When it comes to daily life, most people often find themselves on “autopilot,” not being fully aware or conscious of their everyday actions. That’s where developing mindfulness triggers can be helpful as it will allow you to be more mindful, calm, and free of stress in the new year. A mindfulness trigger is some form of reminder that brings you back and creates awareness so that daily activities can become more meditative. These mental triggers can range from ordinary actions performed every day to physical objects in your environment that remind you to maintain mindfulness. It’s important to understand the benefits of mindfulness and tips on how to set up triggers to best establish a routine of mindfulness in your life.
Mindfulness Mental Triggers
How To Develop Mental Triggers
In order to create mental triggers to help keep you mindful, you can choose specific transitional events and consciously remind yourself to stay mindful when that event occurs. For example, pick something that you do every single day. It could be something as simple as brushing your teeth in the morning. While you’re brushing your teeth, be aware of what you’re doing, how you’re breathing, and what you’re feeling. It can be quite easy to go through your entire morning routine without even thinking about what you’re actually doing. These mindfulness triggers are wake up calls that help keep you grounded in reality and aware of your senses. It’s important to have several triggers throughout the day, such as when the phone rings. Many people tend to immediately grab their phones the second it rings creating a sense of dependency on the phone. By taking three deep breaths before answering the phone, you can develop a sense of awareness and remind yourself that your phone is not in charge of you.
5 Common Mental Triggers
Stress can sometimes be overwhelming and difficult to manage. That’s why it’s so important to develop mental triggers throughout the day that can help alleviate stress and create awareness. The following are a few common mental triggers people use to attain mindfulness:
- Water Bottle: One great way to trigger mindfulness at work or at home is by carrying around a water bottle. It’s a reminder to drink water and do it mindfully. Focus on your breathing and feel the water in your mouth and tongue as you drink it. The same as when meditating, you should be aware of sensations such as how your heart is pounding, your stomach growling, or what you’re hearing while you drink. Taking all of this into account will help you be mindful every time you reach for your water bottle.
- Set An Alarm To Stand Up And Stretch: Staying focused at work is always important. However, occasionally getting up to walk or stretch is also key to staying active and ensuring your body is getting some type of movement. Whether you take time out of your lunch or small ten minute breaks throughout the day to walk around, setting an alarm to remind yourself of these breaks can be beneficial. The alarm should also be a trigger to be mindful while you go for your walk or take some time to stretch. This can help you get through your workday and increase productivity.
- Eating Mindfully: Wolfing down your meal is not only bad for digestion, but it completely eliminates mindfulness while eating. Allow your lunch, and any snacks you may eat, to be mental triggers throughout the day. Take a few minutes to breathe before eating and settle down before you even pick up your utensils. Another great way to create mindfulness before eating is by giving gratitude for your food. Even if you’re not religious, you should always appreciate a meal before diving into it. Take small bites and chew slowly to best enjoy a few moments of gratitude for your food and a break from the day’s work.
- A Rock On Your Bookshelf: Sometimes, the trick to breaking out of autopilot is to place a random object, like a rock, in a location where it doesn’t belong. If you place a rock on your bookshelf, you may think, “why did I put that there?” This will work as a reminder to take a few deep breaths and create awareness as you start your day in the morning. Using any foreign object and randomly placing it somewhere is a fun and effective way to trigger mindfulness.
- Transitional Events: Although using an object like a water bottle can help create mindfulness, not all triggers have to be physical objects. We can develop mental triggers from transitional events that occur every day. Such events can be walking through a specific doorway or sitting down in your office chair. You can develop the habit of bringing awareness to your life by remembering to be mindful every time the event takes place. This can help lead to a more fulfilling and appreciative way of life which is good for your health and overall well-being.
How Do These Triggers Help?
Turning our daily actions into mental triggers for mindfulness allows us to pay non-judgmental attention to our experience through the senses. It prevents the days from flying by and making our lives feel like an endless cycle. Not only do these mental triggers sharpen our skills of mindfulness, but they also turn routine activities into remarkably rich and enjoyable experiences. It’s a healthy habit that benefits us mentally by creating a sense of awareness to be in tune with our lives.
Mindfulness In And Out Of The Workplace
Developing new habits takes time and energy, but using mental triggers and giving yourself grace during your mindfulness journey is key to building a strong foundation. At Alltrust, we understand that your employees’ health is integral to the success of your business. By partnering with eMindful, we help you provide your employees with employee benefits that extend beyond the workplace. Our full schedule of Mindful Dailies, plus live and on-demand programs, are available throughout the day to help you and your employees achieve greater mindfulness where and when it’s needed most. With eMindful, your business can begin to build a foundation for mindfulness and create a more productive, stress-free environment. Contact us today to learn more about how Alltrust can help your business through our eMindful services.
