From my recent observations, I have noticed that some people find it extremely difficult to enjoy the often repetitive routine of everyday life. Of course, everyday life looks different to all of us but for the most part, it always involves waking up, hopefully eating breakfast, getting ready and getting on with our day, whatever that might entail.
However, it is very natural for this kind of routine to feel mundane when there is no real difference between our days (something we all experienced during the many lockdowns of 2020), and this (I believe), is where Mindfulness can come to our aid, as there is no better time for appreciating the present moment than in the middle of the mundane.
By anchoring ourselves to the present moment, we can stop ourselves from thinking too much about the future and reflecting unnecessarily on the past. Once we begin to do this, we can also potentially calm ourselves for striving for the next big thing and by doing so, feeling more gratitude for the present moment. More often than not, giving yourself something to look forward to, often ends in disappointment when the activity is over. Not that you shouldn’t give yourself something for look forward to, but instead of feeling disappointment when it’s over, we should feel grateful that we just experienced it.
Its often the build up to what we are looking forward to that makes it difficult for us to return to normal life afterwards. I have personally liked the recent social media trends of romantiscising our daily lives as this allows us to actually stop and enjoy the little moments by appreciating them which creates feelings of gratitude which leads us to contentment.
These little moments can be anything from enjoying a lovely walk on a spring day, to not looking at screens as you enjoy your favourite cup of tea. All of these little shifts in our mindset, can help us to live more mindfully and change the way we look at our daily routine.
The entire month of April (in the United Kingdom), is Stress Awareness Month. Why not use this month as a prompt to check in on your stress levels?
Jem Girl at the Piano 