Mindfulness is a state of mind where you can train yourself to be receptive of your own environment in a particular way. If you are a mindful person, you are able to focus on the present situation. You never look back or worry about what will happen in the future. You can easily concentrate on everything that occurs around you. You are not judgmental of others or things that occur within the community. You do not consider an event or situation either good or bad.
Enjoying the moment is what being mindful is all about. You are not constrained by what has happened in the past nor do you keep thinking about what the future holds. Mindfulness is appreciating life as the day passes by. Being mindful helps you to clear your mind of worries and problems. It helps you to be aware of yourself, your physical body and your surroundings. It helps you to process your thoughts in a relaxed manner. It calms the nervous system. It helps you to focus more on the essential things. It gives you the freedom to be stress-free.
Get Rid of Worries
Mindfulness can be achieved by everyone. This state of mind has been practiced in ancient times which has its roots in Eastern philosophy. In the past four decades, this approach has become more popular in western societies. In daily life, it is most often attained by engaging in several activities such as yoga and meditation. Even mundane activities such as walking, driving or brushing your teeth can be tools to achieve mindfulness by paying close attention to what you are doing and focusing completely on what is at hand.
Daily Life Advantages
Relieving stress, better sleep patterns, managing anxiety attacks or depression, reducing emotional outbursts, enhancing memory, assisting in solving problems, a happier life, becoming more emotionally stable and regulating breathing patterns are some of the most common daily life advantages of achieving mindfulness.
Physiologically, mindfulness also helps you to lower your heart rate, normalize blood circulation, strengthen immunity and cope with pain.
Focus on the Moment
Mindfulness sharpens your focus. It is about being aware of how you feel. Activities such as meditation, yoga, martial arts, music, visual arts and sports can all be methods of learning to fully focus on the moment. Why are these kinds of activities so helpful? By fully focusing on breathing, particular physical activity, muscle relaxation or a specific skill you slowly practice and develop the skills necessary to achieve this state. Consistency and practice are the key to infusing this type of mindset into your life.
Origin and Applications
The principle of mindfulness as we refer to it today was initially established in Buddhism. Other religions also have similar methods of meditation or prayer that draws away your thoughts from worries and fears or the common preoccupations of the moment and leads you to have a deeper appreciation of a bigger perspective about life.
Enhanced Well-being
When focusing on the present, you are less likely to experience anxieties and worries. There is no place to dwell in the past with its disappointment and regrets nor worry about a future that is impossible to control. Your well- being is directly connected to a clear mind that is more concerned with and focused on abundance and success and connecting well with loved ones, friends and nature.
Better Physical Health
In psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation has been considered as an essential element in treating many common health problems such as drug addiction, anxiety disorders, anorexia, relationship issues, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Experts claim mindfulness is often used in conjunction with other treatments to accelerate treatment and healing. It assists people in looking deeper into their experiences like painful events instead of reacting to old patterns of thinking that makes us want to avoid them.
Approaches for Daily Living
Developing mindfulness techniques brings a state of alertness and focused relaxation to your thoughts and sensations. Meditation, in particular is a great way to practice keeping your thoughts in the present moment. By clearing your mind of extraneous thoughts you practice letting go of imagined possible outcomes based on past experiences. New experiences are based in true reality rather than a running movie of past memories, traumas and disappointments.
Basic meditation can be practiced by sitting quietly anywhere and focusing on your natural breathing. You can help your mind to focus by repeating affirmations, sounds or words silently in your brain, often called a mantra. say anything that you can repeat silently like a mantra. Let your thoughts come and go without being judgmental. Focus on your breathing patterns.
With regard to your body sensations, you may observe itchiness or tingling. Do not be too concerned about them and let them pass. Be aware of your body parts from head to toe. Focus on becoming aware of what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Identify them without judging and let them go. Acknowledge how you feel but do not let your emotions take over your behavior. Stay relaxed and calm. You may simply identify your emotions as joy, anger, sadness and frustration but do not dwell on them so that they don’t affect your state of mind.
Practicing Mindfulness
Meditation can be learned. There are many meditation books, e-books, videos and apps to choose from. You can benefit by having an instructor or group to respond to your queries and keep you motivated. Select a teacher, partner, or support system that is using a meditation method that is in line with your personal beliefs and goals.
If you are suffering from any health condition, consider augmenting your medical treatment with meditation. The combination of the two together has been proven to accelerate healing and manage conditions. Seek the advice of your doctor or local health center for local tai chi, meditation, yoga, specific sports or similar groups within the community. In some instances, insurance may assist in covering program costs.
Concentration Activities
Mindfulness is about going with the flow. This starts with establishing full concentration. As you move along, you will notice how your inner thoughts, emotions, and sensations flow smoothly. Let these things go on in your mind without judging if they have positive or negative impact.
Pay attention to sensations such as sounds, touch and sight to freely observe the environment and appreciate the moment. Do not dwell on a particular event, emotion or sensation and definitely don’t keep thinking about any past experience or future plan. Simply watch anything that comes along in your mind. Learn which mental activities create a feeling of well-being and positive feedback.
Stay with what is at the present. Over time, this is key to a happier outlook and self-awareness and you will become satisfied and content with a wider range of your experiences.
If you would like to learn more tips on mindfulness and focus, you will love our article about How to Deal with Distractions in Meditation.
