Mindfulness has become a popular buzzword over the last few years. The concept of bringing our awareness to the present moment by focusing on the five senses – what we see, hear, feel, smell, and taste – has shown positive mental health outcomes for people who are busier than ever.

With the recent COVID-19 virus spread, we’re being forced to slow down and spend inordinately more time at home. Depending on who you ask, the new normal of staying home is either fantastic or scary (maybe both).

Althea Lawton-Thompson is a veteran fitness expert and mind-body expert with over 2 decades of experience. She combines wellness training with mindfulness techniques in creating a balanced lifestyle. Many professionals that follow her method has experienced reduced overwhelm and improved relationships. Regardless of how you feel about altering your daily routine, Lawton-Thompson recommends practicing the following four mindfulness activities can positively affect your relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and yourself during this time of strange newness and uncertainty.

Listen With Attention & Speak with Intention

How often have you been multitasking and missed whole portions of what someone is saying to you? In the pre-Coronavirus era of our fast-paced lives, it was normal to simultaneously scroll through social media, eat a meal, and partially be engaged with someone sitting right in front of us. Stopping all activity to actually pay full attention to what a person is saying completely changes the tone of the conversation.

Lawton-Thompson elaborates, “it doesn’t matter if the speaker is a four-year-old toddler,  a teenager, or a mature adult. Making eye contact and truly listening will allow you to provide a thoughtful reply when it’s your turn to speak, and make the other person feel valued. We have nothing but time, so why not?”.

Engage Your Senses In The Moment 

Mindfulness is all about using our senses to focus on the moment at hand. The next time you’re involved in an activity, start by paying attention to everything you see.

Lawton-Thompson suggests, “stop and listen to everything around you – even the faint sound of an air conditioner hum or a breeze ruffling tree leaves”.

What objects are around you? How vivid are the colors? What are people wearing and what is their body language telling you that their words aren’t? What do you smell – cooking food, fabric softener in your shirt, incoming rain? Can you feel your clothing touching your skin? What’s your body temperature – freezing, burning up, or just right?

Focus on everything around you to keep your mind from wandering and to help you remember important aspects of the moment. This will definitely come in handy if the occasion is a special one you don’t want to forget.

Hang Out in the No-Judgment Zone

Now that you’ve noticed everything, challenge yourself not to judge anything. Nope, you do not have an opinion of the medium shirt that person is wearing or the paint color on this wall – you’re simply aware of their existence. Avoiding judgment can be even more challenging when we’re speaking to ourselves. Flip critical self-talk into an encouraging pep talk.

For instance, change the statement, “I hate public speaking – I’m going to make of a fool of myself!” to “I have a ton of information to share, and they’re looking forward to what I have to say.” Every time you catch yourself about to judge a place, thing, someone, or yourself, check your inner voice and change your vibe.

Lawton-Thompson says, “resisting judgment can create an entirely new experience out of a routine situation and alter the way you relate to others and yourself”.

Stay Still

Before we were encouraged to enforce social distancing by staying home unless absolutely necessary, we were on the go. With the extra time we’ve been gifted, it’s a perfect opportunity to practice being still. When we take time to sit still, our mind does one of three things: 1) It goes crazy flipping from one thought to the next; 2) It tunes in to stuff around us; or 3) It goes to sleep and the next thing you know, you’re snoring.

All three can be healthy. If your mind is constantly in motion, keep a voice recorder or notepad handy to get down some of the ideas running through your head. Your mental download may be a part of the “next big thing”. Tuning in to your surroundings is the essence mindfulness – so the second one also gets a gold star. And, lastly, if you fall asleep as soon as you sit still, that means your body needed it. A quick nap can be rejuvenating and just the recharge you need to tackle the rest of the day and positively interact with others.