So I’m just going to jump straight in with this one. I’ve only just started this blog and I’m already slacking, from now on please expect a new article every Friday.
Since the start of the UK lockdown I’ve had this drive to better myself and my life.
But I had no idea how to do this.
It all started whilst watching some random YouTube videos that came up in my recommended, talking about self acceptance. I thought to myself, ‘is the universe trying to tell me something?’.
So I did some reading and researched in as many ways I could during a worldwide pandemic.
Becoming more mindful, was one of the ideas that kept popping up wherever I looked. So I dug a little further.
I listened to an audiobook on Audible called Habbits for Happiness by Dr Tim Sharp and this really brought everything together for me.
I couldn’t recommend this audiobook enough for beginning your own mindful and self-love journey.
Each chapter of this audiobook spoke about different habits you should incorporate into your life, in order to essentially become happier.
I followed all the steps exactly, one of my favourite tasks was setting my SMART goals, which I will discuss more in another post.
And this was my foundation for my mindfulness journey.
Unfortunately, it would be no help to share my personal goals, targets and habits as these will be different for everybody.
But here are some steps I can recommend that have helped me establish a more positive day-to-day life.
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Beginner Habits for a Better Life
Drink more water
This is a tip you see everywhere as we are told it can improve a lot of health problems but there is a reason for this, water is amazing!
I highly recommend working your way up to the recommended daily allowance of 2-3 litres. More on this and developing a water drinking habit in an upcoming post.
Give yourself some time for self-care
Always make time for you and doing things you enjoy. Whether that’s having a nice, relaxing bath or doing a spot of gardening.
Meditate
This one can seem very daunting at first as it did for me, but the sooner you start the better.
Meditation is something that you can take at your own pace, you choose how long you do it for and how often. I currently aim for 15 minutes every other morning.
Give yourself a stabile sleeping pattern
Although I don’t have any advice for the insomniacs, I can’t recommend a repetitive sleep schedule enough.
I have recently discovered the Bedtime setting on iPhone and it has been so useful in establishing myself with a routine.
Take a moment of everyday to notice everything around you
This is essentially what mindfulness is all about. I like to remind myself to be mindful by using a trigger.
For example, I will often have a mindful shower, a mindful meal or a mindful cup of coffee.
Listen to podcasts
This is something I have recently brought into my morning routine and they are so great.
In terms of becoming more mindful, I couldn’t recommend The Mindful Kind by Rachael Kable more!
I also love Radio Headspace by Andy Puddicombe as the episodes are around 4 minutes long each and come out the morning of every weekday.
Take up yoga
This is another one which can seem off-putting to a novice. I was one of those people too.
Yoga can be incredibly difficult but there are so many resources out there you can use from home, and you can simply take it at your own pace.
I love using beginner YouTube videos, I recommend SarahBethYoga. Of course, when gyms open back up, going to yoga classes is another option to consider.
Breathe with purpose
This one sounds a bit silly, we all breathe with the purpose of living. But really concentrating on your breathing and how it affects your body is an incredidble mindfulness exercise anybody can do at any time.
You may of hear of people slowing their breathing and counting to 10 in stressful situations, but that’s not all it is useful for.
I can’t describe to you how implementing these changes in my life has really helped me feel better in myself and become happier over the past month.
Find out more about my new morning routine, which details how I like to start my mornings in order to set myself up for a mindful day.
It can all seem overwhelming at first, but the majority of tasks involved in this article only take a few minutes to complete.
Remember to start off gently and try not to tackle everything at once. Try implementing a couple of new habits each month until you feel more comfortable.
And please, if you take anything from this article, please do check out some podcasts and audiobooks.
They’re just such an easy and useful way to digest new information, especially whilst travelling or doing some house work.
The top platforms I suggest are Audible and Spotify.
Recommended Reads
Many of these can be read in a book format, or listened to via an audiobook.
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- Calm World: Introduction to Meditation by Alice Fraser, Ash Ranpura (Audible exclusive)
- A New Earth: Awakening Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
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