As many of us transition out of lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19, is it going to be “business as usual” in the era of the ‘new normal?’
Many of us are hoping to fulfill numerous plans like traveling overseas, visiting family, getting back to an office environment, kids going back to school, or simply going out for the weekend and enjoying nature.
Then there are the bigger personal and professional plans like wanting a better job and career, improving finances, better health, and fitness, more meaningful personal relationships, spending more time on your passion and interests, spiritual life, or community and the environment.
While there’s nothing wrong with planning for more, better, or different, the pursuit can be exhausting, especially as we transition into a new normality.
The new normal also comes with lots of uncertainty, which leads to a fogginess in our thought process. This pandemic has brought about overwhelming negative emotions like fear, anxiety, uncertainty, pain, and sadness. As we transition out of lockdowns and restrictions, it’s easy to forget that there’s a new normal and that we should stop living life like it’s an emergency.
This is where mindfulness comes in and how you can be more mindful in the new normal.
So, what does it mean to be mindful?
Being mindful means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, surroundings, actions, and your physical and mental feelings, in a non-judgmental way. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts are in tune with what we are sensing in the present moment, rather than replaying the past or imagining the future.
Have you ever opened the fridge door and did not know what you were looking for? Or, walked into a room and then realized you don’t know what you came for? This is typically followed by a negative emotion of “I’m being very forgetful”, or “How can I be so silly”, or “I must be absent-minded, just getting old”.
This is an example of mindfulness, where we are either zoned out or our minds are preoccupied with other thoughts, and we go through our day on autopilot.
Mindfulness involves our intention to cultivate awareness of self and surroundings; attention to what is occurring in the present moment (thoughts, feelings, sensations as they arise), and our attitude that is non-judgmental, curious, and kind.
Practicing mindfulness involves reconnecting with your body and mind.
Consider the above two examples. Observe the situation you’re in (standing at the fridge door open, or in a room):
Why are you there (awareness of self and surroundings); attention as to what thoughts, feelings are going through your mind (you forgot why you are there), and your attitude which should be non-judgmental, curious, or kind to yourself.
Here are some great tips to practice more mindfulness in your life:
- “Me Time” Meditation
“Me time” is about being present with yourself, mind, and body. It is about making a conscious effort to spend time alone with your thoughts and undertaking mindfulness during any activity like, going for a walk in the park, reading a book, meditating for 5 or 10 minutes, stretching at your desk, or any other activity where you’re spending some quality “Me Time”.
Spending time outdoors, whether it’s walking, going for a jog, practicing yoga, or just stretching exercises, will help you become more aware of your body’s sensations by moving.
- Slow down, calm down
Inhale calm, exhale stress! As you inhale, imagine calm pervading every cell in your body, carried in by your breath. As you exhale, visualize all the anger, frustration, pain, fear, uncertainty, stress, or sadness you have, being drawn out of your body and disappearing into the air. The more you practice this with intention, the calmer you will feel, and this will contribute to you slowing down. Whatever it is you are doing, enjoy the process. It will help you to focus better and prevent becoming overwhelmed.
- Avoid Multitasking
The mind functions optimally when it can focus on one activity at a time. Choosing mindfulness over multitasking will result in better feelings throughout your day, as you focus better on successfully completing one task, in good time, less stress and anxiety, and feel good about it.
- Tell yourself something kind
Break the cycle of negative self-talk by thinking of one nice, true thing about yourself, such as: I did a good deed today. I’m trying hard and improving each day little by little. I helped an elderly person in need. Or has someone given you a much-deserved compliment today? Savor these positive thoughts and feelings every time you feel down or become self-critical. There is good in all of us.
- Practice gratitude
By practicing gratitude, we should focus our attention on what is positive in our lives in the present moment. This helps to bring the good stuff to the forefront of our mind, so that we can more easily come back into the now moment, instead of stressing about the future or rehashing the past. When we focus on the positive, we then become more available to create a brighter future for ourselves.
- Eat mindfully
How often, while eating, we’re on our phone talking with others, surfing the internet, watching YouTube videos, etc. Are we conscious of what and how much we’re eating? Are we really tasting the food, or eating too fast or too slow, or chewing our food, or rushing to finish off to go to do something else?
When we eat with more mindfulness, we enjoy what we’re eating, and digest our food better, helping our overall digestive health.
- Practice mindful listening
Often, when others are speaking, we are already trying to formulate a response. We tune out about halfway before the person is even finished with what they are saying.
Practicing mindful listening requires us to try active listening, where we put our full attention on the other person, listen with our ears, heart, and intuition, and see whether the quality of your conversation changes for the better.
If there’s one certainty in life, it’s that we can never know what will happen next. Life can shift unexpectedly, leaving us to adjust to the new normal.
In life, it isn’t what happens to us, but rather how we react to it. By being mindful, you can adjust the way you think, so that you can more easily embrace changes in life, or at least, reduce the stress associated with them.
If you’re at this junction now in your life, as we exit lockdowns and embrace changes to the ‘new normal, and want to plan, by first identifying your starting point, consider completing this free exercise in the link below.
