Have you heard of Zen habits? You have not? Let us tell you. Zen habits are the ones that help you calm down and focus on your life by orienting you in the present. These habits, no matter how diverse in nature, share the common trait of mindfulness and encompass self-aware action. For, example- Some Zen habits might involve bringing variation in how you end your day, or some might involve practices to set your boundaries. Although varied in nature, implementing Zen habits in your life is a great way to rejuvenate your mind and connect with yourself.

The fun-fact over here is that no one is born with de-stressing and rejuvenating qualities. It takes determination and practice to implement these habits in your life and notice visible differences. Lucky for you, we have got you covered. Here is the list of the 6 Zen habits that you can adopt to facilitate a positive change in your life.

6 Zen Habits To Begin Practicing Today

Here are some of the best habits for man to begin today and must try:

1. Positive thinking

 Already acquainted with the power of positive thinking? But have you ever thought that positive thinking is not only about being optimistic all the time, it means changing the way you view suffering? It demands suffering to be seen as a learning step and asks you to think about how you can transform it into a positive outcome in your life. That is the power of real positive thinking, which does not require you to think positively, but rather asks you to see downfalls as a part of life and demands you to emerge as a stronger being.

2. Embrace Nature

Embracing nature is an important step towards rejuvenating your brain and an unmatchable Zen habit. In this era of digitalization, humans have disconnected from the world around them. When was the last time you kept your electronic gadgets aside and observed the nature around you? The breeze that is hitting your face, the kid that is building a sand-castle, the sun that is brightly shining, all are a part of the beautiful world you live in. Embracing nature is a step towards embracing individuality and your oneness with nature and connecting with your surroundings.

3. Live in the present 

Zen philosophy emphasizes that today is all we have, yesterday is gone and no one knows about tomorrow. It asks us to truly appreciate each moment in life as it arrives without being stuck on the regrets of the past or the worries of tomorrow. The past is long gone and the future unseen, and by being stuck on either of them, you lose on what is going on now. Certain exercises you could do to live in the present include journaling and jotting down a few things about which you are grateful that day, or, identifying a particular smell or object to hold on to, if you are faced with flashbacks or unnecessary worries.

4. Perform breathing exercises 

Breathing exercises align perfectly in the lifestyles that Zen habits practitioners aim to achieve. Breathing exercises are a bunch of magical pills that have a lot of benefits. From working as a mindfulness technique, to slowing your mind by allowing it to aim at one thing at a time and encouraging us to emerge ourselves in that very moment, it helps calm our body, relaxes our mind and allows us to live peacefully.

What’s notable about breathing exercises is that it allows one to relieve their anxiety, anger and all the other negative emotions that might reside in a human’s heart. Subsequently, it gives us a chance to allow positivity and compassion to enter our hearts and reside. It does not require much effort, all you need to do is sit down in a calm place, close your eyes, and focus on the deep breathing. For easing purposes, you can do deep breathing in patterns and repeat as many times as you like.

5. Smile and lend a helping hand to others

Lending a helping hand to others with a smile on your face can never go wrong. Smiling doesn’t only have the power to heal your heart, it also has the power to make someone’s day. Lending a helping hand to someone in need, without expecting anything in return, is the biggest gift of humanity a man can possess. 

If you inculcate and practice this noble action, you would be saving an injured soul, a person who thinks is lonely, or someone who thinks no one cares for them, from taking a negative step in their life. That aided with a smile, can transform someone’s day and give them and you the energy required to get through a gloomy day. From offering your dad help to wash his car, to running errands for your parents, or helping a child solve a math question, you can be the torch bearer of positive energy around you.

6. Practice a routine

 If we advise someone to follow a structured and daily routine, we can risk sounding restrictive as it does not give a person enough flexibility to embark on spontaneous missions. But the Zen way of implementing a daily routine is different. It isn’t doing a specific set of tasks every day, rather it is about ensuring that we dedicate a certain amount of time to certain activities that matter to us and gives us happiness. The task can be as small as journaling for 30 minutes or every day, or it might be visiting a new place every month and observing it. The greater aim of practicing a routine is to ensure that you’re completely immersed in everything you do.

Following these Zen habits and implementing these Zen habits helps a person to establish a deep connection with oneself and let go of what is bothering them. It helps us realize how amazing it is to be connected with your inner self and hence allows us to be with yourself. Implementing these habits as a part of your life will benefit you immensely, and will help you transform into a better version of yourself that has an understanding deeper than the surfaces.

Also Read: 7 Habits Of Happy Men