Have you ever had a full conversation with someone and realized after a few minutes you were unintentionally thinking of something else? Everyone does this-and it's not a bad thing! These are just moments we are not fully present. Once you practice being more conscious, the more you can catch yourself in those monkey brain moments.
Not being present simply means not being fully aware of your surroundings or your senses.
The more we practice being aware, the better. The benefits of practicing more awareness are limitless; feeling more satisfied with your job, a more sense of self, better leadership skills, higher levels of happiness and effective communication, emotional regulation, increased confidence-and these are just a few examples.
Think of developing awareness as a super power skillset-only few of us actually put in the work and practice.
The key word here is practice-there is no perfecting awareness. We are all human and will have our moments of stress, overwhelm, or spiraling. But the more we adopt daily awareness, the better our lives will be.
Practicing awareness can be as simple as tuning into your 5 senses. Noticing 1 thing you hear, smell, taste, see or feel. For example, you might be sitting at your desk. Pausing to check in might look like; I hear a car driving by outside. I smell my coffee from this morning. I can taste the lingering garlic from my lunch. I can see that it is raining. I feel my oversized sweatshirt keeping me cozy and warm.
A more tactical approach to awareness can be done with activities. These are 3 simple ways I practice awareness daily. I now crave these simple moments. Why? Because after experiencing burnout and chronic stress myself, I knew I needed to practice more mindfulness throughout my day. And the more I practiced, the more I saw and felt the benefits.
Morning journaling. I started journaling back in 2017 when I didn't even know the benefits of journaling. I just felt called to write out how I was feeling when I was going through a tough time. Journaling brings awareness to how you are feeling, it gives you the oppurtunity to tune in the present moment, and write whatever comes to you! Even tuning in and staring blankly at a piece of paper with no distractions is an act of awareness. If you feel called to write something, great. If not, sit in silence with yourself and see what comes up. Set a timer for 15 minutes to start your journaling practice.
A walk in the middle of the day. I take the oppurtunity during my lunch hour to get outside and walk. Mindful walking is a great way to practice being present. Being outside creates this sense of "awe" with so much to witness. The benefits of fresh air can take you from fight or flight to rest and relaxation within minutes. A walk is especially beneficial if you are starting to feel overwhelmed with a project. As soon as you start to feel a little triggered, my advice would be to step away and come back to it with a clear mind. This works 10/10 times.
Reading before bed. I like to incorporate reading before bed to wind down from the day. It naturally helps me fall asleep and is a great oppurtunity to practice awareness by simply paying attention to what I am reading. By reading before bed instead of watching TV right up to the point of falling asleep-it relaxes our nervous system. Blue light from a TV (especially an intense show) can trigger a fight or flight response. We want to be in rest and relaxation before bed so we can fall asleep with ease and rest more deeply.
These three simple habits never get stale. Journaling is an oppurtunity to not just bring awareness, but to manifest and set goals for your future. Walking outside is not only is good for mental health, but also adds in extra movement if you are sitting in a chair all day. Reading before bed can actually be more exciting than a TV show if you choose the right book.
Is awareness knew to you? If not, what practices can you share as I am always looking for inspiration!
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