When your head is distracted by the challenges of life, and you’re busy trying to fold- in copious daily demands: contemplating mindfulness, as a tool to help you, can feel like an additional chore- too many!

It takes enormous effort to switch off and concentrate… But this is a misconception of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the quality, or state of being conscious, or aware of something. When we increase our awareness, we have the perfect path towards other forms of holistic support, such as meditation.

But achieving this state of mind can take time to grasp, master and implement into our hectic lives. Whilst I meditate most days, after doing so for a decade; I don’t always find it easy to pop myself into this state of helpful consciousness.

So, we need easier forms of mindfulness: things we can slot into just a couple of minutes: pleasant pursuits that don’t tax our cluttered heads. Here are a few ideas:

1: Whilst spending a penny, catch sight of your reflection in the tiles, or mirror. Notice your face, pull whimsical expressions, stretch your mouth, widen your eyes, massage your scalp with your fingers. Imagine some good news and smile widely back at yourself.

2: When you’re in the bath, or washing up, play with the bubbles; sculpture them into meringue peaks, make little shapes, drawer a smiley face, or make troughs and enjoy watching the fluidity of the water shapeshift.

3: Sit on a riverbank, or anywhere where there is some grass. Train your eyes to observe firstly a large sweep of it, and then drawer your attention to a single tuft. Next, hone into a single blade and notice how it flickers in the wind. See how the sun might be reflecting  on its glossy surface; the little ladybird balancing on it’s tip. Smile at the wonderment of nature, imagine what the little creature might be having for its tea…

By introducing easy ways to connect our heads, we start to combat the unhelpful trait of over-thinking. We become aware of the hindrance of going about our days in autopilot. We awaken the dots of us, or our souls, and we grasp the energising tonic of being present with ourselves in real time. We learn to favour an alert state of mind: being conscious. We are present in the moment, and not drifting away like a balloon.

If you would like a role-model, then think of an actor, sportsperson, or musician, whom you greatly admire. The entertainment fraternity spend much of their on-going time practicing living in the moment: consciously aware.

They would not be able to perform if their minds were drifting away.

I hope you find this helpful.

SUNNY wishes,

Emma x