How I Applied Meditation to 6 Daily Activities

Meditating will reduce stress and enable you to show up for what’s happening right now.

Photo by Matteo Di Iorio on Unsplash

Anything you do or experience can provide you with an opportunity to practice mindfulness. But you may want to begin with some of your usual activities — the ones you may be doing now on automatic pilot while you daydream, space out, or obsess. The truth is, even the most routine tasks can prove enjoyable and enlivening when you do them with wholehearted care and attention. In the following section, I list six common activities with a few suggestions for infusing them with mindfulness.

1. Washing the dishes

If you set aside your judgments, which may insist you should be doing something more meaningful or constructive with your time, and instead simply wash the dishes — or sweep the floor or scrub the tub — you may find that you actually enjoy the activity. Feel the contours of the plates and bowls as you clean them. Notice the smell and the slipperiness of the soap, the sounds of the utensils, the satisfying feeling of removing the old food and leaving the dishes clean and ready for use.

2. Working at your computer