Mindfulness

The word mindfulness seems to be everywhere lately; in magazines, social media and by word of mouth as many people are trying it out for themselves. But what is it?

In short, mindfulness is living in the present moment. Mindfulness involves acknowledging your current state of emotions and your surroundings. In the stress filled world of today it does seem that being able to calmly accept and acknowledge your surroundings and emotions would be very beneficial. However, mindfulness is not just a way of reducing stress, it also allows you to enjoy happy moments to the fullest.

The practice of  mindfulness uses imagery, breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques to help you focus on the present. By acknowledging your emotions and being aware or your surroundings the focus of your brain is taken away from stress and worry and learns to focus on the here and now. By accepting your emotions and calmly dealing with them accordingly you will be able to handle them and the situation in a much more effective and focussed manner without stress getting in the way. Let’s be honest, when stress gets involved it usually leads to poor decision making that could be avoided by a calm and collected approach.

You may be thinking you need extreme levels of self-control and discipline to achieve mindfulness but fear not! Here are some quick and easy ways of practicing mindfulness every day:

• Focus on your breathing. Take a few deep breaths and really focus on what you are doing, you can use a trigger such as whenever you visit the loo or have a coffee. Use this time to relax, collect yourself and come back to the present moment.

• Grounding is a technique used for dealing with anxiety and it is also used for mindfulness. Grounding is a way of bringing yourself back to the present by  paying attention to your surroundings and engaging your senses. Focus on what you can smell, see and hear. If you have something to touch, pay attention to how this feels on your skin.  This is a quick way of bringing yourself into the present. There are many ways of grounding yourself and it is an interesting topic to explore.

• You can even practice mindfulness as you brush your hair or teeth. Our minds tend to wander during these tasks and they are a good starting point for practicing mindfulness. Try to pay attention to what you are doing and how it feels.

• Allocate time for simply lying down and relaxing. Get comfortable, take some deep breaths and pay attention to your body from head to toe. You could even do this before you try to sleep. Relax your entire body and do a scan: feel your toes, feel your legs, feel the air coming in and out of your body.

Don’t forget that mindfulness is not just a way of dealing with stress, it is a way of living in the moment, being present and aware. Mindfulness helps you to focus, make better decisions and appreciate life more. Mindfulness also makes you more aware of yourself and how and why you feel the way you do, it helps lower anxiety, helps you to sleep better and improves your concentration. Try practicing mindfulness when you are in a happy place to begin with and you will find it much easier to grasp.

So, why not try mindfulness out for yourself and see if it can help you?