In 2023 I was about as scatter brained as a person could be. It was a great year for me, but, because I’m an over thinker, I took on a lot and accomplished a lot. This year my aim is to be more focused and mindful.

What is mindfulness

Mindful can mean different things to different people. Many years back I was at a wedding and one of the guests was asking about my relationship with my spouse. I was describing the things we do together and I mentioned that we meditate together most days. He asked about it and I told him we tend to meditate for ten to twenty minutes. He said, “That doesn’t work you have to meditate for sixty minutes.”

I thought this was an odd thing to say, after all mediation is akin to prayer. I can’t image telling someone how to pray. But for him and his experience, meditation meant spending an hour being mindful. At the time my spouse and I were new to meditation and using a beginner’s app to guide us. The time we spent seemed perfect for novice practitioners.

Now I know that any amount of time being mindful is useful. Especially when there are so many distractions, even a micro-meditation is useful.

Plan for the new year

As you tackle the New Year consider ways to be more mindful, I like the following methods-

• Micro meditation is taking a moment to focus on the task at hand. For example how do the keys on the key board sound when I type?
• Shower meditation is focusing on the feeling of the shower as the water runs over my head and down my body.
• Walking meditation. Walk and think about each step and how the ground feels under my feet.
• Guided meditation, when I want to consider an aspect of my existence with intention.
•  I call it procrasticleaning (using cleaning to procrastinate). Basically when I do the dishes or laundry or any other household task I use that time to be focused on the task at hand and nothing else. I often use this as a way to reset my mind, while also completing a task that requires little mental input.
• Mantra meditation. My mantra is Ki-Ring, focus on the syllable Ki during my inhale and Ring on my exhale.

   However you choose to be mindful, know that it is a useful tool you should have in your mental health tool box. Studies show people who meditate sleep better, regulate emotions better, mindfulness improves attention and helps with reducing stress. There are many other benefits to mindfulness and it is well worth exploring ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life.

Start here

   Not sure where to start? Here’s a few ways to begin and a few concepts to consider-

• Find a local meditation meet up
• Find an article and read about the benefits
• Find an app that can guide you as you begin practicing
• There is no wrong way to meditate
• Make sure everyone knows you are meditating and that you are not to be bothered
• Turn off your phone or silence notifications
• Get comfortable
• It’s okay when your mind wanders, it’s all part of the experience
• Schedule meditation time
• If you fall asleep that’s okay

   Once you commit to a regular practice you’ll find some things that used to bother you no longer bother you. People will perceive your calmness and respond in kind. Making choices will be easier because all the random thoughts that usually crowd your noggin will no longer be an issue. You’ll make choices based on practical knowledge instead of heated emotions.

When can mindfulness be helpful?

   I use mindfulness practices’ when shopping, eating, consuming media and more. I feel organized about how I choose to spend time, money and effort, instead of feeling impulsive.

   Is there room for spontaneity once you become a mindful person? Of course. For example, I’m planning a trip to visit friends and it will include a ten hour drive to their location. I don’t have an itinerary for my drive but I know it will be split into two days, with about 5-7 hours each day. Beyond the drive time I have nothing planned, so anything that I do on the way will be spontaneous. However I know that a ten hour car ride will be fatiguing, so I will look for an opportunity to be active during the drive. Maybe that means pulling off at a state park to go for a walk, or finding a trampoline or rock wall climbing gym so I can have some fun. Perhaps we’ll see an ice rink or roller rink on the way.

   What I won’t do is find a mall to go shopping, find a few junk food restaurants to eat in, or find some other way to spend money and walk away with items I don’t really need, or full of food I don’t really enjoy. Whatever choices I make during the drive will always incorporate supporting my lifestyle. That’s mindful.

I hope you can find a way to engage in a mindful practice this year, whatever that means to you.

Happy New Year!