The ABCs of Mindful Living

Does mindfulness have your mind boggled? If so, you’re in the right place, friends. Here’s what I’ve learned about how to live mindfully, as well as the ABCs of Mindful Living to incorporate into your daily life.

Mindfulness has always been sort of an out-there concept for me; something difficult to truly grasp, and not anything this sensible, practical, doer type has time for.

Any kind of real mindfulness beyond “mind your manners” has, until recently, been completely lost on me. Or, rather, I’ve chosen to ignore it, because being mindful is often associated with meditation, which also felt a little “woo-woo” to me…before I tried it. But when you think in terms of mindful living being the opposite of mindlessness, it becomes so much easier to understand.

What is Mindful Living?

How often have you found yourself mindlessly snacking? Or mindlessly biting your nails? Or mindlessly scrolling through social media? You’re thinking of one thing, and doing another, without thought or intention.

“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing,” according to mindful.org. “Whenever you bring awareness to what you’re directly experiencing…or to your state of mind via your thoughts and emotions, you’re being mindful.”

Hmmm…let that sink in for a minute. So, all we have to do is pay attention?

Sort of.

Be Intentional with Mindfulness

It seems simple enough to be aware of ourselves and how we’re feeling, how we’re interacting, and how we’re handling whatever comes our way. But we all get so caught up in the busyness of everyday life – cooking, cleaning, working, checking email, chauffeuring the kids – that unless we set mindful living as an intentional focus, and actually allow a place for it on our daily agenda, it can easily get lost in the shuffle.

The aim of mindfulness is to fully notice the present moment. How many moments of joy or satisfaction or accomplishment do we overlook because we are so quick to keep moving through the endless tasks of our day? How many instances of shock or pain or sorrow or worry do we never really feel because we are taught and conditioned to carry on and power through? How many great ideas do we forget or worthwhile goals do we fail to set because we didn’t take the time to fully acknowledge our thoughts?

Living mindfully can help us begin to remedy this.

How to Live Mindfully

Now that we know what mindful living is, how do we actually do it? There are more than a few ways to begin:

Try Meditation

There are years of science and research behind the practice of mindfulness, and as I mentioned earlier, it is often coupled with meditation as a route to achieve it.

Note here that mindfulness and meditation are separate yet complementary entities, and it’s important to distinguish between the two.

To be mindful is to fully acknowledge the present moment; to really immerse yourself in it, without judgment or criticism. Meditation, on the other hand, is the art of physically accessing and experiencing mindful moments. We typically do this through our breath, because breath is constant and rhythmic and fairly easy to focus on.

We can use meditation, then, to help us be more mindful.

Here’s a simple meditation tutorial for beginners. If you’re new to it, just humor me and give it a try. Endless guided options are available online – try a few different ones and stick with a style that suits you. Choose a short one at first just to get a taste of it.

Some are with movement, some are with visualization, some are with music, some are calming, some are for mood and mindset, and so on. There really is something for everyone. I particularly like the Headspace app (more on this below), and I love that you can find a Headspace series now on Netflix!!! My family and I are watching the series together.

Use Daily Mindfulness Prompts

But meditation isn’t all that leads us to greater awareness. Some people find it easy to incorporate mindfulness into their day if they have a specific action that signals them to pause and focus on the present moment.

Here are some prompts that arise naturally throughout your day that you may find are easy reminders:

Each time one of these things happens, take a minute to quietly notice where you are, what you see, and how you feel, emotionally and physically. It’s not necessary to use all of the prompts. Try one or two of them out for a week at a time until your mindfulness practice becomes more consistent and natural.

Find Mindful Moments

Living a mindful life often means capturing it in moments throughout the day, instead of shying away from the oft perceived ambiguity of it. In that regard, my goal here is to help make the whole process more tangible, which in turn can help give you adequate pause during everyday activities to truly calm your mind and fully experience and honor the moments that matter.

As I tend to do, I put my own spin on the whole concept (see the ABCs below) to see how it feels, and to make it a bit more palpable for my kids. I’m trying this out with my own family, in an effort to become more thoughtful, more aware, less reactive, more grateful, and kinder, not just to and for and with them, but to and for myself. And all of us for each other.

