8 simple mindfulness activities: get more from daily tasks

Meditation is an important tool to practise mindfulness – paying attention to the present moment helps us develop awareness. But there are many other mindfulness activities that help us maintain awareness and stay present throughout the day. We want to bridge from formal meditation practice to multiples of mindful moments to really unlock the benefits.

Often, we rush around our busy lives, always thinking about the next thing we need to do. We yearn to get them done, rarely enjoying the doing. This is not being present.

By changing our approach, we can start to reduce this battle against the clock as a source of stress, and we can also pick up perfect opportunities for present-moment-therapy. If there are things we have to do anyway, we might as well make them enjoyable, right?

Why should we practise mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a tool. It refers to the practise of cultivating present-moment awareness, paying attention to everything that’s happening in inner and outer worlds. When we are truly present, we are not in our heads worrying about the past or future.

The teachings of mindfulness methods encourage us to practise without judgement, which strengthens acceptance and self-compassion. Gratitude is another important attribute. As we have the opportunity to grow traits like these, we open to transformations in our relationships with ourselves, our wellbeing, and our lives generally.

There is a wealth of research supporting the benefits of regular meditation. It can be an effective treatment for stress, depression, and anxiety, particularly for its role in emotional regulation and defence against rumination. As we practise coming back to calm states, we build resilience.

You can even unlock personal growth as your practice improves creativity, focus, and cognition. Mindfulness is positively linked to self-efficacy; we’re more confident and motivated to take steps. Or life improvement could come through better relationships, because of increased empathy from meditation.

Outside of meditation, there are some great mindfulness activities to practise throughout the day. These all have their own benefits. They are not a replacement for meditation, although there may be some moments you feel a mindful activity will be more effective. You can take these mindfulness activities and add them to your toolbox in building more mindful days.

Mindfulness activities in nutrition

Something we cannot function without doing – properly fuelling our bodies. Eating and drinking take various efforts, from planning to prepping and cooking. Dining is central to cultures, traditions, and social lives. So, there is a big opportunity to find mindfulness activities within our eating activities.

What we put in our bodies is vital for mental health. We have to pay attention to what makes our gut happy or unhappy because of its relationship with happy hormones and the brain. If you take a more mindful approach to your eating habits, you’ll drive an awareness that benefits your health. Don’t let this be a chore.

I used to hate cooking. But now I am more educated about nutrition, my awareness motivates me to spend time on planning. I know it is important and it deserves my time. Don’t let food be something you only enjoy when you go out for it.

The present-moment-therapy really comes in with prepping and cooking. You stimulate every sense – the textures you can feel, the sounds of chops and sizzles, smells, tastes. The rhythms as you prep are the perfect opportunity to pay attention and be present with your motions.

Do you always need something to entertain you while you eat? Try switching off the TV and fully be present with the taste of food and action of eating.

Don’t forget making a warm drink is a great way to self-soothe. It’s most effective when you are in the moment.

Mindfulness activities: walking and nature

Did you assume you always have to sit down or lie still when you meditate? It’s perfectly possible to do when you walk. You can pay attention to the feelings of the ground beneath your steps, follow your breath, and relax into the rhythm of your walk.

What’s great about walks as mindfulness activities is the opportunity to get out into nature. Feeling connected to nature is linked to happiness. Again, you can stimulate your senses – beautiful scenery, sounds and smells of life, the feel of the wind against your skin.

There are many benefits of adding walks into your day, a lot related to movement (below). Getting outdoors can also help improve breathing and provide the sunlight you need.

Are there ways you can transform walks you already do, like your commute, into more mindful ones by paying attention to everything around you? Or next time you go to drive the 2 minutes to the shop, switch it out for a walk.

Mindful movement

Aside from walks, movement, and exercise are a big part of keeping our bodies and minds healthy. Exercise boosts feel-good hormones, enhances moods, and decreases stress.

Yoga is a popular form of mindful movement – practising being present with poses, sensations, and the breath. Out of all the mindfulness activities aside from meditation, mindful movement really helps drive the connection with your body as you check in physically.

This practice of cultivating physical awareness is key for our sense of self, which is vital for mental wellbeing. There are many different types of yoga, which I personally find quite intimidating. But it is not the complexity of the poses or the routines that matters to mindfulness, but the practice of being present with your movement and how it feels.

In this spirit, stretching becomes yoga as soon as you add mindfulness. And in fact, not all mindful movement has to be yoga. Exercise provides many mindfulness activities – whatever your preferred activity, do it next time with the intention of staying present.

