HEALTH

We could all use a little more mindfulness in our lives. But sometimes, it feels impossible to make a real change without devoting a ton of time and effort. That’s where thirty-day challenges come in. By breaking up the ways you can impact your mindfulness into daily activities, challenges make big changes more manageable. Here are six mindfulness challenges to add to your morning routine, from meditating and doodling to spreading kindness wherever you go.

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Meditation

Meditating is a great way to start your day. Closing your eyes and taking deep breaths can help you destress, focus on what’s important, and check in with yourself about how you’re feeling. This thirty-day meditation challenge from Live Strong leaves the meditating process up to you. The only thing you have to do is increase how long you meditate by five minutes every two weeks. By the end of the month, you’ll be in the habit of meditating every day for fifteen minutes and feeling much more centered. 

Self-Care

Love the idea of practicing self-care, but don’t really know where to start? This thirty-day self-care challenge from Miss Mental assigns you activities you likely already do. From listening to your fave podcasts to writing a letter to your future self, these self-care tasks will help you normalize taking time out of your day to treat yourself. If there’s one you don’t feel up to, you can always swap it for a repeat of another day’s task to stay on schedule.

Confidence

Building up your confidence levels doesn’t have to be hard. Follow the thirty-day confidence challenge from ‘Brains, Bibs, and Biz,’ and you’ll be surprised how much better you’re feeling about yourself at the end of the month. With easy journal prompts and calls for self-care, this challenge is a guaranteed confidence-booster you don’t have to stress over. Note the typo on day five—it should say “I feel happy when ___.”  

Gratitude

Thanksgiving isn’t the only day you can give thanks. In fact, practicing gratitude all year long can help you keep your mind on the good things in your life, like the family, friends, and opportunities that only you have. Even when you’re feeling down, expressing gratitude is a little way to make a big change in your mood. You’ll quickly find that there’s always something to be grateful for. 

Creativity

Artsy gals, rejoice! It turns out that working on a daily art project can help you calm your worries and improve your creative skills at the same time. Created by Sara Zorel, the thirty-day doodle challenge allows beginners and pros alike to flex their drawing muscles. While you’re doodling, try not to think about anything but the sketch on the page. Consider tracking your progress by creating an art Instagram where you can share your creations with others.

Kindness

Mindfulness is often seen as something you do to improve your own mental health, but you can also use it to have a positive impact on others. Try a thirty-day kindness challenge like this one from Grace, Grow, & Edify. With actions as small as holding the door for a stranger or as involved as volunteering at a local food bank, there’s something for everyone looking to exercise more kindness in their day-to-day life.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a few days while attempting a challenge. The important thing is to set your goal at the start and try your best to meet it. At the end of the day, nobody’s perfect—that’s why we challenge ourselves to grow in the first place. Each activity you complete is a step towards becoming more mindful than you were yesterday. 

Try out one of these thirty-day challenges? Share your progress with us by tagging @girlslifemag on social media!

Title image: The Good Spa Guide

by Bailey Bujnosek | 8/8/2021