“Maybe it’s possible to measure mindfulness?”

That thought crossed my mind one day, and curiosity got the better of me. So, naturally, I turned to my trusted circle of friends: Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity (Yes, I don’t have human friend if you are asking. PS JK!)

After some digging and plenty of back-and-forth, I landed on an idea—using the Stress Level metric on my Garmin device to see if practicing mindfulness more intentionally could show any measurable changes. Sure, it’s not a lab-grade scientific tool, and the results might not be super precise, but it will be fun to see if there’s any change.

The plan? Keep an eye on my daily stress levels, note them down, and reflect on how they align with my mindfulness efforts. Patterns or no patterns, it’ll be interesting to observe the trends and reflect along the way.

So here we are, starting the journey.

Day 1.

It’s quite interesting to note something unexpected from my mindfulness experiment: during work hours, my stress levels are relatively low. But oddly enough, it’s when I’m cooking or snacking on the couch that my stress seems to spike the most.

Mindful Exercise

This journey has revealed a few interesting things so far:

• Smart Devices for Mindfulness: Wearing a smart device has been surprisingly helpful for staying mindful. As a sports data maniac, I’m naturally drawn to keeping my physiological stats in check—whether it’s during workouts or mindfulness sessions. The desire to see those “good numbers” keeps me motivated to stay consistent.
• Breathing to De-Stress: I’ve discovered that breathing techniques really work when it comes to lowering stress levels. Whenever I notice my stress number creeping up, a little intentional breathing—like box breathing—helps bring it back down.
• What’s Box Breathing? If you’re curious, box breathing is a simple yet powerful technique that’s often used by high-pressure professionals like military personnel and first responders. It’s easy to try:
  1. Inhale for 4 seconds.
  2. Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
  3. Exhale for 4 seconds.
  4. Hold your breath again for 4 seconds. Repeat this cycle for about 5 minutes, and you might just feel the stress melting away.