Hi friends! February recently came to an end, meaning my second mindfulness challenge of the year did too! As a lot of you know, throughout 2018 I’m doing a fun mindfulness series on the blog (with reminders on Instagram). Each month I’m challenging myself and all of you to stay intentionally mindful and present in one specific area of life. January was focused on Staying Mindful While Eating (check out that post first, if you haven’t yet!), and February was all about Mindfulness While Waiting & Walking.
The point of February’s challenge was to train our brains to be okay with just being. An experience I had in Starbucks one day inspired me to do this challenge. While waiting for my drink I looked around and there were seven or so other people waiting for their drink too. ALL OF THEM WERE ON THEIR PHONES. Like what?! We are so used to pulling out our phone or getting lost in thought when we’re doing mundane things like waiting and walking. So, I thought this would be a good way for us to learn to be better at appreciating our surroundings. We walk from place to place (to and from our cars, classes, on errands, etc.) or wait (for elevators, in line at the grocery store, etc.) almost every day. Why not use these times to just be – to observe what’s around us and TALK to people?! A small change like this can be really eye-opening… in this post we’ll see how.
For those of you who didn’t participate, or maybe only participated here and there, THAT’S OK! I will admit I fell off the wagon once or twice this month… it’s totally fine. We’re all just human. Continue reading and maybe something will resonate with you! I encourage you to try this out again in your day to day life.
Don’t miss the March Mindfulness Challenge… it will be announced at the end of this post!
Lessons Learned from Mindful Waiting & Walking
You notice new things in old places.
Walking around with our heads down looking at the ground or our phone is no way to go about life! When we do that, we miss the beauty in all the little things that surround us. If we walk around observantly, we realize things in familiar places that we maybe never have before! We might see a pretty tree for the first time, or notice a coffee shop, restaurant, or boutique on the street that we’d rushed by previously.
You automatically feel more present and patient.
Life is meant to be lived in the moment. When we’re thinking too much, it’s almost always about the past or the present. And when we’re using our phones, it can be like we’re living in another life. We get so wrapped up in looking at other people’s worlds instead of our own, thanks to social media. This mindfulness challenged forced us to be present and slow down, therefore increasing our patience too!
- Lauren says “I actually did this at Disneyland the other day. It was really fun to people watch and not be engrossed in my phone. I didn’t even take a single photo which is weird. I just really took in all the details of Disney: all the people, all the smells and sounds. It was so interesting! It kinda made the wait feel shorter for some rides than it might if I was just “bored” and engrossed in my phone! I’m 100% going to try to do this more often.”
I absolutely LOVE that Lauren! In a place where it’s so easy to want to show the world what you’re doing, you chose to be present and fully enjoy it and that’s really inspiring.
It makes room for human connection.
This is probably the biggest thing I learned from February’s mindfulness challenge. When we’re distracted by our phone or whatever else, we give off closed off vibes. Instead, if we’re open with our body language and our mindset, we automatically appear to be more friendly and approachable. I said simple things like “hello” or “good morning” to so many more strangers than I usually do, and all of them said hi back and seemed to appreciate it! Several times it even led to conversations I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t fully present.
- My mom mentioned that she noticed that half the time there was no one to say hi to because everyone around her was on their phone haha. I’m telling you guys… our society has a problem!
Life is really just about human connection at the end of the day. Connecting with other people is one of the most satisfying things in the world. For some reason we tend to think that it’s only meant for the people we’re closest to – family and friends, etc. Stay mindful as you go about life and you’ll end up connecting with so many more people. Liife-enriching conversations and experiences will be so much more attainable!
& Finally, you become more comfortable with being alone + doing nothing in public.
- Imani messaged me on Instagram saying: “I view myself as someone that is very aware and that can hold a conversation really well… BUT my phone is my life… like most people. It’s crazy how we barely can be in a quiet or alone situation because we are so used to being entertained by our phones”.
When we’re out and about by ourselves, it is almost like a natural instinct to do something to distract ourselves when we’re in stillness. Waiting in a line or sitting at a restaurant alone can feel SO WEIRD. Practicing mindfulness wile waiting and walking teaches us how to be more comfortable and confident on our own in public.
~~~~~
March Mindfulness Challenge
I am SO excited about this month’s challenge! March’s focus is going to be Mindfulness in Conversation. Too easily, when we’re talking to someone, we aren’t fully present. We’re busy thinking about what we need to get done, our plans for the next day, or even what we’re going to say next. Or, even worse, we’re on our phone (a reoccurring issue throughout this mindfulness series, I’m realizing…). This month, every time we’re in a conversation, let’s give that person our full, complete, undivided attention. It will push us to be amazing listeners… which we all know is hard to come by nowadays. I also think it will help us communicate more clearly!
If you realize your mind wandering during conversation, don’t be afraid to ask the person to repeat what they said! Better to be honest and engaged than pretend to care.
Remember – throughout the month as you’re trying this out, let me know how it goes! It’s really insightful for me to hear what you guys experience while doing these mindfulness challenges. I’ll share your thoughts on my Instagram story or within the March recap blog post like this one, if you’re open to it!
As always, thanks for reading!
XO Sorelle
PS: The ‘Seattle’ bag in the photos above is from a non-profit called The Little Market, an online fair trade shop founded by Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla where you can find products handmade by artisans around the world.