Making Mindfulness Personal
Making Mindfulness Personal
Go beyond breath awareness. Be more than calm. Notice you're alive.
You don’t have to force yourself to develop mindful habits based on approaches that don’t fit your interests and needs.
Focusing on the breath makes some people more anxious. Savoring relaxation isn’t a realistic option during many work and social situations. Trying to stop thinking will only send you down rabbit holes of thinking about not thinking.
It’s better to discover several strategies you can adapt to fit you and your life.
Here are four ways to make your exploration of mindfulness more personal and sustainable:
1. Test drive a variety of exercises
It’s okay to go beyond breath awareness.
Invite all of your senses to the party.
See what’s right in front of your eyes once in a while. Listen to cars drive by, people laughing, and dogs barking. Notice what hunger feels like. Taste a bite or two of your sandwich. Smell the seasons changing. Live a little.
Notice you’re alive.
2. Develop your signature blend
Most meditation apps emphasize formal meditation, but formal practices are intended to support your informal efforts. Informal training can be spontaneous or associated with specific activities.
Watch the road while you’re driving.
Tune into the sound of a podcast advertisement break as if it were a natural part of life rather than a problem to solve.
Notice when your bladder feels full, and then enjoy noticing the palpable relief as it becomes empty again.
3. Define consistency for yourself
Maintaining a daily streak of formal practice is an excellent goal for some people at certain times, but it can lead to frustration and giving up on mindfulness.
The point is to discover what helps you remember—more often than never—to notice you’re alive.
Set yourself up to exceed your expectations instead of falling short of unrealistic ones. Pace yourself to stay in the game.
4. Consult with an experienced coach
Mindful awareness is deeply human, but you may need someone to convince you it’s worth doing habitually.
My Attentional Fitness approach to mindfulness is an invitation to discover what works for you rather than an attempt to persuade you to do what works for me.
I encourage you to find unique ways to engage with this practice.
Let’s devise a plan for how you might become a little more present amid life’s unpredictability.
