Mindfulness: 5 Exercises Against Nervousness

Mindfulness can be practiced in numerous ways. Today we suggest five simple activities that will be very helpful for you to better control nervousness. Put them into practice in your everyday life!

Mindfulness  is the ability to be present, to reach a clear state of consciousness, and to remind ourselves to focus on the present.

So we have the ability to turn our attention back to the here and now after taking a trip into the past or into the future. This enables us to focus on the present moment, to  be aware of where we want to go and where our goals are. 

If we dislike something that is happening right now, we can make a conscious decision not to repeat this situation again. The problem is that we tend to get lost in a stream of thoughts that belong to a past that no longer exists. 

We also frighten ourselves with our future thoughts trying to take control of things that haven’t happened yet. It is therefore even more complicated to make decisions about our goals and values ​​in life. 

Mindfulness helps us focus on the real thing: the present moment. In this context there is only one room for maneuver; everything else is beyond our control. Because it is a context that does not yet exist (the future) or no longer exists (the past).

Mindfulness: various exercises against nervousness

In order to practice mindfulness,  it is necessary to create specific exercises that we do on a daily basis. So we can gradually turn this into a habit. There are numerous exercises for mindfulness. In today’s article, we’ve picked five of these that are very helpful in controlling nervousness.

Nervousness is a condition that prepares us for a threat. It is a defense mechanism that helps us survive, make decisions quickly and efficiently to avoid possible injury. 

1. Mindfulness in the shower

The morning shower is perfect for practicing mindfulness. Divert all of your attention and thoughts solely to the shower itself.

Take a shower like it’s your first time, like you’ve never taken a shower before. Let yourself be seduced by all the elements in the shower, without rushing, without stress, without thinking about what you are going to do afterwards. Enjoy the moment and focus entirely on the present. 

2. Mindfulness with plasticine

This exercise will take you back to your childhood. Children are the best teachers of mindfulness. You live continuously in the present and let everything surprise you. Everything seems wonderful to them.

Try to be a child again: shape different figures out of colored plasticine. Just think about which forms you want to achieve, be patient and concentrate fully on this activity.

Don’t get up to do other things until you’ve finished with the characters. Devote yourself solely to the current activity and leave no room for other thoughts. 

3. Mindfulness with soap bubbles

With this fun exercise, you can learn to relax with proper breathing and focus your attention on one activity at the same time.

Blow soap bubbles in the air and watch their shape  and movement. Some are small, others burst immediately, sometimes there are also big ones. Watch how the light is reflected in the bubbles and enjoy the beautiful colors.

Also, watch the soap bubbles pop once they reach a certain height. Follow their way!

4. Erase the hard drive

If you are very nervous, you can take a piece of paper and a ballpoint pen and “erase your hard drive”. That means you put all your thoughts on paper. Write everything down as if it were telegrams. Do not evaluate, reject or judge your thoughts. It’s just thoughts.

5. Mindfulness while washing dishes

Washing dishes is a perfect activity for practicing mindfulness,  much like taking a shower. Observe all the individual steps and the feelings you have with them: cold or warm water, soap and its texture, removing dirt from the plates …

The key is to keep the mind focused only on the activity at hand and remove any other thoughts or “noise”.

Benefits of mindfulness

Many studies have shown that practicing simple exercises for greater mindfulness has many benefits. It is an attitude that helps  us focus on the present and become aware of the here and now. 

We can get rid of circling thoughts and negative feelings. Mindfulness helps us not to merge this with our person in order to be able to carry out the activities that we have set ourselves the goal.

On the other hand, mindfulness also removes us  from evaluations and judgments that are based on deep-seated views. This gives us great peace and serenity.

When we move away from judgment, our well-being improves. We feel better with ourselves as well as with our surroundings. That’s why  we also promote our self-esteem and social relationships at the same time.