How to Practice Mindfulness When You’re Exhausted

We’ve all been there, rushing through the day, through making dinner, doing the dishes, helping with homework only to feel like we’d rushed through the whole day, and time got away from us.

I have compiled a list of mindfulness activities to help you slow down, relax, and be more present.

1.       Grounding Support – Lie down comfortably, let the floor or your bed support your weight so your muscles don’t have to work to keep you upright.  From here, you can do a quick Body Scan meditation, or you simply just Be in the moment.  Allow yourself to completely relax for two to five minutes.

2.       Sensory Anchoring – This is the 5-4-3-2-1 method.  Notice five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

3.       Passive Breathing – This is where you just breathe.  Let your breath move on its own without trying to control the speed or depth.  Simply notice how the air feels as it enters and leaves.  You can concentrate on how the air feels at the tip of your nose or place a hand on your abdomen and feel the rise and fall with each breath.

4.       Micro-Moments – Bring awareness to your routine, effortless actions like drinking a warm cup of coffee or tea – no multitasking or scrolling.  Feeling the warm water in the shower.  Or resting your hands on your chest just to pause for a moment and feel the beating of your heart.

It’s important that you don’t try to “fix” your mood or reach a state of deep relaxation.  Those things may happen naturally but it’s important not to put expectation on your practice.  These things happen when we keep coming back to the moment.  That is the practice.

Acknowledge your fatigue with self-kindness instead of fighting the exhaustion or judging yourself for having low energy.

Keep it short – aim for tiny two-to-five-minute pauses instead of long formal sessions.

Let me know which ones you are going to try first.

-            Angela