CHAPTER 5: CREATING YOUR PERSONAL MINDPLAY ROUTINE
You’ve learned what mindfulness is, how stress and anxiety affect you and practical tools to manage your mindset. Now it’s time to make it a habit!
This chapter will help you create a MindPlay routine that fits your life and your personality.
The key is consistency short, regular practice works better than long, rare sessions.
Why routines matter?
A routine helps you:
- Keep mindfulness consistent, even on busy days.
- Build mental strength gradually.
- Turn tools into habits that work automatically under pressure.
Think of your routine as training for your mind, just like physical training builds your body.
Building your routine step by step
Step 1: Choose your moments
Mindfulness works best when it fits naturally into your day. Common moments:
- Before activity/performance, to prepare mentally.
- During activity/performance, to stay calm and focused.
- After activity/performance, to reflect and recover.
- Rest days, to reconnect and recharge.
Step 2: Choose your tools
From Chapter 4, pick 1-2 tools for each moment. For example:
- Before activity/performance: Pre-performance centering + 5-4-3-2-1 grounding
- During activity/performance: Breath check + single-point focus
- After activity/performance: Post-performance reflection + body scan
Step 3: Start small
Begin with just one practice a day. You can add more once it feels natural.
Sample weekly MindPlay routine
Daily:
- Morning (5 min): Mindful breathing countdown (Chapter 3)
- Before activity/performance (2-3 min): Pre-performance centering
- During activity/performance: Breath check when needed
- After activity/performance (5 min): Post-performance reflection
If you train on your own in the gym or go for solo runs, use the pre-performance centering before your workout and the post-activity reflection afterwards to track your focus, motivation and recovery
Weekly:
- Rest day (10 min): Full body scan for recovery
- Sunday evening (10 min): Journal- what I learned this week