Home is your sanctuary, the place you are excited to come back to after a vacation or time away for any other reason. It’s where you lay your head and where you gather for family meals. Although we appreciate what our homes give us, we can still take it for granted. Here are three ways to help you learn how to practice mindfulness in your own house, even when you’re home all the time.
Give Yourself a Break
We all have the tendency to fill every moment of the day, whether that be with organizing a closet or finishing a long-forgotten project. But what if we took a moment to just be? Practicing mindfulness is all about appreciating the moment for what it is, but you may find that hard to do if you’re constantly in motion.
Find a quiet space in your home, allow yourself to relax, and experience a rush of thankfulness for your health and the roof over your head. You can even meditate as part of your mindfulness practice.
Experience Your Thoughts
Mindfulness is being aware of your feelings and thoughts, and there is no need to shy away from them. Give yourself permission to welcome your thoughts as they enter your mind, and give them a farewell as they exit, all without judgment and without forcing emotion. A thought can be just a thought.
Become Aware of Your Movements
While staying at home, you may walk the neighborhood more. As part of your mindfulness practice, and to make walking more fun, become aware of the experience. Absorb how the sun hits your skin, how the ground feels beneath you, and how the wind breezes through your hair. You can practice this same thing with eating, taking a shower, washing the dishes, or anything else you do in a day.
As you work on your mindfulness, know that you may not be an expert at it right away. It takes time to ease into it. Allow yourself that, too.