Mindfulness has garnered increasing attention in clinical research as a factor in maintaining relaxation, improving focus and productivity, and enjoying good relationships.  Certainly, most of my anxious patients struggle with racing thoughts and an inability to focus on the here-and-now. The antidote is living in the present, a skill that is in short supply with many of us in this high-tech world. 

Often, meditation is seen as the gateway to mindfulness.  However, many of us (myself included!) don’t like or want to meditate. Fortunately, there are other efficient and effective ways to build this skill.  The bonus is, these skills and techniques enhance other areas of life, too, such as relationship-building and gratitude, making life more enjoyable. Here are my top suggestions:

1.    Breathe – Slow, deliberate breathing, with very slow (5-10 second) exhales, are an excellent way to return your thoughts to the present. You can zero in on the sensation of air entering and exiting your lungs, or on relaxing a tense muscle group, such as upper back/shoulders, with each exhale. I recommend people practice this daily until they are skilled at it – see my blog post on wait-time breathing.

2.    Nature Awareness - Spend time in nature for 5 minutes while maintaining focus on one of your 5 senses. If you are walking, for example, you can focus on sounds, including how many different bird songs you can hear, the sound of your feet on the sidewalk, the wind, your breathing, etc. On a different day, sit outside and notice the colors, shapes, foreground, background, etc. well enough that you could draw a picture of it later. Visually orient to where you are in relation to the sun.

3.    Mindful Meal - Eat a meal or snack slowly and mindfully, without distractions (no TV, phone, conversation). Enjoy every bite.  Pay attention to the flavors, textures, aromas. Be able to describe it to someone who has never eaten it. 

4.    Body Scan - sit or lie down in a comfortable, quiet place and mentally scan your whole body, noticing any tension, sensations, pains, etc. Start at the top of your head and work your way to your toes. Observe without comment whatever your body is telling you. Are you holding tension in your neck? Is your stomach growling? Do your new shoes hurt your feet? Has your heart rate been speeding up? Tuning in to bodily cues and changes can help you in many ways, such as catching anxiety before it becomes a panic attack, or knowing when you need to take a break and walk around to boost your concentration during a long study session. 

5.    Need State Check-in – Stress is compounded when we use the wrong coping strategies due to a misperceived or misidentified need state. A classic example is the dieter who overeats when lonely, or a nail-biter who is bored.  Similar to a body scan, set aside a quiet moment daily to ask yourself what your body, mind or soul might be needing.  Are you sleepy, restless, thirsty?  Are you feeling confused, irritated, lonely? A need state check-in may help you realize you need to walk away from a work problem that you’ve been ruminating over. A realization that you are overstimulated can get you to slow down, eliminate excess noise in your environment, silence your phone, or schedule some alone time.  Prayer time can help refocus you on the bigger picture. Acknowledging loneliness helps you seeks out encouragement from a friend.

6.    Relational Mindfulness – During an everyday conversation with someone, take 5 minutes to focus very intentionally on what they are saying. Look into his/her eyes. Consider how they look today (distracted? well-dressed? energetic?) and reflect on what they are likely feeling. Repeat some of it back to them to make sure you are staying focused and accepting their statements at face value, rather than adding your own mental editorializing. This daily mindfulness exercise can work wonders in a relationship, especially with a spouse. 

Mindfulness takes a little patience to develop, but the process is not hard or time-consuming. During any mindful exercise, you will, of course, drift away and start thinking about other, non-here-and-now things. Be aware of this, catch yourself and bring yourself back to the present. This, too, is part of the development of the skill.

To get the most of these exercises, choose one and practice it at least once daily for a week. Next, choose another and try that one for a week. Note your observations – which were your favorites? Which were the hardest to master? At the end of this, you will have improved your here-and-now focus skills, and likely found some new coping strategies.