Mindfulness Cheat Sheet

Transcription

1 Mindfulness Cheat Sheet

2 Mindfulness Cheat Sheet The primary goal of most meditation practices is to become more mindful -- to spend more time living in the present moment and not replaying old conversations or worrying about the future. Becoming more mindful is a process; you can t just flip a switch and become a completely different person. But there are some strategies that can facilitate the process, and help you to begin incorporating moments of mindfulness into your everyday life. This guide has 101 tips for being more mindful throughout the course of your day -- even when you re not meditating. Your friend, Michael P.S. You may also enjoy my Meditation Cheat Sheet it includes some suggestions for getting the most out of your practice..

3 2 Mindfulness Exercises These exercises typically take less than five minutes to complete, and can be useful ways to slow down the mind and focus on the present moment: 1. Compassion exercise. Each morning, take a minute to think of four people: someone you care for, a friend or acquaintance, someone you ve never talked to but see occasionally (can be the mail carrier, barista in your coffee shop, etc.), and someone with whom you ve clashed before. Take a few seconds to visualize each person, and say to each: I wish you well. 2. Physical stretch. For 90 seconds each morning, stretch your arms and legs, trying to be mindful of your surroundings (and not thinking about everything you have to do that day). 3. Body scan. At any point in the day, take 60 seconds to close your eyes and mentally scan your body from head to toe. Take note of any feelings that jump out at you -- soreness, relaxation, etc. 4. Meditate! This one is obvious -- but very helpful. Even if it s just 5 minutes in the morning, take the time to focus exclusively on meditation. 5. Do something kind for someone else. This can be as small as emptying the dishwasher at home or holding the door open for a stranger. Mindfulness in Everyday Tasks Mindfulness need not be achieved through specific exercises that take time out of the day. In fact, it is often more effective to use mundane triggers -- actions we take throughout the day -- to prompt just a few moments of mindfulness. Below are some sample mindfulness triggers that can be used as reminders to pause, notice our breath, and simply take in our surroundings (in other words, to simply be present). 6. Wash your hands (take time to feel the warmth or coolness of the water) 7. Take a bite of food (instead of shoveling into your mouth, savor the taste) 8. Take a sip of coffee (take a moment to enjoy the feeling) 9. Brush teeth (take a moment for a deep breath, and smile at yourself in the mirror before starting) 10. Use your smartphone (there s no need to avoid or even cut back on this habit; every time you put it back in your pocket, take a few seconds to be mindful) 11. Get dressed (as you put on clothes in the morning, take a second to realize how they feel on your body). 12. Start your car (keep the car in park though!) 13. Put your hands on the steering wheel. 14. Go from sitting to standing (or vice versa).

4 3 15. Go up and down stairs (notice the sensations in your legs as you do so) 16. Write (take in the feeling and sound of pen or pencil on paper) 17. Sweat (as you begin to sweat during exercise, note the feeling of physical exertion) 18. Shower (notice the sensation of hot or cold water hitting your head) 19. Put shoes on or off (notice the feeling or your feet as they re enclosed or freed) 20. Fuzzy vision (if you wear glasses, use the fuzzy vision of going without as a reminder to pause for a moment of mindfulness) 21. Scratch an itch (try to catch yourself before you begin, and briefly notice the feeling of being itchy) 22. Strong smells (breathe deep and inspect the smell -- good or bad). 23. Drink water (focus on the feeling on your mouth of a sip). 24. Play with a pet (any time your pet climbs on you, focus on the interaction). 25. Watch the clock (whenever you notice that it is after 12pm, take a moment of mindfulness). 26. Hug (feel the areas of physical contact between yourself and another person) 27. Close the fridge. 28. Turn on or off the TV. 29. Wait for your computer to power up. 30. Shave. 31. Pay for something. 32. Sit at a traffic light. 33. See an airplane overhead. 34. Feel rain on your head or skin. 35. Fold clothes. 36. Brush hair 37. Wash hair. 38. Throw something away. 39. Apply deodorant (notice the smell and feel). 40. Cook a meal (notice the smell and feel of the ingredients) 41. Turn a light on or off. 42. Pick up anything (you may be surprised how infrequently you do this!) 43. Make eye contact (again, you may be surprised how infrequently you do this!) 44. Yawn. 45. Sneeze. 46. Lock or unlock a door.

