The notion behind meditating may seem appealing to some people, but not necessarily the practice of it. You may have the desire to achieve mindfulness and a sense of peace, which can come from meditation. However, to actually practice the art of sitting and remaining silent stops you in achieving that. Don’t you worry, because we have some alternatives to meditation that can still give you the results you need as mindful Productivity Ninjas.
Cooking
Fun to do, and yummy to eat, some people find that cooking and baking are therapeutic techniques that can be used to remain calm. In addition, you get to be in control of what goes inside your body, being knowledgeable about the ingredients. The motion of going through a process that converts multiple ingredients into one thing, helps bring out the inventive aspect to your personality. The way in which this can be an alternative to meditation, is that it requires focus and total absorption of the situation.
Music
Listening to music puts you into a peaceful state of mind, making you focus on nothing else, but what you are listening to. It builds up better level of concentration and a chance to escape the everyday mundane stresses of life. This helps you to let go of the things that are bothering you, in that moment. If music doesn’t do the trick, you can also look into various different podcasts, such as Beyond Busy.
Playing an Instrument
Learning how to play an instrument helps you to focus and pay attention to the sound being produced. It can be used as a form of therapy to help relieve stress, as well as being a means for brain stimulation and increasing connectedness between the body and the mind, bringing the two together.
Diaphragmatic Breathing Techniques
As suggested in one of our earlier blog posts, diaphragmatic breathing helps to reduce stress. In addition, it can be used as an alternative to meditation. By doing this, you can focus your mind on the way your body works and operates, and learn that even the simple things, such as breathing, can do wonders for you.
Walking
A simple walk can help with maintaining a sense of peace and remaining in a calm state. As you are on your way to take control of your mind, you are also exercising your body and giving it a way to take in all of the surrounding. Here is how to begin a mindful walking practice.
Discovered anything on here that you like doing? Let us know what works best for you @thinkproductive
By Rosie To