Mindfulness and Meditation: How to Incorporate It into Your Busy Life

Finding Calm: How to Incorporate Mindfulness and Meditation into Your Everyday Routine

Life can feel like it’s spinning faster than we can keep up. Between work, family, social commitments, and everything else in between, it’s easy to lose sight of ourselves. That’s where mindfulness and meditation come in — two powerful tools that can help you slow down and reconnect with the present moment. But how on earth do you fit them into your already jam-packed schedule? Well, don’t worry! Let’s explore how you can weave mindfulness and meditation into your busy life without feeling overwhelmed.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information provided on www.JoLinsdell.com does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.

I've decided to do a mindfulness challenge this month where my goal is to mediate every day in the month of April. As I'm quite new to meditation I'll be using apps and websites to help me along the way. I'll be reporting back with my findings from the challenge and reviews of the best apps.

If you're curious about exploring mindfulness and meditation, and want to learn more about what they entail, the best apps to use, and how to seamlessly integrate these practices into your daily routine, this guide is for you.

Check out these Fitness Tips for Beginners

What is Mindfulness and Meditation Anyway?

Before we dive into how to make these practices work for you, let’s quickly refresh what they’re all about.

• Mindfulness is simply being aware of the present moment, without judgement. It’s about noticing what’s happening around you and within you, without getting distracted or carried away by thoughts.
• Meditation is a more formal practice where you focus your attention to calm the mind and reduce stress. Think of it like hitting the “pause” button on your thoughts.

Both help reduce stress, improve focus, and boost your overall wellbeing. Sounds good, right? But how can you make room for them in your day-to-day life?

1. Start Small: You Don’t Need Hours

If you’re imagining hours of sitting in silence, eyes closed, chanting mantras, then it’s time to reframe that. Mindfulness and meditation don’t have to take up hours of your day. In fact, starting with just five or ten minutes can make a difference.

Try this: Set aside 5 minutes in the morning to sit quietly, breathe deeply, and focus on your breath. No distractions, just you and your breath. Even just five minutes can give you a fresh perspective on your day and set a positive tone.

2. Make It Part of Your Daily Routine

Think about what you do daily that you can add mindfulness to. Perhaps you enjoy your morning coffee, take a walk at lunch, or drive to work. These are perfect opportunities to integrate mindfulness.

• Mindful eating: Instead of scrolling through your phone or rushing through your lunch, try to focus on each bite. Savour the flavours and textures. It’s amazing how much more satisfying your meal will be when you’re present.

• Mindful walking: Whether you’re walking to the train station or simply around the block, try paying attention to the sensation of your feet on the ground, the sounds around you, and the air on your face. It’s a simple way to get out of your head and into the moment.

• Mindful commuting: If you drive or take public transport, instead of stressing about your day ahead or getting frustrated by traffic, focus on your breathing or observe the world around you. Meditation doesn’t always have to be seated!

3. Use Guided Meditations

You don’t have to meditate in silence if that feels daunting. There are tons of apps and YouTube channels offering guided meditations, which can make the process a bit easier for beginners. Apps like Insight Timer have short sessions for busy people. You can even sneak in a meditation while you’re in the bath, on the train, or in your lunch break. These sessions typically range from just 3 to 10 minutes, making them perfect for a busy lifestyle.

4. Be Kind to Yourself

A common mistake people make when starting a mindfulness practice is expecting perfection. You might find your mind wandering (as it will — that’s normal!) or you may not feel an instant sense of calm. Don’t stress! The key is consistency. Even if you only manage 5 minutes a day, you’re still making progress.

Try not to beat yourself up if you miss a session or feel like you're "doing it wrong." Mindfulness and meditation are practices, not perfection. You’ll get better with time — and that’s the beauty of it!

5. Use Apps and Tools for Quick Wins

You’re probably already glued to your phone for most of the day (let’s be real). Why not use that to your advantage? Plenty of apps help you stay on track with your mindfulness and meditation goals. 

There are several free apps available for mindfulness and meditation practice. Here are some great options:

FitOn

Insight Timer

• Features: Offers a large library of free guided meditations, music, and talks from mindfulness and meditation teachers around the world. You can also track your meditation progress.
• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Cost: Free with optional in-app purchases for premium content.

