Practising mindfulness in life

We’re often so focused on the future that we tend to miss out on simple things that going on in life. And while looking ahead is never a bad thing, letting moments pass us by is less than ideal. In this ever-growing and fast paced world, it’s easy to always be on your next thing – especially when there’s so many great options and opportunities out there. But at the same time, how often do we get to fully appreciate the moment we’re in, understand the feelings and feel all the feels that we’re meant to?

Sometimes when we look too much into the future, we start feeling anxious. We worry about all the things that could go wrong, even though they’re so far off into the future (and possibly won’t even happen). And while it’s normal to feel anxious about the future, it can stop you from doing things that you enjoy.

We look towards being mindful. It’s a buzz-word that has been thrown around excessively for good reason. But before we delve too much into that, let’s establish what mindfulness is.

According to Mindful.org: “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not over reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”

Sounds simple right? The best part is that it doesn’t require any special equipment, it’s something that we all already possess – the only thing that we need to do is learn how to practice mindfulness.

Let’s start with mindful eating. It involves eating slowing, engaging your senses by noticing the smells, flavours, textures and colour of your food – appreciating what you’re eating. Mindful eating is about giving your meal your full attention, which means no Netflix, phone games, or distractions. Play around with the presentation of your food to jazz up meal times and create more thoughtful tableware. Table Matters incorporates beautiful colours and textures to tableware, inspired by nature. The materials are carefully source and are strictly tested for toughness, durability and integrity, so you can be assured that it’ll stand the test of time.

Reinforce the principles of mindfulness in everyday life, starting with the space that we’re living in. Just Anthony is a purveyor of Chinese antique furniture and accessories. Look for a piece that speaks to you when buying furniture, and consider the impact that they’ll have on your life – whether they’re a practical item, or something that adds a positive association in your home. We love this cabinet from Just Anthony as it offers a space to display our aesthetically pleasing pieces, while safely storing other contents.

When life gets overwhelming, take a timeout and focus on yourself – understand the feelings that you’re experiencing with no judgement. Become aware of them and practising not letting it control you and your actions. Focus on the present moment, instead of the past or future, let go of tension and accept the moment and feelings for what they are.

As we live busy lives, filled with distractions, it is often hard to slow down. Giving yourself time each day to meditate and do a quick self-massage (or if you’re one of those lucky few who have someone at home give you a massage). You can start my take deep mindful breaths to fully immerse yourself in the moment, and massage your neck, legs, arms with a massage oil, bringing your focus to the area that you’re concentrating on. Identify how you feel, but don’t let that distract you, instead let that calm you.

Houze: Klear Cosmetic Table Organiser

Your home is a reflection of you and your life. It can help keep you organised and centred, especially as we’re all staying at home now. Our environment can overwhelm us, especially if it’s cluttered. Houze provides storage solutions to help create a sustainable and efficient way of living. Harmonise your home and create a conducive space of living by beautifying your living area. They have a wide range of storage options, suited for every room in the house.

Mindfulness allows us to look within ourselves, and not lose sight of the matter at hand. It allows us to reduce stress and anxiety, and helps us sharpen our senses and focus. To top it off, it boosts our health and immunity, as well as our confidence and emotional resilience.

Financial mindfulness sounds a bit like an oxymoron. But let’s start thinking about it, because I do think that we would all like to worry less about our finances. Financial mindfulness allows us to stress less about money for the future, as when we concentrate on what we need at the moment, we can decide if something makes sense to us.

When you pay with Atome, you can worry less about your finances, as Atome splits your bill into three manageable instalments, which are all interest-free. Allow yourself to indulge in the moment, without stress or anxiety.

Love It. Own it. Pay later.