Mindfulness is the practice of being completely aware of the present moment. It involves getting in touch with your thoughts, emotions, and body without judging or critiquing anything about yourself.
For many, taking a few moments to relax and focus on yourself might sound impossible. However, just ten minutes of mindfulness could make a significant difference in your day and has been found to drastically improve the health of your brain and memory.
Recently, I wrote about finding perspective on my holiday. I returned home with the intention of making some changes in my life which would reduce the self-imposed stress and also maintain a more relaxed approach to life. My morning ritual of walking by the beach is a perfect opportunity to take a Mindfulness Walk before the ‘busyness’ of the day takes hold.
Being present and mindful has many health benefits:
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Helping to slow down your thoughts
- Helping you to focus
- Improves Memory
- Improves Digestion
- Mindfulness meditation can effectively mood swings
- Slow mindful breathing can reduce blood pressure, lower heart rate and reduce anxiety
My grandsons have taught me how to be more mindful by stopping to enjoy the moment. Adopting a child-like curiosity can lead us to mindful exploration and investigation.
Printable Mindfulness Activities for Healthy Aging
To help you unwind and get back in touch with yourself, A Place for Mom created three printable mindfulness activities. These activities include a month-long mood tracker, a morning journal prompt, and a mind map to help you sort out your thoughts.
Click here to download the mindfulness printables!
Try some of the techniques included in the Mindfulness printables to help get you started. There are a number of new ideas that I am going to try.
29 Comments
HI, Sue – Thank you for the printables. Grandchildren are such wonderful teachers, aren’t they? I love the new direction that you are taking with your blog, SM and studies — very exciting!
My grandsons are a constant source of learning for me especially in ways to be in the moment, have fun and enjoy. xx
Sue, the printables are excellent. I used to do a body scan without even knowing what I was doing really. I would seek out the areas where I felt tension and try to relax them. Sometimes it is hard to go to sleep when your hands and teeth are clenched!!
I made a commitment to myself today to return to the Calm.com meditation I am paying for but keep forgetting to use! Crazy. We are especially stressed right now with PC’s job situation, my mom and a terrible wreck Paul’s mom was in. Going to try to remember tomorrow to begin with meditation.
Hi Leslie, I haven’t done a body scan but it is a great way to be present isn’t it? I’ve seen the Calm.com meditation and I’m sure it will be very useful at the moment. Sending you hugs and hope all settles down in your world soon. xx
As you know, Sue, I’ve been focusing a lot on mindfulness over the last couple of years, and it has done wonders for me. My daughter credits mindfulness–and staying rooted in the present moment–for her sobriety and her sanity and even her life. She has started a weekly vlog and she talked about mindfulness today. I’m going to check out the printables now. I’m always looking for new ideas. Thanks!
How wonderful that your daughter has started a vlog. I feel that this type of project where we can talk about our issues is very cleansing and so helpful for our mental health. xx
This is so good! Often we are running though lift pell-mell and don’t think we have the time to take a breath and connect with the present. Yet there is nothing more important. My short morning yoga practice, meditation and journaling make all the difference to me. I find if I somehow miss out it affects my whole day.
What a lovely morning ritual you have Antonia and it does set you up for a positive day, doesn’t it? Have a beautiful week. x
Will check out – I’ve started doing some of my daughers logic puzzles – you have to make patterns etc with pieces that are all different shapes and colours, or the one where you move the car out of the ‘locked’ grid (Car Rush or something?). Just a few minutes a day for me.
Logic puzzles are a great way to practice mindfulness aren’t they Lydia? They also keep our brains working. Have a great week. x
Sue I don’t practice formal mindfulness but I do try to be mindful with everything I do. I’ll check out your printable. The prompts for journalling sounds interesting #MLSTL Sharing
I admit I’m not consistent with my mindfulness Jen but find it very helpful when I do take the time. Have a great week and thanks for sharing. x
Thank you, Sue, for the printables and for hosting . I practice mindfulness every day and my yoga teacher also includes some mindfulness techniques in her classes. Have a beautiful week! #MLSTL
Hi Natalie, great that your yoga teacher incorporates mindfulness techniques for you to focus on. You have a lovely week too. xx
Hi, Sue – I am visiting again from #MLSTL. I have shared your post on my Social Media. Thank you for all that you and Leanne do in hosting this LinkUp. It is greatly appreciated.
Thank you Donna for always being so supportive. xx
Hi BBB – these were great reminders about taking time out to breathe and to allow ourselves to be in the moment rather than rushing through life trying to accomplish more than we need to. I think we can often be our own worst enemies when it comes to things like this and I’m so glad you’ve found some middle ground since coming back from your holiday.
Off to another great start for #MLSTL and I’ve shared this on my SM xx
I agree, BBB, I am my own worst enemy sometimes but stepping back at the moment is certainly helping. 🙂
I like everything about your post, Sue. I was intrigued with the phrase “Raisin Exercise.” I now see what you mean. The “Body Scan” has been most helpful for me. I try to do it at least once every day. I am surprised I have tension in certain areas of my body when I thought I was completely relaxed. The other thing I have started doing is stretching exercises more than once a day. I find my body requires this type of stretching.
You have put a great deal of thought and effort into this post, Sue. I plan to reread and revisit the concepts. A great deal of information is included here.
#MLSTL and shared on SM.
I need to try the Body Scan and found the Raisin Exercise very interesting. I hold tension and sometimes even forget to breathe! We really need to connect with our inner selves to age well and live well, don’t we? Have a beautiful week. xx
Oh, thanks for this, Sue. Mindfullness has been my focus since August and I appreciate the printables. I began meditating and it has opened up a whole world of mindful eating, thoughts and ideas. It doesn’t come naturally to me and I have to work at it!
Mindfulness isn’t easy Theresa and I do believe it takes practice. However the benefits are many in helping us to age well and live well. xx
Hi Sue, thanks for another great post with resources to match! You are always so generous in sharing your thoughts and ideas with us, so thanks for your care and support. I haven’t been doing any mediation but I have been listening to my body much more than before and it seems to help keep me grounded. I’m a work in progress 🙂 Shared for #mlstl
Thank you Deb, I do care about others and although at times I push myself too far I always feel good when someone has thought my offerings were of value. Listening to our bodies is so important for ageing well and something I’m learning to do. xx
Hi Sue, I’m a true believer in the benefits of mindfulness and have identified ways to bring it into my life – photography, walking, colouring, crocheting, meditation etc. I have a very busy monkey mind so mindfulness practice is a must to try and give that mind of mine a break … and also to not get caught up in rumination, worrying about the future, dwelling on the past and things like that. I’ll have to go check out those printables and will be sharing on my SM. Enjoy your week Sue! xo
Great ideas for mindfulness Min especially crocheting and colouring. I would love to do a photography course so may look at this in 2020. x
Hi Sue, I have to say that I’m a little bit jealous of your mindful morning beach walks! That’s one activity that could always help me de-stress and hope to someday live close enough to the beach again to resume those walks. Great resources you’ve pointed us to. I have a hard time slowing down my mind so it’s something I need to give more focus and effort. Thanks for sharing them! xo
I’m very lucky Candi to have the opportunity to live by the ocean and it certainly starts my day in a peaceful way. Have a beautiful week my friend. x
I noticed you linked out to an article to A Place For Mom about memory care.
I actually created an infographic with all that data. You can actually go here and embed that infographic into your blog post so that way people can understand the data and the message easier. If you use it, feel free to link back to my site.
Here is my article and infographic on memory care https://lovingassistedliving.com/memory-care/
Thank you for your time,
Alexandra