by Jenna Koroly, MS, RD, CSOWM, CDN
Mindfulness not only applies to food and eating, but also to other aspects of life. “You are what you do everyday,” said film director Jon Chu on Lewis Howes’ School of Greatness Podcast [i]. Both what we do and how we do things are important to consider. By practicing mindfulness with our behaviors, actions and reactions, this will eventually become our habitual and natural way of living.
Try the two tips below to bring mindfulness to your everyday routine to help manage stress and enhance enjoyable moments.
1. When in a stressful situation related to work or your personal life, evaluate your breathing. Are you holding your breath at all? Is your chest rising and falling as you breathe or is your stomach? Try breathing in through your nose as your stomach rises, holding for a moment, and then breathing out through your mouth as your stomach falls. This is called diaphragmatic breathing and can help you to relax in a stressful situation, and thus also help with having a sound reaction. For more practice with diaphragmatic breathing, check out this resource from the Cleveland Clinic.
2. When in a relaxing or enjoyable moment, check in with your senses. What do you see, hear, smell, feel, (and taste if you are eating!) around you? If you are in a familiar place, do you notice anything you haven’t before? Be present in this moment. Take three deep breaths, and let your senses and the enjoyable experience sink in.
Reference:
[i] Howes, L. (Host). Jon Chu on Directing in Hollywood, Creative Storytelling and Chasing Your Dreams. The School of Greatness. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://lewishowes.com/podcast/jon-chu/