AVRIL
BILTEN

Judith Heumann
Written pa Judy Wieber

When was the last time you were fully in the present moment? Hopefully, you can recall a recent time where you were able to immerse yourself in your surroundings, unpreoccupied by what was coming next or what had already happened. What if you could help create more opportunities to truly be in the here and now, while allowing yourself to slow down and experience life a little more wholly? Practicing mindfulness helps give you the tools to do so, which can have a positive impact on your daily life and your overall health and happiness. Mindfulness can also help with stress reduction, improved sleep, emotional regulation, and even feeling more connected to those around us. A great way to become more present is to start by using your breathing as an anchor point. Inhaling and exhaling offers a reliable place that we can come back to anytime for grounding, and a little practice can have numerous benefits.
If you’re interested in trying a mindfulness technique for yourself, you can try this simple breathing exercise called box breathing. Start by inhaling slowly through your nose for four seconds, hold for another four seconds, exhale slowly through your mouth for four seconds, and hold for four seconds. You can repeat this exercise up to four times if it’s comfortable for you, which can help calm your nervous system. Feeling calm can help improve your mood and focus, and help you feel more connected to your surroundings. There are many similar techniques to box breathing where you can shorten or lengthen your inhales and exhales, so don’t hesitate to discover what works best for you. Closing your eyes while doing exercises like this can be beneficial as it better allows you to simply be present and breathe. If you’ve tried this while reading along, do your notice yourself feeling any calmer? If you find breathing exercises to be helpful, you may be interested in building upon this technique and trying meditation.
Meditation is truly a practice where the goal is not having a mind free of thoughts. Rather, meditation teaches you to allow space for your thoughts and feelings and observe them as if they were leaves floating down a river. Learning to meditate can be difficult at first, because of our minds’ tendency to wander when there are fewer distractions. However, it becomes easier the more you practice, even if you start out meditating for just a moment or two. Learning to observe our thoughts and feelings before reacting brings more clarity into daily life and helps with deciding what to engage with and what to let pass by. This can aid in improving the relationship you have with yourself and those around you, as it teaches us to pause before making decisions. There are many paths to learning meditation, and a simple online search can be a good way to get started. Beginning with guided meditations can make learning easier, since they offer a gentle structure to learn.
There are countless other ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life, as each moment presents its own unique opportunity to connect with yourself and be in the now. Having a mindful snack or meal can be a great way to do something enjoyable while also grounding yourself. Eating offers us a chance to engage with many of our senses, which is why it can become part of a mindfulness practice. Focusing on the different scents, textures, and flavors can all be used to anchor you in the present. Similarly, spending time outside gives us many ways to engage our senses to help guide us back to the moment. Nature provides us with so many ways to ground ourselves. Something as simple as noticing a gentle breeze or the warmth of the sun can help bring your mind and body back to the present. Taking a deep breath or finding something in your environment to anchor you just may help you feel calmer and more present. Even small pauses can help create more space in your mind to help you feel more connected and live more fully in the moment. With practice, this can help build a foundation for you to bring calm and clarity into your daily life.