Do you remember a time before human beings had cell phones permanently attached to their hands? I struggle to recall. I am guilty of having my phone on my person at all times. If I forget my phone, I admit to feeling a little anxious. Our phones provide incredibly helpful technology. I can order birthday presents, my groceries, schedule clients, pay bills, all from a tiny device in the palm of my hand. But there is a downside to all of this convenience. We lose our ability to be creative, we read less and we are spending less time looking into the faces of those around us. Staring at our screen and checking out our friend’s vacation photos is not productive. We have gaps of time in our lives that has been wasted by mindlessly searching social media.
Mindlessness is not mindfulness. Mindfulness can reduce stress, improve sleep and even improve our brain functioning. We claim to not have time for self-improvement. We don’t have time to learn how to meditate, but we spend countless hours on our phones accomplishing nothing. Over the next week, I encourage you to begin leaving your phone somewhere other than your hands when you are at home and focu your energy on a mindful activity that offers heaps of mind and body benefits. Try coloring instead. Simply coloring on a blank page, a coloring sheet or even in an adult coloring book offers you an opportunity to focus on the now. While coloring you are not thinking about yesterday or tomorrow’s to-do list. You are just coloring. And at the end you have created something, which brings on a sense of accomplishment. This easy and inexpensive activity can help begin your journey to a more mindful existence.