I have always loved the concept of mindfulness: slowing down and being present. But as a mom with two young kids? Practicing mindfulness can be, shall we say, difficult.
While I have found small ways of working it into my life over the years, I’ve always been on the lookout for new approaches to mindfulness that work with my crazy, busy life on a regular basis.
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Enter: the book Everyday Mindfulness: 108 Simple Practices to Empower Yourself and Transform Your Life by Melissa Steginus, a mindfulness teacher and productivity coach. I felt like the book was written with someone like me in mind: someone who craved mindfulness but was unsure of how to practice it regularly. (I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it).
Before the number 108 sounds too overwhelming, know this: Steginus brilliantly recommends doing ONE mindfulness practice each day. Each suggested practice is simple but intentional. For a busy mom like me, it was exactly what I needed to find the mindfulness practices that I enjoyed the most.
Full disclosure: I’m still working through all the practices in the book. After all, it’s designed for you to complete just one per day. As Steginus shares early on, “You’ve got 108 days to gradually train your brain to pay closer attention to activities and practices you may already be familiar with (i.e., deep breathing, journaling, self-reflection, goal setting, etc.)” But there are plenty of new things that I never considered “mindfulness” before.
Simple Mindfulness Practices
Steginus organizes her suggested mindfulness activities into six categories: physical, emotional, rational, spiritual, occupation, and network. In this way, there is a practice or exercise for every facet of yourself.
In the “Physical” section, for example, my favorite practice was the “Release Tension” exercise. It has helped me become more aware of where I hold tension in my body throughout the day.
Now that I’m in the “Emotional” section, “Reflect on Happy Times” has been my favorite so far. (If I’m being honest, it’s been my kids’ favorite too, because they love to hear “silly” stories about when they were younger).
What Makes These Mindfulness Practices More Powerful
Steginus doesn’t just explain the practice, she encourages you to reflect on each and every one. After all, this is mindfulness we’re talking about! It’s why I consider Everyday Mindfulness a workbook of sorts. After explaining the purpose of the mindfulness activity, Steginus explains how to practice it.
But my favorite part of the book? The prompts or reflections. Each practice includes a couple questions and enough space for you to write your answers. I can guarantee that, even after the 108 days are up and after I finish Everyday Mindfulness, I’ll be using those questions in my own mindfulness journaling in the future.
What are your favorite ways to practice mindfulness? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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