How can you add mindfulness to your day without adding stress?

These examples are wonderful. One that a lot of people, myself included could add is “I will be kind to myself today”. That can be something as simple as realizing when you’re tired and need to slow down. Or if you didn’t accomplish something that day you wanted to, to realize it’ll be there to do later. It’s good to slow down and be kind to yourself.

Putting together an intention before getting out of bed sounds like a big ask to me. More doable might be remembering an intention that you created when your mind was more awake. Keep it simple: instead of "calm and focused," just pick one. And don't be vague, make it something you can actually do: "I will increase my ability to calm my nervous system today by periodically checking in, connecting any stress in my body with its likely cause, letting go of what is beyond my control or what isn't very important, and considering the best way to proceed with those things that are important." Also, state why you're setting this intention: "...because it sucks to be stressed out and I enjoy my life so much more when I have a calm nervous system."

One thing I have found helpful is having my time in the morning with my routine to get ready for the day before electronics, phones, kids, puppy and husband and the rest of the world. I have felt a lot better and more efficient and productive

I do me first before anything it helps and creating my stress relief ebook also helps me to find ways to reduce or prevent my stress from getting high especially when you have a child that has issues

I agree with the idea of setting a meaningful intention, however it's best to state intentions in a positive, present tense way. So I would modify that to 'I am calm and focused' and 'I am grateful and compassionate.'

There's a ton of research showing that changing your breathing changes the state of your autonomic nervous system. Here's a technique I like to practice myself: set a timer for 1-3 minutes. Stand or sit up straight(ish). Place your thumbs and first two fingers on your lower side ribs, thumbs in back, fingers in front, elbows out to the sides. Apply a little pressure and inhale through your nose, bringing your awareness into the lower ribs and breathing muscles there, and seeing if you can expand those lower ribs where your thumbs and fingers are. Exhale through pursed lips. See if you can let the exhale be passive by relaxing (not engaging) the muscles, like letting the air out of a tire.

I have noticed that about 98% of my clients don't breathe in an optimal way. Many are chest breathers and don't fully exhale. I teach belly breathing to access the diaphragm in an easier way and to shift from shallow chest breathing to a more deep way of breathing. The breath is EVERYTHING, which is why I literally changed my business name to Stop and Breathe over 15 years ago.

It can be interesting to know that mindful breathing, when practiced regularly, can induce neuroplastic changes in the brain. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganise and form new neural connections based on experiences and learning. Mindfulness practices, including mindful breathing, have been associated with structural and functional changes in brain regions related to attention, emotion regulation, and memory. These changes may enhance the brain's adaptability and resilience in the face of stress and challenges.

Remember to slow down. We are always in a rush. This adds to our stress levels. Running to work, running home to get kids to sports. Rushing to make supper. Doing one thing at a time and slow down.

Focusing on one thing at a time can offer multiple opportunities to be mindful throughout the day. Gardening offers me simple moments of mindfulness. When I'm watering my plants, it's a chance for me to be fully present. My breathing becomes more regulated and I feel less stressed. I also start to notice simple pleasures like colour, birdsong and different varieties of bees.

Small mindful moments develop our brains in beneficial ways. A practice I like uses the sensations of releasing muscular tension as the "object" of mindfulness. Set your timer for 19 minutes. When it goes off, stop what you are doing and reset the timer for 1 minute. Stretch your arms and chest while taking a full breath, and then sigh or yawn out your exhale while calmly scanning your face, throat, shoulders, chest, and belly for the sensations of tension being released – otherwise known as relaxation. It feels good to relax; savor the pleasure of those sensations to help teach your brain that relaxing is a good thing. When the timer goes off, reset it for 19 minutes and get back to work. Repeat for 2 hours, 5 days per week for a month.

One good, simple 'grounding' exercise, to become more mindful and bring your attention more fully into the present moment, is the 5-4-3-2-1 Observation. As long as your full attention is not required for an activity such as driving, use your powers of observation in the current 'now' moment to identify five things you can see, four things you can feel (with your fingers or on your skin), three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. By engaging your five senses in coming to the present moment, you can immediately gain physiological and emotional benefits of present time consciousness.

I produce abstract artwork that I promote as stress management/meditation tools. I suggest clients choose the image that attracts them and meditate on that image. Having the painting in their hands works best as there is no one way to look at it. Once they are “paired” with the image, I suggest they purchase products from my boutique with that image printed on them. Pillows is a good example. By placing the pillows here and there around their home or office, every time they look at a pillow with the image on it, the relaxation response is triggered and they remember to stop and take a few deep breaths and relax then continue on with their day.

In addition to the above, mindfulness and self-compassion practices can influence the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain responsible for emotional regulation. Regular practice has been found to increase the prefrontal cortex's activity, which helps to reduce emotional reactivity and improve emotional resilience. This means that individuals who incorporate mindfulness and self-compassion are better able to manage their emotions, cope with stress, and experience greater emotional balance.

Many of us combine willpower and aggression to keep our emotional brain from interfering with what we do. This somewhat works because the aggression networks in our brain deactivate the emotional signals that would otherwise be hard to ignore. That might sound great except that it's not. Although we are not feeling our stress, the physiological changes associated with it are still taking place, such as increased blood pressure and lowered immunity. Our brain is also less effective when in conflict with itself. On top of that, when our finite willpower and aggression are running low, we're vulnerable to addictions. Alternatively, while still being firm with our decisions, we can integrate the emotional brain by giving it a seat at the table.

If you find yourself stressed out you can even be mindful about the feeling of stress. “I notice my chest feeling tight and my jaw being clenched. Just noticing my chest and my jaw…” So rather than trying to make the feeling go away you can turn your attention to it and it will usually soften and dissipate.

One thing I think everyone needs to do is put their phones and tablets down. Be present with families, friends or even to just sit by yourself and just be with yourself. Getting off social media and being present. Getting out in nature, being present with others and being present to appreciate those around us.