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Get present.
By Ora Nadrich — Written on Dec 27, 2022
"Ultimately, I see mindfulness as a love affair — with life, with reality and imagination, with the beauty of your own being, with your heart and body and mind, and with the world." —Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction)
Getting "turned on" doesn't always refer to what happens in the bedroom. When we live our life with mindfulness — being present in each moment and remaining aware of everything and everyone around us — the ecstasy we can experience is similar to that we feel when having a love affair with someone.
Mindfulness is defined as, "The basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us."
When we practice being mindful, all of our senses are heightened as we enter a state of complete awareness. What we hear, see, smell, taste or touch can be a sheer delight that fills us with complete pleasure.
Each of us has the ability to experience the type of "love affair with life" Kabat-Zinn describes. We just have to wake up and not only "smell the coffee," but use all of our senses fully in order to experience the kind of joy, self-love, and bliss we are capable of.
Why not be as turned on to life as you possibly can as you learn how to love yourself? Every part of you is capable of receiving the beauty and magnificence that surrounds you by simply being mindful on a daily basis.
Here are 10 easy ways to 'turn yourself on' and live life more fully.
1. Getting into bed at night
When you get into bed at night, take a few minutes to feel the pleasure of it.
Experience the softness of the sheets on your skin, and the gentle puffiness of the pillow under your head. Allow your sense of touch to fully experience what you're feeling, and if your sheets have a pleasant, clean smell, inhale the scent.
2. Waking up in the morning
When you wake up in the morning, take a few minutes to really feel what your body's experiencing. Feel the warmth of your skin, and the opening of your eyes after a night's sleep. Listen to the sounds around you, like birds chirping outside your window or a dog barking.
If your coffee's on a timer and it's brewing, smell the aroma of it if you can.
3. Taking a shower
When you take a shower, feel the warm water on your body. Let it caress every part of you, and imagine that it's washing away anything you don't want to hold onto. Look at the drain and visualize whatever you're letting go of disappearing.
4. Drying off
When drying yourself off with a towel after a shower, try not to rush or rub the towel vigorously against your skin. Rather, do it gently like you would if you were drying another person's body.
5. Getting dressed
When you're getting dressed, put your clothes on like you're adorning something that matters to you. You wouldn't decorate a Christmas tree or a cake quickly.
How you put yourself together is how you feel about yourself, and even if you are pressed for time when you look in the mirror, take pleasure in appreciating yourself.
6. Eating breakfast
When you eat your first meal of the day, do it mindfully. Allow yourself to really taste and experience your food, and try not to multitask while you're eating, like checking emails or texting. That creates "unmindful" eating, and you don't experience the full richness of the food, which is less pleasurable.
7. Speaking to the first person you encounter
When speaking to the first person you encounter, try and talk to them as you would want them to speak to you. Use your words carefully, and smile to express your appreciation of them.
Heartfelt communication connects us from a place of love, which promotes mindfulness with everyone we come into contact with.
8. At work
When you're at work, be present and aware of everyone you're dealing with, both in person and on the phone. Use your voice to convey your kindness towards them, and speak from a place of non-judgment.
9. On your lunch break
When you take a lunch break, try and take a few minutes to let your senses experience your surroundings. If you're outside, feel the fresh air on your skin. If it's a nice day, take in the beauty of it. This is a good time to give yourself a spiritual kiss.
10. At the end of the day
When it's the end of the day, take a moment to appreciate your life as a gift. Feel gratitude for being healthy, and having the ability to love others and to be loved.
If you can, tell someone that you love them. Look into their eyes and try and see the depth of their soul. You will see your own beauty in them, and they will see theirs in your eyes.
Taking part in these mindfulness activities keeps you in a state of mindfulness. Living in the moment lets you "feel the love" in everything you do, which keeps you turned on to life, and what an incredible love affair that can be!
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Ora Nadrich is a certified life coach and mindfulness teacher. She's also the president of the Institute for Transformational Thinking and author of Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity.
This article was originally published at Huffington Post. Reprinted with permission from the author.