Mindful housework

Chores, chores, chores. Does the list ever end?

Changing your approach to daily mundane tasks is a big step in your mindfulness journey. A mindful life is when we are fully present in the doing – rather than doing things to be done. At first, this may seem strange, because not many people enjoy hoovering, washing the dishes, mowing the lawn, or fixing the car.

But what if these annoying tasks became an opportunity to relax, clear our heads, and reboot our energy? Rather than thinking about getting onto the next thing, aim to be fully present in your tasks. Many of them stimulate our senses or are an opportunity for mindful movement. Relax into them.

You will probably also find saved energy as you stop resisting, as resistance is a big source of stress. Be careful with strict targets you put on yourself – you will not remember that day you didn’t hoover when your life is near its end. Have some self-compassion.

Self-care activities as mindfulness activities

With life full of stressors and grind, it’s key we balance with self-care. Recovery is an important part of stress management – without it, we risk our health and burn out.

There are so many health benefits of self-care. It makes us feel good. Spending time on ourselves is great for our sense of self. Self-care activities tend to soothe and relax us because they stimulate our senses. Think of warm baths and showers. The pleasing smells of products.

Pairing with mindfulness deepens relaxation as you are present with sounds, smells, and sensations.

Maybe you are still a little resistant to building in a lot of time for self-care, but as a minimum, hopefully, you shower and look after personal hygiene! You are doing it anyway, so you may as well use showers and your morning/evening skincare as mindfulness activities.  

Writing and journalling as mindfulness activities

Before I started writing this piece, I felt unfocused and lacked motivation. But now I am in flow, I am energised and focused. Of course, writing in this way isn’t mindful in the same ways that some of the other activities listed are – because we are cultivating a narrower focus. However, making choosing to do something you know brings you clarity is a mindful one.

One way that writing is more directly a practice of mindfulness is journalling. When we journal, we pay attention to our feelings, reflecting on all things happening in our world. Our awareness grows and we are more likely to be mindful of our feelings and actions the rest of the time.

Journalling has many benefits, specifically linked to improved mental wellbeing. You can find different exercises here.  One of these is gratitude practice, a mindful activity that helps us see more joy in our days. 

Practising mindful reading

Similar to writing, reading is often a narrow-focused activity. Particularly if you are very engrossed in what you are reading – it becomes an activity of escapism.

However, reading can still be an opportunity to practise mindfulness. Do you often get lost in thought while reading, and lose your place? As with the other activities, reading becomes mindfulness practice when you are fully present with the action of reading.

Notice the words as you take them in, follow the lines, feel the pages in your hands. Every time you become distracted, simply observe and come back. Be present with any thoughts or reactions that come up as you follow the story or take in the information.

Reading reduces stress – it can lower your heart rate and blood pressure and relax your body. In fact, this article tells us that reading has many similar benefits that meditation practice is often linked to. Reading and mindfulness can go hand-in-hand, and if you are also mindful of what you read, it’s a great choice to allocate daily reading time in your life.

Travelling and driving mindfulness activities

We spend a lot of our lives getting from A to B. Travelling and driving are great mindfulness activities. When I first started practising meditation, it was for a few minutes at a time on the train to or from work.

Trains and buses are great environments to practise being present. Sure, they can be a little busy and noisy. But sometimes that is the joy in it – lots of sounds and sights to check in with. Be mindful of the sensation of movements, the little bumps in the road.

Lots of us enjoy listening to music while we travel. It is no surprise that music is so central to traditions, religions, and cultures given the impact it has on our minds, moods, and connection.

Listening to music releases happy hormones, calms the nervous system, and synchronises natural rhythms in the body. The perfect pairing for mindfulness. Try to be present with the sounds, beats, and words of songs.

Driving is something we almost always do on autopilot when we know the route very well. Isn’t it weird that sometimes you can’t remember navigating a roundabout or stopping at a light?

It takes some effort to take this activity back from the subconscious. Try to watch every action and movement. Follow your breath too if it helps. It becomes very relaxing once you can transform driving into a mindful activity!

Challenge your views on meditation

Have you ever said meditation is not for you, it’s too hard, you don’t have time or you can’t sit still? Hopefully, these insights into mindfulness activities challenge some of these preconceived ideas.

You can take some normal activities that you will do anyway and change them into mindfulness activities. If you want to benefit as much as possible, these are not a replacement for meditation but complement formal practice.

With a toolbox of activities to use, you can be more comfortable with the idea of present-moment practice.  If these activities don’t seem so scary, then why not give meditation a go?