Ways to be more Mindful

Following on from our recent blog The Importance of Well-being, here we’ll touch on Mindfulness.

It’s easy to race through life, the days go fast, and they only seem to go faster the older we get. Have you ever thought about why they go faster as we get older? Because we fill our days with things that need doing, have to be done and things we want to get done. How much of that time is spent on you?

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness involves paying attention to what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment.

An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies, senses, thoughts and feelings. This means paying attention to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. That might be as simple as taking a deep breath when you’re outside.

Coaches have a wide variety of tools available to them, whether taking on board the tools we share with our clients or retreats where we and our fellow coaches can centre ourselves and pay mindfulness to our surroundings.

Ways to be more Mindful:

1. Notice the everyday – Go about your day, but take the time to notice the sensations of things, the taste of your food, the warmth from a hot drink or the wind on your face.
2. Keep it regular – You don’t necessarily have to keep a routine, unless you enjoy it, keeping it regular simply means choosing a time in your day to slow down and take everything in, whether that be your morning routine or a walk in the afternoon.
3. Try something new – Trying new things, such as going somewhere new for lunch or taking a different route on a familiar journey, can help you notice positive changes.
4. Name your feelings – To develop self-awareness on your thoughts and feelings, you may find it helpful to learn what they are and give them a name, for example: “What I’m feeling is anxiety”, or “I’m feeling I might fail”.

Working with a Coach 

If you struggle to manage and maintain your well-being, having a coach would be a great way to help you work on habits – having someone to support you whilst you support yourself. Find a coach who is a good match for you using any one of these search boxes:

Working as a Coach

If you are a coach yourself, working to protect your own well-being is essential – a responsibility to your clients to prepare well for sessions with them, and to look after ourselves post-sessions so that we show up to our clients being the best we possibly can for them. We hold regular online supervision with Coach Wellbeing as a central topic – check our events for coaches page.