As you will have noticed through previous articles that we are supporters of
meditation. Its mental and physical benefits are staggering and its very easy to do.
However, we also admit that breathing exercises are not always the most effective method for everyone. There are many alternative mindfulness practices that are just as effective.
Mindfulness is simply defined by staying present in the moment and
breathing is by no means the only way of achieving this. Its benefits can be seen here.
Alternative Mindfulness Examples
- Dancing/singing- an easy way to stay present without thinking about it, relax and enjoy moving to music.
- Walking without headphones- go on a walk and look around at the scenery, try not to daydream or listen to music/podcast to truly stay present.
- Doing puzzles/quizzes- essentially like completing a task which of course requires you to focus (a synonym for staying present).
- Cleaning- there’s a reason cleaning can be therapeutic, it is focusing on one task and has positive benefits (clean house) when completed.
- Playing sports- focusing on trying to win or participate in a sport helps you forget about what’s going on elsewhere.
- Reading- whether it is fiction or non-fiction, falling deep into a book is as relaxing as it can get.
- Reading to kids- Entertaining and informative. You can use Oscar Stories to help.
- Board games- this can be with friends and family or alone, stay present with a game and the interactions it creates.
- Listening to podcasts- perhaps counterintuitive with the walking section, but sitting and listening to a podcast is staying present.
- Working Out- this mainly applies to workouts that are constant like wods or running where you are just trying to move through to the finish line.
- Creating art- if you enjoy painting, sculpting or something else, the process of creating art is most certainly staying present.
- Most activities- if you are focusing on something or staying in the moment you are technically practicing mindfulness, so if an activity fits this, then you can class it as mindfulness.
Conclusion
As you can see mindfulness is a large umbrella term and you probably participate in
some form of mindfulness each day. This does not mean you should do one of these
activities and call it a day. We were originally built to stay in the present constantly,
watching out for prey and predators. We are not advocating for constantly doing
mindfulness activities but one of the listed methods above and one breathing exercise a day and you will see noticeable improvements in your mental health after a few weeks. More info.