Employ the ABCs of Mindful Living

The ABCs of Mindful Living are simply prompts to help you begin to recognize these moments more regularly, to slow down here and there, to be truly mindful, and to cultivate a sense of ease, happiness and peace.

A – Appreciation: This does not need to be a huge, life-altering moment of gratitude. It might be as simple as an uplifting text from a friend or getting to have your morning coffee in your favorite mug. Appreciating the little things inevitably tips you toward optimism.

A – Affirmation: Start with “I am,” and finish with a positive or empowering word or phrase. You might use Strong. Funny. Ambitious. Enough. Amazingly gorgeous. Celebrate your best attributes and build yourself up!

B – Blessings: What made you feel happy or extra loved? What brought light or laughter to your life? What made your day easier? Case in point: I feel blessed every time I hear my next-door neighbor practicing piano. The sound flashes me back to a happy snapshot of my young childhood, sitting with my sister at the piano bench and having her show me what she was learning.

B – Big Goal: This isn’t a request for you to decide on any major life changes on the fly (remember this is simply a mindful moment!). If you have a Big Goal, you’ve likely already put some thought into it and outlined some steps you’ll take to make it happen. For this purpose, pause to remember and reflect on your goal in an effort to keep it top of mind and make it a priority. Whether it’s something you’d like to accomplish this week, this quarter, or this year, repeating it to yourself, writing it down, and reading it from time to time makes the goal stickier.

C – Compliment: Pay another person a genuine compliment. Be sincere! Letting others know you’re thinking of them not only lifts their spirits, but lifts your own, too, if you allow yourself time to truly appreciate whatever it is about them you’re complimenting.

C – Care: Let others know you really see them. Whether you see how hard they are working or how much they are struggling, whether you offer help when it is needed or simply a word of congratulations or encouragement, giving care to others requires at least a quick shift away from your own busy schedule to recognize your blessings and be outwardly thoughtful.

Tools for Mindful Living

Here is a handful of useful tools to help make mindful living a happy and easy part of your day:

Printable Mindful Moments Prompts

To help put the ABCs into action, print these mindfulness prompts (I like to print mine on card stock to make them feel a little more polished), cut them, and stash a stack with each member of your household. Locate a pretty container – we use this extra big mason jar from Target – centrally to drop them into once they’re filled out.

Multiply your mindful moments by designating a time each week to pull them out and reflect on them or discuss them with your family. Recall how you felt about each one in the moment you wrote it and notice how you feel about it now. Feel all the feels!!!

“Be Mindful” Wooden Tag

Tie this sweet wooden tag (you can specify your own word) around a jar and set it on your counter as a cue to live mindfully throughout the day and week, then fill the jar with completed Mindful Moments Prompts. These tags are made with love by the coolest mother/daughter duo at xobyolivia.com, whose mission is to make life a little sweeter with delightful, handcrafted treasures. All proceeds support Hugs & Crayons by Olivia, a charity she founded to help Seattle area children in need. So much love and applause here.

Mindfulness Cards

Mindfulness Cards are a personal library of colorful cards with inspiring quotes and activities designed to bring the present moment front and center, all in a cheerful little flip-lid box. I have gifted these to a few friends and ultimately got some for myself. My newly teen-aged daughter uses them all the time, too.

Personalized Note Cards

These gorgeous note cards by 5-star Etsy paper products designer Traditions by Donna are a beautiful reflection of you and your mindful living, especially when you send one to a friend, neighbor, or acquaintance with your heartfelt, handwritten note of appreciation or thoughtfulness.

Headspace App

Headspace is a friendly app for iOS and Android with smiley animated characters to put you at ease and maximize your mindfulness. It’s loaded with scenes, stories, music, short films, meditations and guided exercises all aimed to help you stress less, sleep better, move more, and focus.

How do you live mindfully? How do you practice mindfulness with your family? What daily prompts do you use to remind you to be mindful?

Let me know in the comments below!

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