4 Mindfulness Tips For People Who Hate Traditional Meditation

A staggering 75% of adults report experiencing moderate to high stress in the past month. Whenever we discuss stress, it’s not long before we hear the standard, try meditating!

Of course, meditation offers numerous perks. From increased calmness to managed impulse control to sharper clarity and enhanced self-esteem, we’ve all heard of the goodness that comes from deep breathing.

But what if you can’t stand traditional meditation? Are there any effective alternatives available?

Going Outdoors

Can’t get into the whole cliche of lying down in a dark room with the lights off? That’s okay! You may be better suited to pursue the opposite effect- going outdoors.

Spending time in nature is both physically and psychologically good for you. What about enjoying a long walk with your dog? Taking a jog around the park? Eating lunch outdoors?

Can you focus on the sensations around you? The feel of the breeze on your back? The changing color of the foliage? The cacophony of car horns and sirens and highway traffic?

The outdoors provides a limitless opportunity for sensory experiences- we just have to be open in letting ourselves engage in our five senses!  

Eating Mindfully

Most of us do it 3-5 times a day without thinking twice about it, but mealtime can provide an incredible opportunity for centering yourself. Taste naturally provides a delightful sensory experience. However, we’re often distracted or rushed during this time.

Allow yourself to savor the meal- this means feeling the heat or chill enter your body. It means paying attention to how it crunches. It means absorbing the taste, fully and completely.

Bonus: if you’re focused on dialing in your nutrition (which can be an imperative component of a healthy recovery), you already know that eating mindfully is physically good for you. You’ll eat slower, and you’ll appreciate your food more!

Focusing on Single-Task Mindfulness

We all engage in a variety of tasks each day. Doing the dishes, grabbing the mail, brushing our teeth.

Consider this: these tasks can be incredibly mundane, or they can provide us with an enriching opportunity to ground ourselves and focus on staying present in the moment.

When was the last time you really allowed yourself to focus on doing the laundry or making that pot of coffee? Can you try to savor the feeling?

The single-task mentality serves several purposes. First, you might actually be able to cultivate meaning out of tasks you typically avoid or dislike. Second, you can sneak in some calmness while doing the things that need to get done!

Listen to Music

You know those goosebumps you experience when you hear your favorite song? It’s not random. Research shows that music releases dopamine– the feel-good hormone activated by motivation and reward.

Music can help heal. No matter the mood, whether we’re sad or euphoric, we tend to gravitate towards music to cement the experience. Allow yourself to feel the song, to take in each sound with as much intensity and stillness as possible.

Music can transcend our emotions- we just have to open our ears and be willing to listen.

Final Thoughts on Mindfulness Tips

The best mindfulness tips are the ones that feel right and consistent for you. Meditation isn’t about perfection- it’s about the conscious effort to lean into the moment and make the most of it what you have right now.