- [Dana] Hello, OnePercentBetter viewers.
Brandon, thank you for having me on your channel.
I am Dana from the channel FreedomKingdom
and today I came here to show you four ways to be mindful.
But first of all, what is mindfulness?
We tend to spend most of our time
thinking of what happened in the past
and worrying about about what will happen in the future
while the present moment is slipping away from us.
Mindfulness is actually paying attention
to here and now without judgement .
You bring your consciousness at the present moment
and start to be aware of what is happening around you.
But why is that even necessary?
Well, mindfulness has many health and psychological benefits
such as as reducing stress and depression,
restoring emotional balance
and maximising the experience of living life.
Now, let's learn how we can be more mindful.
The first way is mindfulness exercises.
It maybe hard to become mindful in one day
but you can practise mindfulness on a regular basis
and it will come more naturally with time.
Here are some ideas.
Mindful eating.
While you eat, try to focus on eating only.
Touch the food, smell it, chew it slowly and feel the taste.
Be thankful that you are blessed with food on your table.
Mindful cleaning.
Who loves to clean?
Not me.
But besides listening to music,
being mindful is another great way
to upgrade your cleaning experience.
While you clean,
for example, washing dishes,
see how the food scraps go off
and the dishes become clean and shiny.
Mindful observing.
Choose a plant like a flower or a tree
and observe it for a few minutes.
Try to notice all the small details
and things you can see only when you're close to it.
Mindful walking.
Usually, when we're walking away to somewhere,
we think about the place we're headed to
or about anything that pops in our mind.
Instead, look around you and all the thing in the way.
Trees, people, cars, feel the weather,
the feeling in your feet and breath the fresh air.
The second way is training specific skills
according to dialectical behaviour therapy.
Observe.
Be aware of your thoughts and emotions.
Describe.
Find your thoughts, write down or tell others
the emotional state you're at.
Participate.
Immerse yourself completely
in an activity without inhibitions.
For example, dance in a party and be fully into it
without worrying that you might look ridiculous
or what others think.
Non-judgment.
Do the action without defining it as good or bad.
We're used to judge all the time.
Mostly because of dictates of our society.
Like thinking something is beautiful or ugly,
respectful or disrespectful,
right or wrong,
and these becomes so automated
that we forget to see things as they are
or were they're receiving our own opinion.
Focus on one thing.
Do one thing at a time.
When you have a conversation,
listen closely to the other person.
When you spend time with your loved ones,
be fully there.
The third way is mindfulness meditation.
The easiest way to practise this kind of meditation
is just sit down and focus in breathing.
Inhale, exhale and be aware of your breath.
It helps you calm down.
Get back on track when you lose focus.
Don't try to fight your thoughts
or blame yourself for thinking too much.
Just let it pass.
Notice when your mind is wandering away
and gently bring it back to right now.
When you finish,
open your eyes and remain seated for as long as you need.
Pay attention to your feelings
and how you would like to continue with your day.
You can also search in YouTube guided meditations.
There are plenty of them
or sign up for a mindfulness meditation group in your area.
A few minutes of practise in this each day
will bring you so much value to your life.
The fourth way is removing distractions.
Today, in the modern world,
we use technology all the time.
It has a lot of benefits and helps humanity develop
but it also has disadvantages.
We got used to have endless stimulations.
We have to do something interesting all the time
and we get bored too easily.
That's why we're obsessed to checking social media
and scroll down for hours.
With so many distractions,
how can you be mindful?
How can you live in the present
when you hang out with your friends
but check Facebook at the same time?
One day, I just noticed that I treat my phone
like a part of my body.
I take it everywhere,
put in on my pocket or next to me everywhere I go
and I felt enslaved.
I decided to cancel the sounds
so now, my phone is always on vibrate mode.
And if someone looks for me,
I get back to them whenever I want.
I don't have to be available all the time.
Just try to be without your phone for one day,
and notice how often you feel that something is missing
but at the same time, you will feel free.
If you can't be without your phone for some reason,
try to put it faraway or inside your bag
and try not to jump immediately
when you hear a message or a call.
So these are four ways you can start practising right now
in order to be more mindful.
Thank you for watching and have a mindful day.