Published on February 01, 2023

Make it a Mindful New Year!

By Stephanie McLeese-Griffin LIMHP, LADC, LPC

A new year provides us with a fresh start, and opportunities to reflect and do things differently. Incorporating mindfulness into our daily routines can help reduce stress, and decrease anxiety and depression. Practicing mindfulness also has been found to help manage chronic pain, reduce blood pressure and improve sleep. Spending 5-10 minutes several times a day practicing mindfulness activities is a good way to maintain this practice throughout your life.

How to Start 

When you first start practicing mindfulness you might find it difficult to stay focused; just gently redirect your mind back to your mindfulness practice and do not judge yourself. The more you practice mindfulness the better you get at focusing and redirecting your attention.

Mindfulness Exercises to Try

Here are some great ways to start incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine:

  • Begin the day with sitting quietly, focusing on your breathing
  • Complete a guided meditation; there are many podcasts or apps that offer this
  • Drink a cup of hot tea or coffee and focus on aroma and flavor
  • Take a walk outside and let the fresh air seep into your lungs; notice colors and textures around you
  • Get a piece of paper and doodle or color
  • Take 5-10 minutes at the beginning or end of your day to write a list of things that you are grateful for
  • Complete a Sudoku or crossword puzzle
  • Try yoga or do some stretching activities
  • Practice tensing and relaxing various muscle groups – called progressive muscle relaxation
  • Try visualization: Take 5-10 minutes to close your eyes and visualize yourself sitting on the beach or a favorite place

Make it Part of Your Daily Routine

As you continue your practice of mindfulness you will find that it becomes easier to stay focused on the activity at hand. At this point, consider increasing your mindfulness practice time to 15-30 minutes once or twice a day, whatever works for you. The benefits will only increase as you expand this practice. 

If you feel that stress, anxiety, or depression is having a negative effect on your life, take a free, confidential behavioral health screening here.