Nov102025
Team BlogsMindfulness in Daily Life

A regular daily mindfulness meditation practice is the foundation for a mindful life, but we can also set an intention to practice mindfulness during our daily life activities.

It is easy to be mindful; the trick is to remember. So, the key to being mindful in daily life is find ways to remember to come into the present moment and pay attention.

Each day set an intention at the start of each day to do some daily life mindful activities and then focus on why this is important to you. Then reflect back on what happened at the end of the day. Where you remembered to do mindful activities then celebrate this. Where you didn’t remember, don’t beat yourself up, but instead set an intention to remember tomorrow and find a new way to remind yourself to be mindful of that activity.

Here are some daily life activities to try along with ideas of how to remind yourself to do them.

Here are some effective ways to practice mindfulness throughout your day:

  • Mindful Eating:
    • Slow Down: Put down your fork or spoon between bites.
    • Engage Your Senses: Notice the colours, aromas, and textures of your food. Chew slowly and savour the flavours.
    • Single-Task: Avoid distractions like TV, phones, or work while you eat.
    • Remember: By using a special plate, tying a rubber band around your cutlery or placing a sticky note reminder where you eat.
  • Mindful Showering:
    • Slow down: Take your time and actively enjoy the experience.
    • Engage Your Senses: Focus on the warmth of the water, the scent of the soap, the sound of the running water, and the feel of the towel on your skin.
    • Single-Task: Avoid distractions like music or podcasts.
    • Remember: By placing something unusual in the shower, a sticky note on the shower door or a ribbon on the shower door knob.
  • Mindful Walking:
    • Slow down: Walk for the sake of walking, without rushing to your destination.
    • Engage Your Senses: Pay attention to your body’s movement, the colours and sounds around you, the contact of the feet with the floor.
    • Single-Task: Just walk, without any need for entertainment.
    • Remember: By putting a reminder alarm on your phone at times when you plan to be walking or placing a pebble in your coat pocket.
  • Mindful Chores:
    • Slow down: Do the chores for the sake of doing the chores. Reflect on the purpose of doing these chores and don’t rush them.
    • Engage Your Senses: When washing dishes, feel the temperature of the water and the texture of the sponge. When hanging out or folding laundry, notice the feel of the fabric and smell of the clean clothes.
    • Single-Task: Don’t engage in listening to music or podcasts or other distractions as you do the chores.
    • Remember: Have a sign in the kitchen where you wash up. Tie a colourful ribbon on the laundry basket.

Consistency is key! Start small, maybe with just one or two of these practices, and be kind to yourself when your mind inevitably wanders—simply notice it and gently redirect your attention back to the here and now.

 

Author: Heather Regan-Addis

Heather lives on the East Coast of Yorkshire with her two golden labradors Rosie and Iona. She works as a Director and meditation teacher for the Mindfulness Association, teaches on the University of Aberdeen’s MSc in Studies in Mindfulness and also works as a Buddhist Healthcare Chaplain in the NHS. She is a BAMBA registered Mindfulness teacher and a UKBHC registered healthcare chaplain. She began training in Mindfulness Meditation with Rob Nairn in 2004 and is currently taking regular retreats with non-dual teacher Rupert Spira who’s teachings are based in Advaita Vedanta and courses with global Buddhist organisation Tara Mandala. She is British Wheel of Yoga trained yoga teacher, has a Post Graduate Diploma in Mindfulness Based Approaches from the University of Bangor, Wales and has a Masters degree in Studies in Mindfulness from the University of Aberdeen. She is the co-author of three books, Mindfulness Based Living Course, Compassion Based Living Course and From Mindfulness to Insight.