12 Tips for Mindful Living: Create a Mindful Life

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What’s so special about this year?

If you can’t think of something right away, pause. Reflect on what this year may hold for you that last year didn’t and next year won’t. 

By becoming aware of nuances in your life such as those, you’re already on your way to living more mindfully. 

Taking time to notice our life and what surrounds us creates a connection that allows us to live in and enjoy the present. Rather than dwell on the past or fret about the future. 

But before we talk about steps we can take to build a mindful life this year, let’s be clear on this. 👇

What is Mindful Living?

Mindful living means living with an awareness of yourself, your actions and thoughts, and the world around you. It means living in the present moment. And making the most of it.

To be more specific, “mindful” means to become aware of. And since it can be used as an adjective or an adverb, it can apply to almost anything in our lives. 

So, we can be a more mindful friend, colleague, spouse, parent… you get the idea. And we can eat mindfully, walk mindfully, listen mindfully… and live mindfully. 

When we live mindfully, we’re aware of what we’re thinking and feeling, we live in the present, and we make thoughtful and intentional choices. 

Sounds pretty magical, right? Here’s how we can get there.

12 Tips for Mindful Living

As you discover this list, know that you don’t have to do all of these to live a mindful life. These are suggestions. And you can find more ideas in the How to Be Mindful Today cheat sheet below. 

Here’s how to live mindfully today.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you!

1. Reclaim Time

Time is a limited resource. And in order to fully utilize it, we must be clear about how we want to spend it.

For example, my youngest starts school full-time in the fall. I’m acutely aware of the limited time I have left with him at home. So this year, I want to fully experience the special day trips, weekday morning walks, and one-on-one playtime and snuggles.

Whether it’s chasing your dreams, cuddling with your kids, or something else, becoming aware of how you want to spend your time helps you be more present for the things you love.

2. Get Outside

Spending time outside—be it a walk around the block, a hike in the mountains, a sit by the sea—creates a deep awareness and appreciation for the world around us and has many health benefits.

There have been studies that show practicing mindfulness outdoors benefits mental, physical, and social health. And some also suggest it’s easy to be present outdoors than in. 

So try taking spending more time in green and blue spaces in nature. You can sit or play, or even take a mindful walk or meditate.

3. Do Less

One of my favorite tips for mindful living is becoming more intentional with what I spend my time doing. But to do that, we have to become more present for the tasks we’re involved in.

Gary Keller does a wonderful job of explaining how to focus on one thing at a time in his book The One Thing. And then how saying no to other, less important things, opens the door for us to say yes to what matters most to us.

Having this awareness allows us to be more purposeful with what we decide to spend our time and energy on.

4. Permit Rest

Part of living mindfully is noticing what your body and mind are experiencing. And sometimes what we’re experiencing is overwhelm, exhaustion, and burnout. That’s when rest is crucial.

In a world more fast-paced than ever, permitting ourselves to rest more may seem impossible. But according to author Alex Soojung-Kim, “rest helps us think, innovate, and increase our productivity.” It also helps us recharge.

So as you begin to pay attention to your mind and body, and notice it needs a break, don’t feel guilty granting yourself a reprieve.

5. Practice Mindfulness

Mindful living and practicing mindfulness may seem like the same thing, but they differ slightly. When we practice mindfulness, we attain a mental state by using our senses to become fully present. And we don’t judge what we witness of our thoughts and feelings in that mental state.

For many, practicing mindfulness is part of creating a mindful life. We gain an awareness of ourselves that continues after our mindfulness practice is complete. 

Which helps us be more mindful of our behaviors, actions, and decisions.

6. Cook More

When we spend time preparing our food, we’re practicing mindful living. How? Well, our awareness of what we’re putting inside our bodies grows. 

In our over-scheduled lives with parents working and kids involved in multiple extracurricular activities, it’s easier to pop a boxed dinner in the microwave. When 4 pm rolls around, I’m exhausted and dread heading to the kitchen to start dinner. 

