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31 Best Daily Mindfulness Questions To Check in With Yourself
What is Mindfulness?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Mindfulness is “a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.”
Mindfulness products are something you may have seen in the self-help section of bookstores, as part of a yoga DVD, or in various health and wellbeing stores. Or maybe you’ve heard the phrase “practice mindfulness” or even heard about daily mindfulness questions. But what is mindfulness?
Practicing mindfulness can involve breathing methods, guided imagery, body scan methods, prayer, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress. Practicing mindfulness isn’t just for when you have a hard time. One of the best things I’ve learned about practicing intentional mindfulness is that it helps me process negative emotions when I have control rather than when I’m not in control.
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What are the Benefits of a Mindfulness Practice?
If you’re a busy woman in her 50s like me, juggling your parents, kids, and grandkids, you may wonder if it’s worth your time to learn yet another new skill. Exactly what are the benefits of mindfulness in your life? Consider these three benefits of mindfulness in your life before you think there is too much involved and not enough reward for that involvement.
1 – Reducing Anxiety and Stress
Learning about mindfulness and putting it into practice can help reduce your stress and anxiety. Practicing prayer and breathing techniques when you are not in crisis will help you be ready for those moments when you are in a situation where you need to put them into use quickly.
Mindfulness helps you avoid an immediate negative reaction, increasing your anxiety in any given situation. For example, do you ever have a moment when your words pop out of your mouth before you’ve had time to think them through? How about your face? Does your face express your thoughts even when you haven’t said a word? I know I sure can relate to both of those scenarios! Eeek!
But when you are focusing on the present moment and paying close attention to your thoughts and feelings, which you have learned through practicing intentional mindfulness, you can better concentrate on your positive emotions and manage the negative “stuff.”
A bonus of mindfulness is learning to keep focused on one situation, especially if, like me, your mind wanders and you tend to get distracted from the situation at hand.
2 – Body Acceptance
Body acceptance is something you may not think of as related to mindfulness. But oh boy, is it! Accepting your body can be hard when you have negative thoughts surrounding what your body looks like and how it functions. The truth is a lack of body acceptance can contribute to your stress and anxiety and how you view the world around you.
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I don’t know about you, but it’s too easy for me to make comments out loud or within my head about my body. I far too often refer to myself as chubby. The fact is, I am a voluptuous woman, and my fantastic body (and all of its curves) allows me to do so many wonderful things. I have had five pregnancies and I have nurtured four children throughout their first year by nursing them.
My two good arms work to wrap them around my husband and my children, grandchildren, and friends. I can skip for joy and throw my hands to the sky when I feel a moment of praise. The important thing here is to remember that these small abilities are all worth recognizing, and I am thankful for them.
As I have learned to practice mindfulness, I have shifted my focus from my “chubbiness” to all of these beautiful gifts God has given me. My thought pattern has begun to change, and I want to take better care of my body rather than beat it up with my thoughts and words.
As you learn to use a mindfulness meditation practice and other techniques, you may find what triggers your body-related issues, including negative self-talk, weight loss obstacles, or unhealthy eating habits.
Once you begin using some mindfulness techniques, I am confident that you will also start to see a better appreciation for yourself, your body journey, and where you are in the moment.
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Life Acceptance
Sometimes we aren’t happy with our lives. We aren’t pleased about the parts of life that we feel we can’t change. These feelings of unhappiness can lead to depression and other issues.
Mindfulness can help you find gratitude for various things in your life, find issues and people in your life that are toxic, and find ways to keep what works and get rid of what doesn’t with grace and acceptance. These changes can lead us to accept life in general and accept both good and bad events for precisely what they are in that moment.
These benefits are just a starting point for mindfulness in your life. Other benefits will start to reveal themselves to you as you develop this new habit on a daily basis in your own life.
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Tips For Adding Mindfulness to Your Daily Routine
Now that you’ve learned a little more about mindfulness and how it can help your perspective, it is time to start putting it into action. Begin by adding the practice of mindfulness to your daily life so that you get accustomed to this new way of thinking. Here are some tips for adding mindfulness to your daily routine.
Practice Mindfulness at a Specific Time Daily
When you take a few minutes at the beginning of each day and again at the end of each day to reflect, then combine mindfulness with prayer and focus, you can reflect on what you believe about yourself and how God has created you to be precisely how He planned.
Set a timer for 5-10 minutes each morning to think about one of the questions for the day, breathe deeply with your eyes closed, and consider the answer to your question. Then repeat this practice in the evening.
These quick daily sessions will help you grow self-confidence, learn to hold your boundaries and become a stronger person.
Another simple way to add mindfulness to your daily routine is to focus on it during regular activities. Think of your daily routine and the important tasks you do each day, and then note when your mind tends to wander. To get into a solid habit of practicing mindfulness, choose the best time for you to have a few minutes alone.
Some women choose to have their mindfulness moments as part of their morning routine. Think back to what you were thinking this morning while taking a shower or brushing your teeth. You were probably thinking of what you need to do that day, that phone call you need to make, planning your meals, or even thinking about stressful situations you will need to deal with during your day.
Instead, take this time to focus on the physical sensation of the warm water in the shower. Think about the smell of your soap and the sound of the water trickling down. Maybe you want to focus on the flavor and scent of your toothpaste and the pattern you use when brushing your teeth. Mindfulness is all about removing all the outside distractions and concentrating on the moment.
Once you’ve mastered that, add a question to your daily mindfulness routine by incorporating it into your shower time or setting that timer for a specific time of prayer and reflection.
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Focus On Your Breathing
Once you begin a daily practice of mindfulness, it’s time to practice focusing on your breathing. Breath in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on breathing when other thoughts try to creep into your mind.
