Living a more mindful life can truly change everything for the better. When you are mindful of where you are, what you are doing and who you are spending time with in the present moment—it can make everything, even the smallest of situations seem better, more enjoyable and more fulfilling.

What exactly does living a more mindful life mean?

A more mindful life can bring you peace, it can bring you perspective and it can help you feel more fulfilled. And while being more mindful won’t prevent stress from happening, it can help give you the tools to handle it when it comes your way.

Mindful Life: Sound like the type of life you want to lead?

If so, here are 10 easy, yet effective habits that you can start implementing that will only help you live a more mindful life.

Meditate Daily

The absolute best habit you can get in when you want to live a more mindful life is to start meditating daily. If you aren’t already meditating regularly, carve 15 minutes of your day every day where you focus on mindful meditation and nothing else.

You don’t need to meditate for long periods of time in order for it to be effective.

You do however need to be consistent with your meditations. Whether you prefer to meditate in the morning or at night—you need to make meditation a habit. If you focus on mindful meditation for just 15 minutes per day every day, you will start to see you are more mindful in other areas of your life as well.

Write About Your Day

Even if you aren’t big into the idea of journaling, you should start. You don’t have to write long passages, or be super descriptive about what you did during the day. You can even write as little as one sentence per day—just write something down.

Taking the time to reflect on your day, an experience or something that happened to you will help you be more mindful of that day, what happened and the experiences that you had. There are so many people who find themselves tired, overwhelmed and run down after a long day of work and thy don’t take the time to think about all of the other positive parts of their day.

Mindful journaling will help you be more appreciative for all of the things you get to experience each and every day.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

This can be a hard one, as it is something that most people don’t even realize that they do.  But you need to stop thinking about what other people are doing, comparing yourself to other people or wanting what others have—it does nothing positive for you.

Instead, be mindful of what is going on in your life. Of all of the things that you’ve accomplished. And all of the goals that you have for yourself.

If you can stay focused on your own life and be mindful on what is going on around you, it will help you stay more focused and more appreciative of the life that you are living.

Try to Keep Urges Under Control

There is a difference between something because it brings you joy and giving into urges that you find uncontrollable. Try to not give in to your urges. Giving in to urges just means that you don’t have control over your mind and that you aren’t living a mindful life.

Next time you feel the urge to eat junk food, stay in bed and watch TV or even do something like smoke a cigarette—think about the urge and try to be more mindful of what you are doing and why you are doing it.

If you are mindful of the fact that you are being tempted by an urge, you can mindfully choose to do something that is better for you.

Give Yourself Some Phone-Free Time

This is a difficult one in today’s day and age, but it is one of the best things you can do to be more mindful of the life you have and what is really going on around you. While most of us can’t give up our phones for a majority of the day—set aside some times where you are completely phone-free.

Perhaps this is time that you spend with your loved one, your children, at the dinner table or just when you are alone with your own thoughts.

During this phone-free time, you can be more aware and mindful of what is going on around you and what experiences you are actually having.

Let it Go

If you are someone who is obsessed with being in control, with goals, organization and productivity—let it go. So many people think that they can be in control of everything, but no matter how much you plan, there are always going to be things that come in and foil your plans, and there are always going to be parts of your life that are out of your control.

Let it go and don’t let these things frustrate you. It will only cause you to focus on what we can’t control and on things turning out the way we wanted instead of the way that they are. This isn’t a mindful way of living and is only one that will cause more stress and frustration than its worth.

Be Grateful

This is a simple habit, but one that can really help you be more appreciative of your life and to take a mindful look at the experiences that matter most to you. Everyday, get in the habit of writing down one thing you are grateful for—or sharing one thing with your family or partner.

It doesn’t have to be a big thing, but putting what you are grateful for out into the universe will only help you live a more positive life and help you intentionally focus your energy on the things that really matter. 

Whether you are just looking to get more out of the life you have, are planning for personal or professional changes, or if you want to make some serious changes as you start a new chapter—a more mindful life can only help. Keep these habits in mind and you may be surprised to find just how much things can change for you.

Another great way to keep a mindful routine is to eat and drink healthier: fresh fruit drinks and kombucha are great alternatives!