This Valentine’s Day, savor a bite of good chocolate, linger over a meal with a loved one, close your eyes and breathe in the scent of those flowers, or focus on the beauty of your surroundings as you take a peaceful nature walk. These activities are examples of ways you can practice mindfulness. Simply defined, mindfulness means paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and/or surroundings. It can be simple (such as chewing your food slowly and really savoring the taste and feel of it in your mouth) or take more time to master (like the practice of mindfulness meditation). You can do it on your own (like taking slow, deep breaths with your eyes closed), with the guidance of an app or website, or with a trained professional (as with mindfulness-based stress reduction).
