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The Scattered Mind

Mindfulness has always been an issue for me. I have experimented with apps such as Headspace and Calm, but I failed to remind myself on a daily basis to meditate in the morning. Whenever I go running or biking, random thoughts would pop up that have nothing to do with the present moment. Instead of appreciating the blue sky and nice weather, I am absorbed in my thoughts. Although some thoughts are quite neutral, they can cause some anxiety. For instance, I would sometimes think about standardized tests.  It is as if I am physically in one world, but I choose to enter another world. But that is not the worst thing about not being mindful. Not being in the present moment has really affected my ability to focus when playing the piano. Piano is a type of flow activity for me that requires creative thinking, imagination, and trying to immerse yourself in an imaginary world that you try to create in your head. With a scattered mind, that type of experience is hard to find. When I start my warmup by playing the scales, I can't even bring my full attention on the piano. I am probably exaggerating how bad my mental situation is, but not being mindful certainly make sit harder for me to happy throughout the day. According to a Harvard study, around "47% of people's waking hours are spent on thinking about something that isn't happening in the present moment." This led them to the idea that "a wandering mind is an unhappy mind."
In the school year, I knew that mindfulness had some importance but I did not adopt meditation into my life. I made up excuses by saying that, "I don't want to wake up 10 minutes earlier in the morning. I will feel bored when meditating." It wasn't until now that I realized how I overlooked the value of being mindful. Looking back, I regret making this choice.
The journey to achieving mindfulness is a long and challenging one. Despite these difficulties, trying to be mindful by practicing meditation regularly may yield some small changes that I will gradually start to notice. Another technique that helps me be mindful is playing a song and listening to it. For now, a solution I can try is attempting to practice 10 minutes of meditation every day and trying to incorporate simple mindfulness habits in different situations. There is also a mindfulness book where I can record my thoughts based on the specific prompts. 
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