Mindfulness in Your Health Routine

What is mindfulness and what relevance does it have in our health routine?

Mindfulness is the intentional awareness of the present moment. We often hear the encouragement of "enjoy the moment, be present" or "we only have the present" and my personal favorite "stop and smell the roses". In life, mindfulness allows us to enjoy/embrace each moment as they are happening. Often times we miss out on life because we are so busy living in the past or preoccupied with the future, then one day we wake up and look back on periods in our lives we would love to experience again. This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. One day as I was walking to lab I realized that I am currently living in a period that I dreamed and prayed about and I'm now four years into it and I realized that I haven't been savoring these moments. I was just caught up in the anxiety of finishing my PhD and moving on to the next thing. The truth is, I will never get these years back and so now, I've been leaning more into mindfulness and embracing the present moment. It is easy to get preoccupied with the things that may be hard or wanting to move to another accomplishment or era etc. But everything will come in their own time and all we really have is the present. As the Bible said "don't worry about tomorrow, tomorrow has its own problems." In other words, one day at a time. While mindfulness is applicable to life at large it also has a place in our health routine.

So what does this have to do with your health routine anyway? This past week, I shared a few tidbits on IG stories and feed posts about how to incorporate mindfulness in our health routine and I wanted to share a bit more nuance on the subject in a designated blogpost so here goes...

Mindfulness in Mental and Spiritual health

In our hyper productive/ grind culture world, it's become quite easy to disconnect from ourselves unable to feel, engage in introspection or simply, rest. We have so many opportunities for distractions with the numerous technology at our fingertips. Sure, technology has its good side but as we've become more reliant on it the downsides have become clear. So how do you protect your mental and spiritual health and recreate balance in your life? We can start by creating boundaries with our screen time. Yes, everybody says this but remember, mindfulness is INTENTIONAL AWARENESS and so it will require some effort. Notice when you are scrolling unconsciously or when you are online for no real reason (or maybe to avoid emotions or tasks) and switch to something else that might make you feel better. You can limit your screen time to a certain amount of hours per day or have no tech days a few times a week etc. What can you do instead? go on walks, spend time journaling or engaging in hobbies that you enjoy. Taking time to sit in stillness or walk in silence can bring us back to the present moment and help get us closer to reconnecting with our bodies. As a christian, daily practice of my faith is also another way that I practice mindfulness as it encourages stillness and slowing down. It also allows me to connect with my emotions as I tell them to God. I can feel them and experience them and give them over to Him because I don't have to handle it alone.

Mindfulness in our Physical Health: Movement and Nourishment

Now, you might be wondering okay sure, mindfulness in mental and spiritual health makes sense, but how do you incorporate mindfulness in the physical?

The truth is, we are innately connected to our bodies. We have the ability to define our needs and know exactly what it is that will fulfill those needs. However, diet culture's stronghold on our perception of health has caused what was once intuitive to seem external. We know how to nourish ourselves, we know how to move in a way that feels good for our bodies but we now leave that responsibility to others (enter social media influencers). Sure, sometimes a bit of guidance is needed which is where certain health professionals like dietitians come in to share knowledge of nutrients and how to use your cultural foods for balance and nourishment. However, nourishing our bodies encompasses being in tune with our hunger cues and feelings of satiety. Diet culture's misguided fad diets and disordered recommendations have disconnected most people from listening to their bodies as they override there hunger cues in an attempt to restrict or overexercising even when you feel tired or ill. So how do you reclaim mindfulness in your physical health routines of movement and nourishment? You can start by asking questions. For movement, ask yourself how you are feeling (pain, tiredness, strong, stiff etc), once you answer this, you'll be able to determine what movement you might need in that moment or even who you need to ask for help. Additionally, while moving your body, pay attention to how you feel. Do you need to perform a modification of the movement you're engaging in? Are you overextending yourself beyond your limit? Do you have the strength to endure? etc. Essentially, incorporating mindfulness in movement is remembering to focus on your needs and staying in tune with how you feel in that given moment. This is how you prevent injuries and truly take care of your body the way it deserves to be taken care of.

Here are some things to consider when incorporating mindfulness during nourishment.

- Sit in a quiet and comfortable place.

- Take time to give thanks for your meal.

- Take a few deep breaths and relax your muscles.

- Bring your awareness to the flavors, smell, texture.

- Notice how you feel throughout the meal and what it feels like when you are satiated.

These are things that will help us to be more in tune with what feels good, what doesn't and also when we are ready to end a meal. If you've lived in a home that was concerned about waste then this might also be a contributing factor to feeling disconnected to your body and so you might find that you are inclined to finish everything on your plate even if you re full. A number of individuals face this dilemma because they grew up facing food insecurity, more on this in another blogpost. If wasting food is of concern, consider saving the rest for later when you get hungry again and if you are a parent don't force the kids to finish their plate allow them to exercise their innate ability to listen to their bodies.

Further Nuance:

Sometimes mindfulness is not feasible and that is totally okay. Maybe you don't have time to sit in stillness because you are busy juggling multiple jobs. Maybe you overslept and now you have to rush to school and eat breakfast on the go. Life gets busy sometimes and to be honest this busyness (grind culture) can be part of the problem but I digress. With all of this in mind it is important to remember that mindfulness is not an all or nothing practice and so don't feel bad if you can't dedicate your lunch break to eating away from your desk. It might take some creativity and effort, but it can be as small as five minute breaks throughout your day to check in with yourself, breathing exercises performed at your desk or walking to your car after work in silence. It doesn't have to be grandiose. Think small changes over time.

Mindfulness will look different for everyone and it will also look different each day, that is okay. Nothing in health is one size fits all. So make it work for you.

I hope this blogpost was insightful and that you will incorporate more mindfulness in your health routine. Until next time, I wish you holistic health <3

-Kaydine.