Mindful Activities
After a long day it's nice to shut off your brain and relax for a bit. But how often are you doing that? Are you in a routine of coming home to watch television? Maybe cook and eat dinner first? It's very common to not do much after a long day, but that doesn't mean it's beneficial. There are many things you can do to change up your day to day routine which can help you with your overall being.
Television isn't a bad thing; it can be helpful in gaining knowledge or used as a way to relax. Unfortunately that's not all that it's used for. Many people may just watch a show, and/or use their phone at the same time. Not doing much but escaping reality, really. There is a lot we can always work on with ourselves. Even by changing up our activities we can make slow, small steps to bettering something.
There are many mindful activities that don't require much energy. Here are some examples: reading, puzzles, yoga, meditating, journaling, walking, biking, or even stretching. All of these activities hold some type of benefit to a person. Reading: gain knowledge, improve literacy, exercise the brain, and help with your creative side. Puzzles: helps improve concentration, memory, and problem solving skills. Yoga: improves your mobility, strengthens muscles, improves balance, and it may even increase the quality of your mental and physical health. Meditating: increases your self-awareness, patience, and helps with emotional health. Journaling: acknowledging your thoughts and releasing them from your body, helps track progress, and improves writing skills. Walking and biking: a great way to get outside and get fresh air, move your body, and you can either go through your thoughts or focus on the life around you. Stretching: improves flexibility and muscle health, helps with daily activities, and assists with better posture. There are much more benefits to each activity listed, but they do have a few things in common with one another. They all help with relaxation and act as a stress reducer.
Do whichever activity feels best for you. They’re all valuable activities that could help you build yourself altogether, while getting to be in a peaceful state. Listen to your body and do what feels best for you. As you try these new things and practice them over time, don’t try to just get better at the task itself, but also be open to growing as a person.