Breathing can help relax both your physical and mental state. Breathing is the cornerstone of mindfulness, and one of the best ways to help your mind calm down and your body relax. Did you know you can control your heart rate simply by changing your breathing!?
Complete Just One Task at a Time
A common mistake people make when trying to be mindful and enter a more positive frame of mind during the day is focusing on too many things at once. Multi-tasking is not suitable for productivity and focus.
Stop trying to do everything at once, and pick one task on which to focus. For example, instead of getting distracted while completing one job, keep your own mind focused on exactly what you are doing right now. Don’t get distracted by what you’ll be making for dinner tonight. Set aside a few minutes to think about that once you complete the task.
This simple practice will begin to shift your thought process into a more focused mindset throughout the day and is a great way to get used to mindfulness.
Another fantastic way to begin focusing on mindfulness is to use a mindfulness journal. A journal will help you concentrate on one question each day. You can make that important question your focus for the day. But if you’ve never used a mindfulness journal, you may wonder what that is and how to get started. Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered!
What Exactly Are Mindful Questions?
Mindfulness (or mindful) questions help you stop thinking about everything at once and help you focus on one inner idea. If all of this mindfulness talk sounds hippy-dippy, don’t worry; it’s not. In fact, mindfulness questions allow you to be very practical in how you choose to focus.
How Do I Use Mindfulness Questions?
There are several great ways you can use mindfulness questions. Here are a few techniques that I use:
- Write daily mindfulness questions on strips of paper or post-it notes and pull one from a jar each day.
- Use your cell phone to push notify a question to you at the same scheduled time each day. This notice on your phone will trigger you to stop what you’re doing and focus for a minute.
- Post a list of mindfulness questions and self-affirmations somewhere you’ll see it regularly throughout the day.
- Use a mindfulness journal, such as this one. But don’t pay for it. Simply sign up for my e-mail updates and you’ll receive it for free.
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Where Can I Find Mindfulness Questions?
You’ve reached the good part! I have compiled a list of 31 excellent mindfulness questions to make this new practice super easy for you! The questions are listed below, but I’ve made it even easier for you to begin a journaling practice. When you subscribe to my newsletter, you will receive a printable version of these questions in a journal format.
This 31-day journal includes one of my favorite images on each page. You’ll also see a daily affirmation that you can use throughout your day as a reminder of your hard work at staying focused on positive changes!
But no worries if you’re not sure that journaling is for you. I’ve included the list of affirmations to use however they work best for you. Read through the list and find the right questions for you. But how do you know which questions are right? Easy – the right questions are the ones you love and make you want to dig deeper into your thoughts.
31 Mindfulness Questions to Get You Started
- What can I do to make myself feel proud today?
- How can I encourage myself when I try something new?
- What can I do to put myself first today without feeling guilty?
- How can I take a step toward personal growth today?
- How will I practice self-love today?
- What is one step I can take today toward my dreams?
- What makes me feel in control?
- How can I power through a task that I don’t want to do today?
- How can I squeeze some exercise into today’s schedule?
- One goal I want to accomplish today is __________.
- What can I do to step outside of my comfort zone?
- How can I set boundaries and avoid absorbing someone else’s energy?
- How do I remind myself that I am enough?
- In what ways can I practice joy (and not envy) for others when they accomplish something great?
- How can I trust myself to make a big decision?
- How can I celebrate myself today?
- What helps me slow down and feel more present?
- How can I recognize the signs of burnout?
- What can I do when I am showing signs of burnout?
- Name 5 things you can say to yourself today to improve your mood.
- How can I practice self-acceptance today?
- In what way can I proactively forgive myself today when I make a mistake?
- How can I make intentional time for myself?
- What does it feel like in my body when I’m feeling anxious?
- How can I set a healthy boundary today?
- In what ways can I be intentional about my time with others?
- How do I shift my mindset if it isn’t working for me?
- How do I recharge?
- In what way can I show myself kindness today?
- How can I advocate for myself today?
- How can I practice mindful eating today?
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Wrapping it All Up
Practicing mindfulness has so many benefits in our daily lives as women. By concentrating on mindfulness, I have learned how to scroll through social media posts that would trigger me in the past. I have learned how to let my young adult kids make their own decisions and choices and support them, even when I don’t always agree.
I have been able to share my confidence with family members and friends more in recent years than ever in my life, all thanks to therapy and a little bit of mindfulness.
Once you begin practicing mindfulness by spending a moment each morning preparing for your day through journaling or meditating, you will see changes in your thought patterns and words. And not just the words that pop out of your mouth, but those internal words that you tell yourself.
If you desire life change and a long-lasting effect, I highly recommend finding a therapist who will help you through your mindfulness journey. Going to a therapist is the best thing I have ever done for my mental health as an adult. My therapist has helped me learn to manage my emotions, sometimes with a new skill and sometimes simply by being there when I need someone to listen to me. She also helps me process the good things happening in my life and is there for me when I’m having a difficult time. Click HERE to read more about my experience with therapy.
If you don’t know where to find one, check out www.psychologytoday.com, where you can find a list of available therapists in your area and online.
Thanks for the post. Helps to overcome frustration
Hello Holly! We can all use a little help in that area, can’t we? Thanks for reading! Check out the other posts I have to help with frustration in the Mental Health matters section!
Practicing mindfulness has been a gamechanger for me. The questions you have listed are a very helpful tool to get your head in the right place. Thanks for sharing this.
You’re welcome! Glad you found it helpful and I hope you’ll subscribe to get the free mindfulness journal that’s even more amazing! 🙂
I really loved you mindfulness questions list. Thank you!
Thank you! I hope you’ll refer back to them often!