Have you ever just laid in bed in the morning because you did not want to deal with all the things, be all the places do all the things that day? Before you even got out of the bed, you’re already tired and your mind is swirling with all the things.

We, as humans, have the tendency to blow things out of proportion. We get in our heads and make everything seem bigger than what it actually is.

Tell me, when was the last time you actually stopped and took the time to think about what you were doing and why you were doing it? We’re so used to running on autopilot that we don’t stop to think about what we’re doing, we just do it because it’s what we’re used to doing. But when you stop to think about what you’re doing, and you become more intentional, you’ll find that things aren’t so chaotic after all and are actually within your control.

Here are 5 Ways To Be More Mindful In Your Daily Life

1. Mindful Eating — Put Down Your Phone

Life is always happening around us, but we rarely take the time to notice any of it. We’re in a constant state of go, go go or FOMO (fear of missing out). We’re in a constant state of getting to the next activity as quickly as we can.

Slowing down helps us appreciate the little things. Put your phone down and actually taste your food. Notice the way things taste, how they feel in your mouth, and how the food you’re eating makes your body feel.

2. Start Your Day With A Gratitude Journal

Journal about your dreams, your fears, your goals, your desires, what’s making you happy at the moment, who made you smile, who you’re loving, etc. Write about how you want your day to go, how you want to make today the best day of your life, what you’re grateful for.

When you’re sitting alone with your thoughts, a pen and a notebook — don’t you dare pick up that phone — it’s a truly magical experience. Listen to yourself. Relax and allow your thoughts to freely come to you and your emotions to flow through you and on to the paper. You’ll start to see a change. You’ll start noticing exactly how your thoughts and feelings truly affect your daily actions and behavior.

3. Be Intentional About What You Do

How long is your to-do list? What do you need to do today? It’s like you check one thing off your list only for 10 more things to be added. It’s hard taking things off your to-do list because we think that everything is important. It’s also hard being stressed all of the time. Choose your hard!

Stop for a moment. Think about what are the top 3 most important things that you need to get done today. If something doesn’t need your immediate, right now attention, then take it off the list. Don’t write something on today’s to-do list that actually needs to get done 6 months from now.

Get into the habit of being proactive and not reactive.

4. Stop Multitasking

We often wear the multitasker badge proudly, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. What you’re doing when you continuously switch from one thing to another is stressing your brain and yourself. You’re not giving anything the time or attention that it/they really need.

Whenever you feel super stressed and annoyed, it’s more than likely because you’ve been in full on multitasking mode for a while. Instead of rushing through and moving on to another task as quickly as you can, try giving one thing your full attention and see how it affects you attention and mindset.

5. Unplug

Because you’re always plugged in, you’re not giving your mind time to rest. It’s hard to hear your own thoughts when you’re constantly consuming the thoughts, ideas, advice, emotions, and energy of other people.

Stop checking your phone every 5 minutes. Give your mind a break. You don’t have to respond to that email today. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can wait until tomorrow and no you don’t need to find that one last thing on Pinterest.

When you become more mindful in your everyday life, you start to appreciate life more. Even the bad things that happen to you, you start to see the beauty — and lessons in them. You’ll start to realize that life isn’t as stressful or chaotic as you once thought it was. Everything is within your control if you just take the time to take it back.