“We’re all one step closer to dying, but are we even living?”

A morbid yet worryingly impactful quote from today’s morning with Headspace (it wasn’t all this deep don’t worry!). It seems that while we go around each day rushing from one task to another, many of us forget to acknowledge or appreciate where we are. From the point in our lives that we have reached, to more simple things like our surroundings; we are there, but we very rarely take that in.  We are in the present, yet are we aware of it?

I’m sure that we’ve all suffered with some form of anxiety in our lives. Be it over work, travel, relationships, personal battles, that big meeting that we have to present in or even that horrible feeling when you’re going to be late to a meeting or an event. No matter how big or small the feeling may be, anxiety isn’t our friend. It causes stress, panic and self-doubt. It takes the enjoyment out of now and can even prevent us from doing certain things- or stops us from doing them to our best ability.  What we really need to do is to stop worrying and start appreciating the present. Once we start appreciating, we are able to approach life with more ease and self-belief. We are able to take on life with more control and awareness, reacting to stressful situations with a whole new persona- the way we would want to react to them.

The thing is, we already know this, but sometimes it isn’t that simple. That’s where Headspace steps in.

Headspace is an app that provides a guide to easy meditation. Don’t click exit just yet! I’m not talking about sitting cross-legged in the middle of nature chanting affirmations (although I’m sure that’s extremely peaceful and beneficial for the mind). What I am talking about is an easy way for us all to connect with and achieve the most from our lives just by incorporating mindfulness into a few minutes of our day. Headspace has been shown to help people stress less, focus more and even sleep better- so what are we waiting for?!

You can check out Headspace right here however here are a few tips from this morning’s event that can help us to be more mindful…

1. Engage your senses. I’m guilty as charged when it comes to gobbling down my food. I know that I’m enjoying it, but don’t actually take any time to properly focus on the taste. Headspace encourage you to notice more of what’s on your plate; the smell, taste and how different parts of our mouth detect different tastes, the colours, shapes and texture of our food. Taste every mouthful as if it’s your first and you’ll find that you begin to appreciate the moment and your surroundings more.
2. See meditation as a necessity. It’s more difficult than you might think to set time aside on a daily basis for something that we don’t need or perhaps don’t want to do. We’re not trained from young to meditate the same way that we’re trained to do many other things like brushing our teeth when we wake up or styling our hair before we leave the house, which is why many people don’t see meditation as something high up on their priority list. That’s fine, but it could actually be those few minutes a day that make all of the difference. The more we view meditation as a necessity, the more we are inclined to do it.
3. Work meditation into your routine. Set time within your current regime to meditate, that way it can’t be skipped as easily. Perhaps take a few minutes when eating your breakfast or after brushing your teeth to meditate. Choose a time that suits you to make it work to your advantage.
4. Start small. For most of us, meditation doesn’t come naturally. As silly as it sounds, it really can be difficult to just sit and focus on ourselves for ten minutes. Start as small as you want, perhaps even taking sixty seconds out of your day to make yourself aware of your body and breathing. Gradually add to this until you are fully comfortable meditating for longer.
5. Get friends involved. Find somebody else who wants to be more mindful and encourage one and other to do so. It’s much more difficult to fall out of something if you have somebody else in it with you.

Those are just a few tips on how to be more mindful on a daily basis and really can be the difference between a stressful day or one that’s amazing. Be more mindful, be more present.