I do believe there is something magical in the practise of meditation. I truly do. However, today I am not doing to engage in a conversation on how sitting down for 20 minutes everyday can make you more mindful.
I am a hyperactive kid. I may have never been diagnosed as such, but my energy levels are puzzling me most of the time. It’s like being on an unending state of awe and drama, and I get bored EXTREMELY easily, which implies I constantly need new stimuli in order to function properly.
Whether it’s me, or it’s a bug of a whole generation, I am here to go against all of the mindfulness preconceptions you may have heard.
Being MINDful
I'm not a huge fan of constructed exercises to teach you to do something you are supposed to do in your everyday life, although the therapists and the psychologists, not to mention the entire spiritual community, love this approach.
Instead, I prefer to be aware—MINDful—of what I am doing when I am doing it. That's how I practice my mindfulness, and that's how I am working my mindfulness "muscle."
This is why my daily meditation is never quite the same. One day you’ll find me counting my breaths, then the following one I am chanting alongside with a not-clearly-defined Kundalini lady, and the day after I honour myself by having a five minute dance-off with Taylor Swift.
Here are three types of meditative activities for hyperactive folks just like me.
1. Walking
I love to find some meditative space in the most simple ways. I am a big fan of walking outside. I have a fitness tracker that sets a daily goal for me to accomplish (and when there’s a goal, you can bet I am on it). It’s a great excuse to get out, leave the phone in the bag, and just walk.
On a good day, I manage to sneak into the park and have a quick gander barefoot. Trust me; it’s really hard to walk around for 20 minutes for the sake of it.
2. Cooking
I also find myself storming up the kitchen quite often.
Cooking itself is extremely cathartic; however, it’s harder and harder to keep the focus up on the act itself. Firstly, it’s virtually impossible to get down to preparing a meal. Secondly, we don’t tend to really focus on what we are making anymore.
Even if just once a week, give full attention to the food you are making. While a lot of people criticize Instagram and the glorification of breakfasts, I find it a really useful habit instead, especially if it encourages stopping to be grateful for what we’re about to eat.
3. Taking Breaks
Last but not least, breaks. I have a timer so that every 20 minutes of work, I have 5 minutes of break time to make myself a tea or do a dance-off (this happens much more often than what it should).
And no, checking your Facebook is not a ‘break.’Treat your breaks as real ones, step away from the laptop, and tune in with your feelings. Rather than asking yourself ‘what am I thinking today,’ ask,‘what am I feeling?’
I do believe that meditation is an amazing tool, but it’s not the only one that will support you in reintroducing mindfulness in your life.
I, the hyperactive kid, am a big supporter of the feeling of awe: the same one that used to thrive in us on a wet morning when we were children and the rainbow came out. Even the morning dew is exciting, when you get to experience it wrapped up in your coat.
Do you have other mindfulness tips for hyperactive people you can share? What did you do MINDfully today?
