9 easy and practical mindful living tips you can try today, from creating a zen spot in the home to getting enough rest.
Fascination with bath bombs, vegan restaurants, and 4-day work weeks have been steadily gaining momentum, and for good reason.
We’ve become an incredibly busy society that sometimes forgets to take good care of ourselves. This results in high stress levels, poor health and people who are generally not living their best lives.
Enter the mindful living movement that focuses on elevating our quality and satisfaction of life. From eating, sleeping and hydrating well to switching off phones more often, here are 9 simple tips to practise mindful living.
Seemingly simple yet often overlooked, getting enough rest and staying hydrated are two little things that bring big implications. Generally, adults should strive to get at least 8 hours of sleep and drink 8 glasses of water daily, although this may vary from person to person. Just remember - 8x8. If you’re not used to drinking water, setting hourly reminders is a viable starting step!
Besides putting aside enough time for restful slumber, it’s beneficial to create a routine sleep schedule and cosy bedroom that’s inviting. Select comfortable bedding with minimal prints to focus on creating an uncluttered, restful environment. And where possible, go with furniture that feature curves and organic lines instead of sharp, straight edges.
Having an active lifestyle is vital in maintaining our general wellbeing. From keeping stress and cholesterol levels at bay to lowering the risk of depression, exercising consistently is well worth your time. And it doesn’t even have to be long stretches - there are plenty of quick 10-minute stretching or HIIT routines for light yet impactful moves. For deskbound office folk, choose the stairs where possible, and sneak in little moves like squats (clothing permitting!) when taking a break.
When it comes to eating well, a helpful tip is to focus on increasing the intake of good food instead of eliminating the bad, like most diets do. Find ways to have more servings of vegetables and fruit, and look up recipes made of your favourite ingredients. Any form of lifestyle change takes time to become a habit, so start with small, doable steps.
Nothing soothes the mind more than being surrounded by nature; particularly, plants. Zosia, founder of The Plant Room takes this sentiment to heart and says, “By putting plants into our spaces we benefit from the therapeutic and restorative elements of nature. We believe nature, wellbeing and creativity are intrinsically linked.
Founder of botanical design studio The Plant Room in Leeds
Photography credit to Helena Dolby
By slightly altering our indoor environments and incorporating plants into them, productivity, creativity and general wellbeing has been proven to be enhanced.
Zosia Berkieta-Lewis
“Living in cities compacted in by bricks and concrete it has become vital to understand and appreciate the need to break free into green, natural places.”
Take a leaf out of her book and choose a mix of green varieties that help clean the air. Leafy, trailing plants also inject a little wildness to create a tropical inspired ambience, if that’s what relaxes you. Besides making the air fresher, the plants’ lush green colour is soothing on the eyes after a long day of working with screens.
To continue the natural theme, pick furnishings made with materials like wood, rattan, or ceramic. The warmth and rawness of their surfaces contribute to a design that has a tranquil, back to nature vibe.
Everything is fast, easy and digital, yet natural instinct pushes us to disconnect and slow down to regain our sense and quality of life. Taking a tech detox retreat is now a common type of holiday for the modern individual. Our constant need to be ‘connected’ has reached the point where sleep is exchanged for endless scrolling, and communication is more often virtual than had in person.
If you’re not required to be on call for work, start by switching off your phone or setting it to flight mode when going to bed. Create a routine for yourself to unwind every night, either by reading a few pages of a physical book, doing some light stretches, or having a warm glass of milk. The key is to refrain from looking at your phone near bedtime, as the blue light tricks the brain into thinking it’s not quite time to rest.
We are busy, busy people and time cannot be acquired. So make sure to only allocate your precious time to the people who truly matter. Run a personal check to identify family or friends that you share a happy bond with. The ones who get you and with whom you’re comfortable being uniquely yourself around. On the flipside, recognise acquaintances who might not have your best interests at heart, and reevaluate the value of that relationship to you. Don’t be afraid of saying ‘no’, and make time for those you’d say ‘yes’ to a thousand times. Studies have shown that our 6 closest relationships impact us the most, so surround yourself with a great bunch!
Have you ever looked at a colour that immediately made you calm and long to look at it longer? Colour psychology and its effects are as real as a massage you’d get at the spa - it really can help us relax. If unsure of which hues would have that effect on you, neutrals are a safe bet to create a soothing palette. Perennial hues like white, soft grey and greige are failsafe options. However, it’s important to note that what’s calming to one person might not have the same effect on the next.
Besides colour, scents can help with a wellness agenda too. Typical choices include lavender, lemongrass, and lemon for a hint of freshness. So wear your favourite calming colour and light up a relaxing scented candle to get to some serious unwinding.
As a reminder to prioritise mindful living, allocate a corner that’s dedicated to relaxation. A little nook will do; you’ll only need enough space to practise your preferred stretches. Fit it out with a yoga mat or thick rug for comfort. And if you have a work desk at home, it’s a good idea to carve out a zen zone within the same room for quick stretch breaks. A space that embraces disconnecting and being present will likely become a favourite spot in the home!
8. Learning is a lifelong journey that’s good for you
As Henry Ford says, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Besides keeping our wits sharp and neurons active, continuous self-development plays a big role in giving purpose and interest to life. Whether you’re more artistically inclined, or love spending time outdoors, set a goal to learn more in a subject that tickles your fancy. Taking care of your wellbeing is more than just sleeping and eating well, it goes on to include growing your creativity and honing your abilities. For a fun decorative project that’s perfect for a zen space, check out this wall hanging DIY!
Fresh, life-inducing and helpful against fighting depression, sunlight is the best kind of light source. Having bountiful natural daylight shining in can help reset a confused circadian rhythm too. Keep this in mind when planning out a space - consider if a particular area is more suited to be a reading nook, house a work desk, or become a yoga corner.
If you have small windows (or none at all), and limited access to natural daylight, lean towards warmer hues when selecting artificial lights. Light dimmers are versatile options that can be especially helpful in furthering mindful living inspired home design. When it’s time to wind down and relax, dim the lights slightly to create a warm and cosy ambience.
