Mindfulness and The Planet: How Being Present Can Help Protect Our Future

It seems we cannot go a single day without seeing another flashy news article showcasing the effects of climate change on the world around us. Draughts, floods, fires, and increasingly bigger storms are only becoming more frequent.The stress of feeling helpless against these changes can weigh heavier on us all than we may acknowledge or consciously be aware of. Can a single person make a difference? Will it matter if I recycle this one plastic bottle? And what does being more green-conscious have to do with mindfulness? We’re so glad you asked.When we practice mindfulness, we are inviting ourselves to be more connected with the present moment. This enables us to begin to see things around us as they are and to sit with the difficult and distressing aspects of our world without being overwhelmed by them. This is not to say we are ignoring them or pushing them out of our minds, but rather seeing them and enabling ourselves to respond in the here and now. From a more present mindset, we can make the best decisions for ourselves and our planet. So, what can you do to be more mindful for the planet? Here are a few mindful actions that you can incorporate into your ongoing mindfulness practices. 

Consuming Less:

Often, we think about how we can make shifts that are big changes, or changes that are either very expensive or hard to follow through on. For example, shifting from your Volkswagen to a Tesla or switching out your existing household appliances for more energy-efficient ones. While these are great moves, there are smaller actions you can take each day that also invite you to be more mindful in your daily decisions and choices. By shifting your focus more towards consuming less, you invite yourself to focus on each choice by asking “do I really need this?” As nearly everything we buy today has a carbon footprint, it is less about what we are buying and more about what we are not buying. Oftentimes, we purchase items out of boredom, feeling down, or even for pleasure. If we instead change our mindsets to focus on what we truly need and what we can do without – we can start to accept ourselves and our space as being “enough” in a given moment. 

Eating Mindfully

Along the lines of consuming less, we can also look to how we consume our foods. Mindful eating is a great way to focus on oneself throughout the day. Am I hungry? Am I stressed? How does this taste? How does this food sound as I eat it? These are all questions we invite practitioners to think about as they eat mindfully. So, how can one eat mindfully to better support the planet and themselves? Eat more plants. Meat has a higher carbon footprint than plants and vegetables. Incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also so good for your body and overall health. Consider how your body changes as you shift to more plant-based diet. Do you feel less sluggish? Have any headaches gone away? What’s your gut telling you as you shift away from a meat-heavy diet? 

Find Your Community

Lastly, find a community of like-minded people who will support you both on your mindfulness journey as well as your interest in giving back and helping your planet and community. We invite you to join our April Drop-In course (which is free to attend!) on April 16th at 10am online, where we’ll be talking about Mindfulness and the Planet and Ourselves. Learn more and sign-up to join here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvdeGrrzMvEtZN4S5-hBp9q0gzv0Yaoipv