Mindful Living + Slowing Down Your Speed

Live from the inside-out, pause and rest in the present moment. Mindful Living is only a few breaths away.

This past Thursday I made a conscious effort to lighten my load and work on my mindful living. I had a retreat to attend in the evening, and I wanted to give my brain some time to unplug and digest everything from the week. Moving through my day eating and fully enjoying breakfast, taking my dog for a walk, watering the lawn, getting a quote for some brake work -–I noticed how much I enjoyed embracing a more relaxed, humane pace, as opposed to the often speeded-up clip that is typical of my weekdays.

As we watch our too plugged-in, constantly in motion teen, my husband and I have been talking about the idea of “how to raise a human,” in a 24/7 world. We want to teach our son how to cultivate healthy life habits that will support him as he prepares to launch and instill in him ways of being that help him preserve his humanness and ability to live from the inside-out.

Do you sometimes feel as if you’re a robot rather than a homosapien? Based on the life balance work I do with men and women around the globe, here are nine ways to practice mindful living and stay connected to our true nature:

Slow down

We’ve normalized “busy-ness.” Our external world is speeding us up—if we let it. We’re not wired to go non-stop. Get in the practice of “pausing” throughout your day to take in your environment.

Make friends and social connections a priority (lunches, walks, coffee dates)

In our house we say, “People first, things second.” Our quality of life is dramatically enhanced by our friendships/circles.

Put technology in its place

Be careful of what you “normalize.” Remember you’re the master (not the slave here). Observe your habits. In our house mornings are unplugged and in the evenings we play quiet music that supports reading and card games. All phones go to “bed” at 9 p.m. for the night.

Do nothing. Be still for mindful living.

Ever heard the advice, “Don’t just do something, sit there.” Stillness nourishes us to our core. Look at the window. Lie in a hammock. Sit on your front porch or a park bench. Stare into space.

Seek out quiet, dark places

No, not your closet, I’m talking about natural areas in your state or the US where there is limited or no access to technology (like Big Bend National Park); leave your phone at home. Our bodies need these experiences to re-calibrate.

Take off your shoes and walk outside

Get barefoot on the earth. Walk as much as you can (it’s so good for your body and brain!). Every day go outside and “commune with nature” for at least 10 minutes.

Give your brain a rest for mindful living

Do less, think less, keep things simple. The fewer choices/decisions we have, the happier we are. “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

Drink lots of good clean water and eat more fruits + vegetables

How much energy-infused food do you eat daily? My mom used to advocate for eating food that is alive, as opposed to processed, “dead” food.

Give/receive eight hugs a day. Hugs are important!

Hugs, back rubs, a.m. and p.m. snuggles, embraces with family at the beginning/end of each day—all these things elicit an incredibly positive biochemical response in the body.

These are all ways of being that are innate to the human experience. They’re hard-wired into who we are. On a cellular level, we know this stuff makes us feel good and helps us remember who we really are, but somehow we’ve lost our way.

We’re living in times that require us to reflect and question everything. Ultimately, I always ask, “How bad do you want to feel good?” Consider that even just adopting one or two of these ideas could make a big impact on how you feel, pretty quickly.

Written by Renee Peterson Trudeau for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.