A Mindful Lifestyle
Episode #10 of the course Creative mindfulness: Ten ways to chill out and enjoy creativity by K.C. Finn
If you’ve tried any of the exercises so far, then you have already proven that you have the ability to make time in your life for mindfulness and creative practice. Finding time is something that many of us complain about but few of us actually sit down and examine, so today’s lesson explores the opportunities that we might have to slot mindfulness training into our lives at different times.
Five Minutes in the Morning
A sensible place to start your day might be with a morning affirmation in the mirror (Lesson 1), which is a good thing to do while you brush your teeth or hair. Declaring that you are going to be mindful and positive and make time for creative moments is a promise to yourself out loud, and saying so will help you keep it.
Waking up in a bad mood can set a precedent for the whole day, but only if you let it. Trying a music-based moment (Lesson 5) where you choose to change your emotional mindset can help give you that boost to get your day going, and it only takes a short time while you’re having a shower or getting dressed.
If you have the luxury of sitting down with a coffee for a little while before you head out to work or if you have a quiet commute, you could allow yourself five minutes of Free Writing (Lesson 9). When you’ve practiced and mastered the art of emptying your mind of its concerns, this handy writing technique is sure to help you organize and destress ahead of your busy day so you can see what lies ahead with calmness and clarity.
A Mindful Work Break
Whether it’s a break from office work, housework, or just life in general, keep supplies on hand for mindful creative breaks. Mark making is easy to do with just about anything you have to write or draw with (Lesson 2), and you can relax and let your mind wander as you create patterns and shapes.
For a more focused progression of this, get doodling with a proper set of colors, and choose an object or idea to represent (Lesson 6). It all depends on whether you need to shift your focus from worries onto a fixed idea or if you can let your mind wander free and get some space.
If you have enough time in your day, organize a short walk as a real physical break from the hustle and bustle. Be sure to walk mindfully and notice things, so you can add to your photography collection (Lesson 7) and let the wider world wash away while you appreciate the little things.
Evening Activity Substitute
We spend a great deal of dead time in the evenings doing non-interactive things like watching television or sitting at the bar, so swap out those activities every now and then for mindfulness, just for an hour or so. Why not get lost in your own imagination and recapture your childhood with tactile storyboarding (Lesson 3)?
Play pretend with excellent monologues and work on your voice and breathing (Lesson 4). You could read one to yourself as you take on chores like dishes or laundry, or just sit down and speak aloud for a little while rather than putting on the TV.
For the worst days, where nothing else seems to work, fall back on the controlled emotional reading (Lesson 8), where you can feel free to unleash all your feelings. With the other techniques in play, the need for this should become less and less as you work your way toward a creative and productive sense of balance in your life.
It’s time to say goodbye for now! If you do happen to be a writer or an artist, don’t forget to take a look at my other Highbrow courses, which teach practical techniques for boosting your daily creativity and writing high-quality content.
I wish you all the best in your mindful futures, and I would like to thank you for taking this course. Until we meet again!
K.C. Finn
Other courses by K.C. Finn
How to write best-selling, award-winning fiction
Ten editing techniques to perfect your fiction writing
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