bellflower beauty

Keeping my peace of mind is always top of priority, and I have a list of activities that I practice in order to maintain my internal stillness. Of course, I’m not perfect, and certain things can take me off track and cause irritation, a change in attitude, and frustration, but generally, I find that I can center myself when I implement these steps.

One of the main things that I love to do is meditate with music. I find it hard to meditate in complete silence, as I find that I usually get easily distracted, or simply fall asleep. One of the best things that I’ve discovered works for myself involves playing a spa music playlist on Pandora or Spotify and trying to clear my mind. It’s easier to fill that void and create a calm mind when there’s relaxing music playing in the background. I’ve done this with both headphones and my speakers, but I find that headphones work best when I’m really focused on clearing my mind. I’ve become so proficient at this that now I can clear my mind at will, but it has taken years of practice. Another fun trick that I like to use is to experiment with binaural beats. There are free apps that you can use for these brainwaves, and my favorite one uses brainwaves and allows you to play music from other apps in the background. Meditation helps me relax and calm things down especially when my mind, body, and life in general are really hectic and I need to center myself and focus.

Another thing that I love to do is practice pilates. I’ve fallen off with this practice, but any kind of low-intensity physical movement helps me focus on my body and doing the poses properly rather than focusing on anything that might cause stress or worry. I’ve also done yoga in the past, and I am hoping to pick that up again in the near future, but I prefer pilates because it seems that the movements go at a faster pace and the music tends to also go at a faster pace. Yoga can get a little boring and tedious for me, but still, it has always been rewarding in the end. For mindfulness and focusing on your breathing and techniques with posing, I would highly recommend pilates, yoga, or any other types of stretching exercises.

Affirmations are incredibly important to me. For years, I had set affirmations that I would repeat in my mind and write out for a certain number of times per day. Reciting affirmations mentally and by writing changed my life drastically for the better. I’m pretty sure positive affirmations are proven to help change your wellbeing for the better and that reciting them over and over can re-program. your mind in a beneficial way. Prior to reciting affirmations, I noticed myself falling into negative self-belief patterns unconsciously and being more pessimistic in moments when I should’ve been more optimistic. Now that I have trained myself to always inherently see things sunny-side-up, glass-half-full, and in a constructive manner, my life has been incredibly beautiful and opened up for me for the better. Although I have still faced challenges and “down’s” like anyone else, the “down” times seem not to last as long as the “up” times, and I find myself being more solution-oriented, rather than wallowing in sorrows. I also find that setting aside time to practice affirmations can help you clear your mind and practice mindfulness, as you have present-moment awareness while you’re focusing on a list of things that you’re repeating over and over to yourself.

Finally, daily walks in nature were critically important to me practicing mindfulness and were beneficial to my mental health. Of all of the tips and tricks that I’ve provided, I think that walking in nature is probably the main recommendation that I would give to anyone who would like to practice mindfulness and improve their mental wellness. You can also combine that with listening to calming / spa / “chill” music, or, if you’re in a beautiful natural place like a park, you can focus on the sound of nature like birds chirping and waves softly lapping up onto the shores around you. I’ve heard that walks in nature are proven to be incredibly beneficial for your physical and mental health, and every time I’ve gone out for a walk in a natural space, I’ve felt it has changed my attitude for the better and made me feel more conditioned physically. I was never in a better mental and physical space than when I took regular walks around where I lived in the city.

What are some activities that you like to practice to instill mindfulness in your life? Please share in the comments below. xo, brandy.