Being mindful is about remaining in the present moment and being aware of your current surroundings, thoughts, emotions and feelings. It is a practice often used in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy but also across various modes of therapies. Mindfulness can be particularly effective when it comes to managing and reducing stress.

One way to practice mindfulness for stress management is to pay attention to your 5 senses: Sight, Smell, Touch, Taste, Hearing. For example, at this moment, get a piece of paper and pen and write down the 5 things you see around you, 4 things you can feel or are tangible to you right now, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This is called a 5 4 3 2 1 grounding exercise.

You can extend this exercise by writing down a list of things you usually multitask on, such as listening to music while you brush your teeth, or listening to an audio book while you are driving, talking on the phone while you are cleaning or cooking, or checking your phone while you walk your fur baby. Now make it a goal this week to “ break these tasks apart”, meaning take time to ONLY listen to the music by itself, paying attention to the lyrics and identifying any background instruments; when you brush your teeth look at your teeth, smell the toothpaste, feel the bristles on your teeth and taste the toothpaste on your tongue. How does it feel to you? When was the last time you gave brushing your teeth this much attention?

We are used to rushing from multiple tasks to the next, which only adds to our high stress levels. Taking some time to focus on just one task, on a daily basis, will help you to become more aware of your present life, thereby increasing your level of life satisfaction and joy on a day to day basis.

Some additional ideas to merge your 5 senses with a mindfulness perspective are:

Keep a pretty plant in your bedroom and nurture it on a daily basis.
No matter the weather, step outside, even for 5 minutes, and try to notice something in nature you have not noticed before
Wear your favorite cologne or perfume, even to bed, or keep a diffuser in your bedroom or work station. Safely light a candle and reflect on the color and smell of the candle. What does it remind you of?
When you take your fur baby out for a short walk, put away your phone and headphones for a moment, feel your feet touching the ground, and listen to those cute paws trying to keep up with you.
Next time you have a meal, actually sit down and close your eyes for the first bite; taste the food slowly and chew it slowly, while swallowing it intentionally and mindfully. Do you like it? Or do you prefer changing it up and trying something else?
Wherever you are at this moment, try to hear the most distant sound you can hear. Can you hear breathing, traffic, the wind, or an animal in the distance?

Being mindful on a daily basis can help to manage some, if not most, daily stress in life. Have fun trying the above strategies, whichever may work best for you!

For further support around managing stress, through using mindfulness techniques, click here.