Posted By Trisha
Living Consciously: Four Daily Practices to Enhance Self-Awareness and Presence
So much happens in our daily lives that we aren’t fully conscious of. We are overwhelmed by a number of things throughout our day that we tend to just switch to autopilot to get through everything. Have you ever found yourself driving somewhere and being totally consumed by your thoughts or a conversation you’re having with someone, and wonder how on earth you got to your destination in one piece because your full attention wasn’t on the road? Learning how to be fully present gives us more control over our lives and makes us more efficient in everyday activities. It’s easy to get distracted, forget things easily, feel bored, demotivated, or lazy when we operate at lower levels of our consciousness. Living more consciously doesn’t only benefit you, it also benefits the people and environment around you because you are fully present at any given moment. You are not daydreaming the majority of the day, focused on the past, or anxious about the future. There are a number of ways one can go about living a more conscious life. Below are five things you can practice daily:
Keep a Journal
Journaling is a very good form of reflection, particularly during very stressful or difficult moments in one’s life. Your journal should be a safe space for you. Putting your thoughts down on paper can help you gain more clarity on the situation and look at things from a more objective perspective. This will help you gain better self-awareness, which is a prerequisite for living more consciously.
Spending time outdoors
Technology takes up a huge amount of our time during the day. If we are not sitting at a computer working all day, we are mindlessly scrolling through social media, taking photos, sending messages, or watching movies or series. Spending time outside can help you regain consciousness and your sanity. There are many techniques that can be combined with this, for example, spending time in nature while writing in your journal or simply just sitting outside in the warm sun and doing nothing. Scheduling some time in nature daily or weekly is highly recommended.
Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is something so simple to do, yet so often neglected. Practicing gratitude has various benefits; it gives us a more positive outlook on life, helps us become more resilient to stress, and improves our physical well-being. As you continuously practice gratitude, you become more conscious of all the positive things in your life and learn to live in the present as opposed to constantly trying to distract yourself when things are difficult. Three ways to practice gratitude are through gratitude meditation, gratitude journaling, or through your communication with others. You don’t have to practice all of them at once; choose the one that resonates with you and which will be the easiest for you to implement at this current moment.
Practice Conscious Thinking
Most of us go through life unaware of the core beliefs or assumptions that we have which influence the decisions we make and the values that we have. Becoming more conscious requires us to challenge our regular thought processes, identifying where certain thoughts and beliefs originate from, questioning them, and rethinking them. A few activities you can engage in to practice conscious thinking include:
- Learn something new every day, be it a new skill, language, hobby, etc. Continuous learning can help to open up your mind and change your perspective on so many things that you may hold unconscious biases or stereotypes about.
- Learn to engage with or observe people from a more mindful, objective perspective. This is particularly important during moments of conflict where we tend to react quickly without thinking first.
- Practice active listening. It’s important to listen to understand and not just to respond. Take genuine interest in what people are saying and allow them to finish their sentence before you respond. Learn to engage in conversations with a curious mindset.
In order to achieve full consciousness, you need to make a conscious effort every single day to make a significant change in your life. It takes a great deal of time and patience to achieve this state, but it’s well worth it. This decision will not only have a positive impact on your life but also on the people and environment around you.
