The best way to bring mindfulness into everyday life is by making mindfulness a normal part of everyday life. In the modern world, mindfulness is an increasingly rare skill. The more mindful you are, the more you depend on other people to help you stay mindful. Driving a car, using a credit card, ordering a sandwich, and going to the doctor are all examples of activities that require meditators. For most of us, this is a problem. We aren’t very good at it, and we want to get better at it.
But it’s hard to practice mindfulness when your life is full of distractions. Fortunately, there’s a solution: bring mindfulness into your daily life, and mindfulness will become a normal part of your daily life. You bring mindfulness into your daily life by paying attention to things around you and by noticing what happens in your mind.
When you become mindful, the world becomes more interesting. Your brain gets a break from the endless chatter. You notice things you have never seen before, or have seen for a long time but never stopped to notice. Over time, you get to know yourself better. You notice what your mind does, how it changes, and what kinds of thoughts you generate. You recognize your own habits and imagine how you can change them.
So how can I bring mindfulness into everyday life?
- First, I have to practice mindfulness. When I sit quietly, I have to bring my attention into my breathing. If my mind wanders, I quickly bring it back. I find it helpful to visualize my breathing as a bright yellow thread, and whenever my mind wanders, I have to pull it back to the thread.
- Second, I have to avoid trying to integrate mindfulness into everything I do. Instead, I have to choose some particular problem (perhaps eating or exercise), then practice mindfulness for that issue. If I get good at it, I can apply the same principles to other issues.
- Third, I’m going to have to keep my practice simple. If I start trying to integrate mindfulness into every part of my life, I will end up hating my life.
- Fourth, I have to practice mindfulness every day, even if it is just for a few minutes.
