My thoughts are never far from mindfulness. It is a practice I cultivate daily – I have to. When I fail to check back in with myself on a regular basis, I become less grounded and more easily flustered.
Blogging is a great tool I have found, for focusing your attention on living in the moment. As I move through my life I’m always pausing to enjoy the moment that I’m in, even though I’m juggling a lot of things. Capturing the detail in each event forces me to be still and absorb, as I want to be able to communicate it all effectively later when I’m back at my desk.
I enjoy a busy life but I’m not overwhelmed by it. It is a nice busy – a busy I can handle and I like having lots of people in my life. I also like lots of time alone. I’m happy in my own company. It’s nice not to have to talk sometimes. To go for a run or swim lengths alone and immerse myself in my own thoughts. I like an early night alone too – to curl up with a book and recent months have seen me reclaim this particular pleasure. The joy of the written word and soaking up a captivating storyline. Enjoying the plot twists and turns, I feel invested in the characters, but when it is all too much and my eyes are heavy, I can sink down into my bed and enjoy a restorative sleep.
I like to take time out to live. To smell the coffee as I put it into my mug, then wait for the kettle to boil and slowly stir my milk in and with both hands wrapped around the mug, gently blow the surface until it’s cool enough to sip. Emails can wait while I get prepared for the day. It won’t make any difference to the reply they get if it comes 20 minutes later and I’m in a better frame of mind to deal with it.
Food is a pleasure to be enjoyed. I have battled with food for 40 years of my life and it does no good. Deprivation doesn’t get me the results I want. Moderation and exercise do, being mindful has really helped me with the weight issue, and I adore my yoga classes. They are great for my body and my mind.
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Mindfulness at home is the best mindfulness of all. I make sure I tell my children that I love them every single day – and have done since the day they were born. I make time to appreciate my husband. It is so easy to start to take someone for granted, but once you go down that road it’s harder to get back up it again to a place of appreciation. So I make an effort to look at him with fresh eyes each day and also to say “Thank you”. I notice that it has an immediate benefit in the way he treats me too, so it’s worth making the effort.