But those feelings are understandable. And when I notice them and accept them, I can go easy on myself by accepting that dinner doesn’t have to be perfect. The goal is to put something relatively healthy into our bodies.

7. Count Blessings

Giving thanks is perhaps one of the more straightforward tips for mindful living. Bringing awareness to what’s good in our lives and practicing gratitude can increase our happiness.

From gratitude journals to thank you notes, there are many ways to give thanks. But I’m most consistent with counting my blessings before bed. Whether it’s a prayer or simply a list, I say “thank you” for one thing after another.

Keep in mind that living mindfully isn’t about being happy all the time or ignoring bad things that happen to us. But practicing gratitude gives us an appreciation for the good in our lives and compassion to help us cope when things go wrong.

8. Simplify Stuff

Mindful living also applies to our money and what we spend it on. We live in a consumer culture. And it’s hard not to compare what we have to others. 

But bear in mind that everything that comes into our home, we have to manage. We need to put it somewhere or use it somehow. That takes time. And for me, when it’s not used, it causes me stress because it takes up space and I keep thinking about how I need to do something with it.

Skip the overwhelm and the time suck by reflecting if you really need the items you purchase. And consider learning a little bit about minimalism.

9. Love Earth

Again, living mindfully means to become aware. Not just of ourselves, but the world around us. We have a responsibility to care for our planet just like we’d care for our body, our home, and our city.  

Our planet can’t afford for us to wait until Earth Day either. Start now by doing a clean-up project, learning about toxic chemicals (Mamavation is my favorite place for eco-wellness product investigations), or eating more plant-based meals.

As you become more mindful of our planet, your appreciation for her and your drive to care for her will grow.

10. Eat Plants

For my family and me, eating a plant-based diet was one of many benefits that came out of our mindfulness journey. So I’m inclined to include it in this list of tips for mindful living.

Being open and aware of how our previous diet affected our health, environment, and animals, ultimately caused us to make the leap to a vegan lifestyle.

But we went extreme. You don’t have to. However, the more plant-based foods you eat, the more animals you save. The more water you conserve. And possibly, the more your health improves.

11. Snuggle Up

Or hug it out! But notice how your body feels when you hold hands, hug, or snuggle with your partner or kids.

Part of mindful living is getting in touch with our senses. And maybe because the skin is our largest organ, our sense of touch is one of the easier senses to notice. Our brain processes positive touches (like hand-holding or hugs) and releases a hormone called oxytocin and endorphins that ignite feelings of happiness.

Benefits of touching for couples can include a sense of being cared for and lowering stress levels. And positive physical touches benefit kids by reducing stress, boosting happiness, and improving self-worth. So be mindful of how you feel the next time you’re snuggling with your favorite person and revel in those good vibes.

12. Be Kind

To all living things. To your environment. And to yourself. Living a mindful life means being intentional. And when you plan to be kind or make an effort to be kind, you’re intentionally sharing goodness with the world.

Similar to practicing gratitude, there are many ways to spread kindness. From paying someone’s tab to leaving thoughtful notes, there are many types of random acts of kindness.

Just remember to notice when you need kindness too. And don’t feel guilty granting kind acts to yourself.

Final Thoughts on Creating a Mindful Life

Imagine having time to reflect on your day, your thoughts, and your feelings.

Imagine being fully present for the quiet moments cuddled up with your kids. 

Imagine feeling in control of your time and your choices.

The tips for mindful living in this post can help you accomplish all of those things and more.

So I’ll ask again:

What’s so special about this year?

What’s going to happen this year that didn’t last year and won’t next year. 

Living mindfully can help you be fully present for what’s matters most to you this year and every year. 

Let me know in the comments below what you plan to be present for this year! 👇👇👇

And pin this post so you can revisit it every year. 📌

As always, stay mindful, even when your mind’s full, 
~Chelsea