Headspace (Free Basics)

• Features: While Headspace has a paid version, they offer a free "Basics" course, which is a great way to get started with meditation and mindfulness. Includes guided sessions for stress, focus, and relaxation.
• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Cost: Free (for basics), with in-app purchases for premium content.

Calm (Free Trials)

• Features: Calm offers guided meditation, breathing exercises, and sleep stories. The free version has some basic content, with additional premium options available.
• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Cost: Free with a premium trial.

Breethe

• Features: Breethe provides guided meditations, breathing exercises, and mindfulness techniques. It also has sections for stress relief, relaxation, and sleep.
• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Cost: Free with in-app purchases for premium content.

Simple Habit

• Features: Simple Habit offers quick meditation sessions tailored to specific situations like stress, focus, or relaxation. It also includes mindfulness tools to help you build habits.
• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Cost: Free with limited features, premium options available.

Smiling Mind

• Features: Smiling Mind provides mindfulness programs for both adults and children, making it a great option for families. It's perfect for improving emotional regulation and mental well-being.
• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Cost: Free (for some programs).

Buddhify

• Features: Buddhify offers mindfulness practices for everyday life, with a focus on making mindfulness accessible in different situations like work, traveling, and at home.
• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Cost: Free with limited content, with paid premium content.

These tools can give you a structured, easy way to incorporate mindfulness into your life. And hey, you might find yourself looking forward to those peaceful moments of stillness!

6. Meditate in Short Bursts Throughout the Day

If carving out a chunk of time feels like a challenge, try fitting in small bursts of meditation throughout the day. If you’ve got a spare minute between meetings or on a lunch break, use that time to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and centre yourself. It might feel like a tiny drop in the ocean, but those little moments really add up.

7. Try Mindfulness During Mundane Tasks

One of the simplest ways to practice mindfulness is by turning everyday tasks into moments of meditation. Whether you’re washing the dishes, folding laundry, or brushing your teeth, focus on the sensations, sounds, and movements involved. It’s a great way to keep your mind present without needing extra time.

8. Create a Mindful Environment

Your environment can have a big impact on how easy it is to focus. If you’ve got a dedicated space at home, create a little corner that invites calm. A comfy chair, soft lighting, and perhaps some calming scents (lavender, anyone?) can make it easier to relax and switch into mindfulness mode. If you don’t have the space, no problem! Even just having a peaceful area on your desk or a comfy cushion on your sofa can work wonders.

9. Try a 30-Day Mindfulness Challenge

If you’re looking to commit to mindfulness and meditation for a bit longer and really see the benefits, why not give a 30-day challenge a go? It’s a great way to establish a daily routine and create a habit. You can set yourself a simple goal, like meditating for 5 minutes every morning or practising mindfulness during your commute. To keep things fun, mix up the types of meditations you do, whether it’s deep breathing, body scans, or gratitude practices. There are also plenty of 30-day mindfulness challenges online that can guide you if you’re not sure where to start. By the end of the month, you’ll likely feel more grounded, focused, and calm — and you might just find that carving out time for mindfulness becomes second nature! Plus, you can celebrate your progress with a little reward when you reach day 30.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it! You don’t need to clear your schedule or make huge lifestyle changes to enjoy the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Start small, build it into your routine, and keep it simple. Before you know it, you'll feel calmer, more centred, and better equipped to handle whatever your busy life throws at you.

Remember, mindfulness is all about being kind to yourself. Be patient, stay consistent, and embrace the moments of stillness. Your mind (and your body) will thank you!

Health & Fitness

30 Day Fitness Challenges for Beginners

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I've set myself several goals for 2024, one of which being to improve my health. 

I've struggled with various health issues for years. In recent years it's become more complicated. 

I suffer from IBS and a couple of years ago my intestine decided to stop doing its job and I got rushed to hospital. It was all very uncomfortable and I was so bloated I looked like I was 9 months pregnant... seriously people were congratulating me and asking if it was a boy or a girl. Long story short, it made doing pretty much anything almost impossible for months. 

