When people hear mindfulness they tend to roll their eyes.

The idea often seems like a hippy trend but the benefits of dedicating time to check in with yourself can help especially during this time with a lack of interaction with people. Here are some tips to start performing mindfulness during our time in quarantine.

• Try to put mindfulness into your daily routine.
  • Try mindfulness when you sit down for your first meal of the day or before you go to sleep. Allowing yourself to check in before you go about your day.
• Start by perfecting your breathing first thing.
  • Mindful breathing is focusing on your breathing for the purpose of feeling the breath through your whole body to center yourself. This should consist of breathing through you nostrils for three seconds, holding your breath for two and breathing out for five seconds
• Let your mind wander.
  • The perception of mindfulness often ends up being that you must have your mind go blank but our brains naturally think and wander. So when you find yourself distracted or thinking of what to make for dinner. Let the thought come, acknowledge it and continue with your meditation
• Keep it short.
  • Don’t go for an hour-long mindfulness exercise your first time. Try 15-20 minutes. Maybe even just five minutes. This will ease you into exercises that last longer and gives you time to center yourself
• Mindfulness is not just meditation.
  • Try eating mindfully. Close your eyes and think about what every bite feels like. Is it crunchy? Is it sweet? Sour? Salty? Is it cold? Hot? Try coloring mindfully. What emotions do the colors bring out in you? What does it feel like when the utensil rubs against the paper?

Body Scan: Easy mindfulness meditation exercise

Start by taking in a deep breath and close your eyes if comfortable. Feel each part of your body. What does it feel like against the chair? As you breathe out, where do you feel it in your body? Feel the tension leave each part of your body with each breath. Continue until your whole body feels relaxed then slowly open your eyes, take one last cleansing breath and continue on with your day. If during this time your mind wanders, acknowledge the thought and focus back onto your breathing.