high. 

12) Eat slowly

Eat slowly with the awareness of eating. Mentally, observe your jaw movement and secretion of saliva, also try to chew 32 times before swallowing.

Also, avoid using your phone, Tv, and talking while you eat. 

13) Drink with ease

Drink water as much you can throughout the day.

While you drink, close your eyes, focus your mind on drinking, and recognize water passing through the esophagus. 

14) Use stairs 

Whenever you have the option to choose between lift or stairs, choose stairs. At least climb 3-5 floors daily with the watchfulness of your body movement and strain in your legs. 

15) Mindful handshake

From now, shake hands with attentiveness and no judgments or interpretations about that person. 

16) Spread love and smile

Meet people by putting a smile on your face. 

We brought nothing into this world, and it’s certain that we shall carry nothing out, so keep spreading love and happiness around you. 

17) Put your phone on silent

When you are about to do certain important tasks, make sure you have removed all possible distractions. This will improve your focus, productivity, and performance while doing the important task.

In today’s world, the smartphone has become a leading distraction tool and has significantly decreased people’s attention span. 

So, get some control over this technology and don’t let it govern you.

18) Do one thing at a time

Avoid multitasking and pay your undivided attention to doing one single activity. 

This will improve the level of your involvement and fulfillment while doing essential tasks. 

19) Observe your mind anytime (Self-introspection)

Instead of flowing with your thoughts and emotions, observe them objectively and develop the skill of introspection.

When you flex this technique, soon you will start getting control over your mind then you will learn the art of responding rather than reacting. 

20) Don’t react 

More than the problem, it’s your reaction to a problem that creates CHAOS in your life. 

So, accept every person and situation in your life without reacting to them. 

Also, this same principle applies to handle negative emotions and negative thoughts. They become less potent when you don’t respond to them. 

21) Avoid gossip

Consider gossip as a ‘Dirty word’ that has to go through you first and all leave a nasty residue in your energetic body. 

The residue of hate, envy, resentment and judgments stays with you and ultimately blocks your perception, and creates a negative fog that may drain your vital energy for decades or entire life. 

22) Be radically responsible

Rather than blaming someone or something, be responsible for what you are and what you have. 

God has already given you all capabilities, so awake those capabilities and take charge of your life without relying on others. 

Rise, Awake, And Stop Not Until the Goal Is Reached.

Swami Vivekananda.

23) Accept the FACTS

No matter which way life knocks you, you should accept it and go forward in life. 

Life throws troubles to strengthen us and make us prepare for the next adventure. When you accept this fact, life will become a play for you. 

But unfortunately, many people are suffering because they are attached to how life should be. 

24) Give yourself some time

When you are free from your professional work, don’t engage yourself in social media or Netflix. Instead, spend that time with yourself. 

Observe your body, and think about who pumps your heart, who continues your breathing, who runs your digestive, nerves, immune system, etc. And then, be thankful and express your gratitude towards that “Who – Higher Self or GOD.”

25) Expose to nature

At least one time in a day, get yourself out under an open sky and among tresses, animals, birds, and breeze. 

26) Observe what is around you

When your mind is carried away in thoughts, bring it back into a present moment and engage it in your doing or observing the environment around you. 

Keep catching your mind when it gets wandered. Thus mindfulness will grow within you. 

27) Drive consciously 

Don’t forget to practice mindfulness while you drive a car, bike, or cycle. 

Mentally witness the movement of your hand and leg and remind yourself that you are driving. 

28) Listen to relaxing music

During the day, when you feel tired, bored, or stressed out, just put your headphones on, close your eyes, and listen to relaxing music. 

Forget everything and just focus on listening to music. 

29) Give your undivided attention

Choose one person from your family; he/she could be your spouse, son, father, or whatever, and make a resolution that from now on, I will give my full attention to this person while I communicate with him/her. 

This way, you can gradually incorporate mindfulness into your communication too. 

30) Be an Active listener

We are often busy in our heads when someone is talking with us. After that, we forget what he or she said to us. 

So, keep your mind open and alert while you are listening to someone. 

31) Play games with your kids

There are many mindfulness games and activities which you can play with your kids and cultivate mindfulness in them. 

32) Alleviate phone and laptop one hour before you sleep

The emission of blue light from your smartphone and laptop can disturb your sleep-wake cycle if you use them till late at night. 

So, avoid using them one hour before going to bed, and spend that time on some productive work. 

33) Journaling

Journaling is the best activity that you should do at night. 

Analyze your whole day and write down what you had felt (not blame others), how you behaved, where you lacked behind, etc.

Also, you can write positive affirmations and words of gratitude. 

34) Practice brief Meditation before sleep (Highly Recommended)

Meditating for a while before going to bed is a best practice to relieve your mind from stressful and anxious thoughts. 

Many successful people practice Meditation before sleep. 

Because Meditation declutters your all-day turmoil and provides a headspace that initiates sleep at night. 

It’s true that the feelings which you harbor at night, the same will be reflected in the morning, so get yourself calm and stress-free before sleep with the aid of Meditation. 

35) Take proper rest

In order to practice mindfulness throughout the day, it’s essential to take sufficient rest. 

36) Meditate by coloring the mandalas

you can mindfully color the mandala during your leisure time. It will give you a meditative experience and will be the best alternative, instead of scrolling the phone screen.

So, that’s it!

These were my 36 practical ways to practice mindfulness in your entire day.

Some techniques are easy, some may be difficult, but that doesn’t matter. 

Once you start flexing these techniques one by one into your routine, then everything becomes easy for you. 

Also Read: How Can Consistent Mindfulness Meditation Help A Person?

Bottom Line

Incorporating mindfulness all day is a wonderful idea. 

Follow the methods mentioned above to do so. 

But, remember, don’t apply all techniques at a time, instead flex them one by one. Once you master one technique, then practice next. 

This way, you would become successful. 

In my opinion, Mindfulness meditation and Self-introspection are the best way to start your mindfulness journey. 

Consistency in the practice of these techniques is a must. Once you practice these daily, you will face many challenges. 

But, never give up and keep practicing because challenges come to check and strengthen our convictions, not to run over us. 

All the Best.

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