Shortly after getting out of the hospital, still on the mend from my digestive issues, I fell and hurt my leg. This meant I ended up having to rest it for weeks while it healed.

Then we all got covid for Christmas. My husband and kids were fine. Flu like symptoms for a day or two and then back to normal. I on the other hand had it bad. At one point we were preparing for the worst. It also ended up being long covid as had me KO until the end of February.

In March I got covid again and it was even more brutal. Again it was long covid and so I was basically on bed rest for 6 months straight. 

Insert various ups and downs in between and fast forward to October 2023. I got a cold which became bronchitis from one day to the next (I rarely have a simple cold). It was particularly bad and so needed strong antibiotics and corticosteroids to get it under control. 

Whilst dealing with the bronchitis my whole system went into tilt and numerous problems were activated. Sinusitis, asthma, reflux, inflamed lymph nodes, inflamed vocal cords, inflamed thyroid and add in allergies too.... With each problem constantly activating each other I'm a bit of a mess. This situation is still on going as my various specialist doctors try to work out how to control it all. 

Anyway this is what I'm working with. Not great I think you can agree.

It has all given me a reminder of just how important it is to take good care of my health though. Not being able to fully live life due to health issues is frustrating to say the least. The physical effects are obvious, but it takes a huge toll on your mental health too.

Whilst I still have a long way to go, I know that getting back into an exercise routine will help. Obviously I'm not going to be running any marathons for a while or doing anything else too strenuous after being out of action for so long (and still dealing with health issues). I'm going to be starting my fitness journey from zero.

The internet is full of fitness challenges to try but a lot of them are aimed at people who are already well on their way with their fitness journey. That's not me. I'm beginner level.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information provided on www.JoLinsdell.com does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.

Fitness Challenges for Beginners

I've decided to concentrate of 30 day fitness challenges as I hope to build up a regular fitness routine and make it a part of my daily activities. 

All the 30 fitness challenges I've selected here require little or no equipment to do and they can all be done from the comfort of your own home.

The world’s simplest 30-day fitness challenge to get you back on track

As the title of the challenge says, this is a simple workout challenge. They give a different exercise to repeat for each day of the week. For example, Monday is Jumping Jacks. Small number of reps and/or a short amount of time (max 8 minutes) for each day makes this a doable challenge even for beginners. 

I also like that they say it's ok to break the daily task down into smaller segments if it's too hard. If 5 minutes is too much break it down into 5 segments of 1 minute each. The point is to complete the task by the end of each day. 

I found a list of 7 home fitness challenges for beginners and each one is for the duration of 30 days making them all perfect for this list. These are a few I'm interested in doing myself:

The Plank Challenge

The goal of the challenge is to do a plank every day for 30 days and build up your plank time over the course of the month. You just set a stopwatch and try to plank for longer each time. 

The Wall Sit Challenge

This one is like the plank challenge where you set a stopwatch and try to increase your time each day, this time doing a wall sit.

The Squat Challenge

There are lot of different squat challenges available online but this particular one is very simple. You just need to do 10 minutes of squats every day for 30 days. 

This is another 30 day squat challenge I'd like to try. For this one there is a set number of squats to do each day which increase the further along you get in the challenge ending with 250 squats on the last day. It also has rest days every 4th day. The fact the the total number of squats per day can be done together or spaced out over the day makes it a doable challenge for beginners.

There are loads of 30 day challenges available online. Here's a few I found on Pinterest:

Sit Up Challenge

Starting with 10 and finishing with 100 on the last day of the challenge this seems doable. Again, like with the squat challenge, the total number for each day can be broken down into smaller sessions throughout the day. 

Calves of Steel Challenge

I found the pin for this challenge and went to check out the Darebee website. The calves of steel challenge is mixture of quick sets and increased repetitions. Again the total number of calf raises can be done throughout the day and no necessarily all together in the one session.

The Balance Challenge

Another 30 day challenge by Darebee (this is the pin). The balance challenge mixes balance hold and leg raises.

Have you tried any of these workout challenges? Which one are you going to try next?

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