What if we tell you that you could improve your life, sleep and happiness? What if we tell you that you can have a healthier brain free from anxiety and depression? What if we tell you that you can have it all with mindfulness habits?
So, you may ask us this big question,
What is Mindfulness?
Instead of beating around the bush, let’s discuss the elephant in the room – Mindfulness!
In simpler words, mindfulness is an awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations. It is a moment-by-moment awareness of what is going through your mind. The key is to let all kinds of thoughts, feelings, and sensations come and go without any need to do anything with them.
Mindfulness exercises are all about accepting yourself and whatever comes through your mind. It’s less about creating a judgment and more about exploring or experiencing your inner world. In the end, it is your inner world that drives you, motivates you, keeps you stuck, or makes you happy. The more you focus on improving your inner world, the better you respond to the world outside.
Aside from making your world happy and peaceful, mindfulness tips can even help the physiology of the body and the brain. Let’s how a look
What Mindfulness Can Do to Your Body?
Reduces Stress
On finding your ways to practice mindfulness, you will feel your body at an ease. Why? Because it will lower the physiological markers of stress as well as improve the ability of your brain to manage stress.
Restores Emotional Balance
Emotional or stressful situations can knock the life out of you. The damage can soon transcend to your physical well-being. However, mindfulness can help you recover from such emotional situations by keeping your feelings in check.
Increases Resilience
Practicing mindfulness in beginners has shown improved resilience to psychological stress.
Lowers Down Anxiety
Mindfulness has been shown to reduce anxiety in both adolescents and adults. It improves anxiety by enhancing the cognitive and emotional parts of the brain.
Reduces Depression
Mindfulness can not only make you free from anxiety but also depression. It can reduce the symptoms as well as the recurrence of depressive episodes.
Improves Sleep Quality and Fatigue
Practicing mindfulness regularly can improve sleep quality, reduce insomnia and fatigue. Furthermore, it also improves attention and lets you avoid distractions.
How to Practice Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is not something that can be achieved in a fleet of seconds. It is difficult. As our minds are wired differently, it can become really difficult to train your mind into the opposite. Our minds are used to wandering. These are used to make judgments whether good or bad and analyze them. Sometimes, this part of our brain is useful. However, most of the time it keeps on making our life more troublesome.
A lot of times you need to be left alone, relish the present without thinking about anything, and fully be in the moment to experience life. You want your mind to be firm and not drift away with different thoughts and feelings that are causing you damage.
The only place we can be is now!
Yes, it is crucial to learn from the past and plan for the future but it should not become your constant state of being. All you have is now – the present.
Imagine how beautiful your life would be if you can just be in the present moment, feel the fresh air on your face, and relish every moment of your life. Dreamy isn’t it? Well, you can make it your reality with mindfulness.
Try to replace judgments about any situation, feeling, or person with the acknowledgment that you are doing the best you can at the moment. Of course, you can do better but loving yourself and your efforts right now are also important. What’s more important is that you are doing it. The more you practice mindfulness, the easier you will find to be in the present and focus on the things that require your attention.
Let us repeat it for you, it will be difficult. Remember, mindfulness is dose-related. The more you practice, the more you will excel. The most important part is to try, start, and work towards making it your regular practice. For instance, decide that you will give twenty minutes out of your day to being mindful. Commit to it. Sometimes you might not be able to do it and make it harder for ten minutes.
AND THAT IS OKAY!
Do not be so hard on yourself. If you find it difficult, here are ways that can help you
Breathe
Sit in a comfortable space and start breathing. Take slow and deep breaths. Make sure that your belly is moving up and down along with your breathing rhythm. Focus on what is happening in your body as you inhale and exhale.
Now, focus on your thoughts. Acknowledge them. Do not get stuck with them. Let them come and go. If your mind still goes away, acknowledge where it drifted and bring it back to your breath. This can be hard but remind yourself and begin again.
Notice Body Sensations
As you get comfortable, move your attention through your body and notice sensations. Can you feel your inner world? Can you feel alive? Or do you feel heavy and empty? Try not to judge yourself at any point. Understand these emotions or change those sensations. Let them be just like your thoughts.
- Focus on Your Emotions
Acknowledge your emotions. What kind of emotions are coming to you? Perhaps they might even grow with your thoughts and sensation. You may feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable in the silence. Let your attention be on them. Understand them or change them. Just be in the moment.
- Feel Everything Around You
As you drift your attention through the body, notice everything. Notice what you see, hear, feel, taste or smell. Name everything around you- WITHOUT ANY JUDGEMENT.
And?
Let it go.
- Surf Through Your Cravings
Your mind is a great player. You might be tempted by needs or cravings. Notice how you feel while thinking about them. Habits or cravings do more damage than good. The urge is unable to control and fall into it. Sometimes our response to the urge is so sudden that we think it is normal.
This time, try something different. Let your needs or cravings be there and sit with them. Let yourself be uncomfortable. Rather than getting rid of this discomfort, acknowledge it.
Wash The Dishes
Alright, we are not bluffing, stay here.
There’s nothing fancy about washing dishes that can give you a calming or sensual experience. It is mundane- and that’s what makes it special. This mundane task keeps you focusing on the moment. The smell of soap, the warmth of water against your hands, the feel of dishes on your skin, sound, and so on.
It has been shown that mindful dishwashing is like a mediation session. It increases calmness and improves your mental inspiration. So, if you want to practice mindfulness, wash your dishes and keep that sink squeaky clean!
Take a Mindful Shower
Feel every part of your shower. The feel of the water as it touches your skin, the taste of water, the smell of soap, and your calmness.
Now, focus on the water temperature. Is it too cold? Is it got? Or just perfect? Listen to the drizzling of water on your skin to the ground. Touch your skin. How does it feel? Familiar? Unfamiliar? Do you want more? Be aware of your thoughts and be in the moment.
Take a Mindful Walk
To practice mindfulness, walk happily. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet. To do a mindful walk, keep your attention only on the experience of walking. Keep it real. Do not think. If your mind drifts away, bring it back to the awareness.
Feel the ground beneath your feet, focus your attention on the steps. Listen and notice how it is like. Engage your senses in walking. Notice the smell, sounds, and feel of the world as you walk.
When You Are With Someone
We are never truly with anyone because most often our judgments overrule us. This time, let your judgments drift away and be with someone.
Notice how they talk, sound when they speak. Notice how their eyes twinkle when they smile. Notice how you feel about them or with them. Do not pass any judgment. Just be, and you’ll find the sense of calm whirling around you.
Conclusion – You Can’t Go Wrong with Practicing Mindfulness
Falling into habits is easy. We are wired to think differently. We are taught to pass judgments about others and even about ourselves. Accepting us for who we are and bringing awareness of our surroundings is difficult. However, with constant practice, you can gift yourself the privilege of being in the present and enjoying every moment of your life.
So, this time, forget everything and be in the present because life is beautiful. Practice mindfulness and see how easy and wonderful you feel! Stay tuned with us for more such posts.