5 4 47. Open or close a drawer. 48. Do anything taxing on your muscles (notice the sensation as you complete the task). 49. Hear someone else s ring tone. 50. Hear music. 51. Feel any pain (such as a headache or soreness) 52. Put your hands to your face. 53. Adjust your glasses. 54. Put on / take off jewelry (such as a watch or ring) 55. Go from indoors to outdoors (or vice versa) 56. Open a jar or container. 57. Open a book or magazine. 58. Notice an attractive person on the street. 59. Feel frustrated with yourself. 60. Send a text message. 61. End a phone call. 62. See a painting of other work of art. 63. See a wild animal (such as a bird or squirrel) 64. See someone pushing a stroller. 65. Feel hungry. 66. Feel tired. 67. Google something. 68. Scratch your head. 69. Send an (for many, this will be a very frequent event!) 70. Fasten or loosen a button. 71. Zip or unzip something. 72. Find that your mind has wandered. 73. Find that you ve become distracted from the task at hand. 74. See a commercial on TV (turn down the volume, and try to be mindful of your surroundings for just a few seconds) 75. Hear a car horn. 76. Hear someone laugh (you may be surprised how infrequently you hear this) 77. Feel annoyed with someone else. 78. Ring a doorbell. 79. Use the restroom. 80. See a billboard.

6 5 81. Get on a train or bus (this is more applicable to residents of large cities). 82. Take out the trash or recycling. 83. Mow the lawn or rake leaves. 84. See something you d like to eat. 85. Hear a dog bark. 86. Open or close a window. 87. Finish a meal. 88. Finish a cup of coffee or water. 89. Bite your nails (or any other bad habit really) 90. Climb stairs. It s completely impractical to attempt to be mindful each time any of the above items happens. In fact, for most people (myself included) it will be impractical to try to pick more than one or two of the above as mindfulness triggers. I suggest starting with one of the above -- either one that jumped out at you while reading, or just a random number. For the next couple of days, try to notice whenever that event happens -- and let it trigger a just few seconds of mindfulness in the middle of your day. There s no need to start a full-blown meditation session; simply notice, pause, and breathe. If the moment of mindfulness lasts just 10 seconds, that s great progress! Mindful Detours Finally, there are some mindful detours that we can take throughout the day. These require a bit more effort than the lengthy list above, but still fit well into most daily routines. 91. Lose the headphones (for example, listen to the natural sounds as you walk instead of music or a podcast) 92. Each time you scroll through Facebook, pause once on a random profile and take a moment to wish that person well (you can literally say to yourself Bobby Smith, I wish you well ). 93. Put a blank post-it note on your desk or computer; every time it catches your eye, take a few seconds to be mindful. 94. For a few minutes of your drive each day, turn off the radio and instead crack the window to take in the natural (and manmade) sounds outside. 95. For a minute after you wake up, just lay in bed, eyes open, and take in the sounds of your house and neighborhood in the morning. 96. As you approach a window in the morning, take a few seconds to look at and take in your surroundings. 97. When you first step outside in the morning, take a few seconds to notice the smells, sights, and sounds of your neighborhood.

7 6 98. As you walk to your office / train / wherever in the morning: instead of looking down, look up and notice the people around you. 99. Look up at the stars (or cloudy night sky) and pause to examine them At one point during the day, pause while outside and focus on the smells around you If you pass a public bench during the day, sit down for a moment of mindfulness. Want to jump start your meditations? I ve put together a Meditation Boot Camp course and am offering a DVD + full online access for just $1. It features 8 in-depth video tutorials, including a full-length guided meditation. I ll also give you the strategies that I ve personally used to build an effective and sustainable meditation practice. Click here to get the Meditation Boot Camp DVD for $1!