Challenge Tips

Manage Your Thoughts and Emotions With Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an awareness of the present as it happens. Practicing mindfulness gets you “out of your head” by focusing your mind on what your body is experiencing at any given moment. It can be as simple as paying attention to your breathing or listening to the birds and insects when you walk outside. It’s a type of non-judgmental focus on what’s happening around and inside of you.

Mindfulness leads you to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions. It helps you control how you respond to stress instead of reacting without thinking. As a result, you develop a stronger ability to cope during stressful events.

Your Action for Today

Practice mindfulness throughout the day. If you drive to work, focus on the drive. Notice the way the steering wheel feels in your hands, or the sound of your engine as you speed up and slow down. At lunch, pay attention to the taste, texture, smell, and experience of eating food. Slow down and savor each bite.

To help guide your mindful practice, try these 1-5-5 exercises:

• 1 minute of gratitude: Cultivate gratitude for each of your senses. Let your eyes see something that makes you happy, smell a favorite scent, taste something delicious, touch something soft, and listen to a pleasant melody.
• 5 minutes of positive reflection: Recall a time when you felt fully present and at peace. What did you notice in that moment? Think about what you can do to create more moments like that and set a goal to achieve that feeling each day.
• 5 minutes of physical activity: Practice mindful breathing. Focus on each inhale and exhale as it comes. Try to eliminate distracting thoughts or emotions and simply breathe. (Get more breathing exercises here.)

The nice thing about mindfulness is you can practice it anywhere, at any time, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

Join us on day 10: A sneak peek - Treat yourself with kindness for greater happiness.

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