Let me ask you – what does mindfulness mean to you? A mind full of hot air? A mind full of sawdust, perhaps?
Wait just a minute – right…there.
Now, let me ask you something else. What does this moment feel like?
Like, right now.
And how does that relate to how you feel?
Oh wait, sorry, we’ve moved on into the next moment. Do try to keep up.
Time might be moving forward but that doesn’t mean we have to be chasing after it. Even as you finish reading this sentence, we’ll have already moved into the next moment.
Catch it, don’t chase it. Every moment is the progressive chain to the next. Yours for the taking. Or not.
More on that later, though, we need to make sure we are all on the same page.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the idea of being present and aware of both your mind and body. You may feel emotions you didn’t know you were feeling; experience sensations you’d even managed to hide from yourself.
It’s the slowing down of the journey along the progressive chain; the time slipping through your fingers will start to coagulate. This is called experiencing the moment.
“It’s easy to stop noticing the world around us. It’s also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling.” Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre
Types of Mindfulness
There are several types of mindfulness, which is good because it means there are many ways you can incorporate it into your life. No matter how busy you are. You could practice it as you walk from your car to the office in the morning.
So I’ll suggest a couple.
Mindful Eating
This is exactly what it sounds like; paying attention to all your senses as you eat a meal. What does it smell like? What do the colours really look like? How does the food taste as it’s in your mouth? Does the texture change as you eventually swallow? Make sure to focus on every sensation carefully, and try not to rush ahead, although that will take practise.
(Now I mention it, have you realised how much movement there is in the act of swallowing?)
Mindfulness Meditation
This tends to be what people think of when they think of mindfulness. It’s essentially the same as you would do with the food, but focusing on yourself – and only yourself – for a certain period of time. (Any narcissists in the room should find this remarkably easy, lucky you. I say that only half jokingly.)
The most simple way of doing it is focusing on the rhythm and patterning of your breath. Breathe in through your nose, feeling the air fill your nose, fuelling your body with infinite energy. As you do this, try to process any thoughts that crop up in a non – judgemental way. After all, these are just thoughts, nothing more. Then gently bring your undivided attention back to the breath.
Isn’t it great that the Universe has given you the opportunity to feel this? Are you privileged to bear witness to such a feeling?
It’s worth mentioning that not everything you’ll experience will be pleasant. You are taking the time to look after yourself, but that means dealing with both the good and the bad – not just shoving the negative thoughts and feelings to one side and hoping when you open your eyes it’ll all be gone. (yes, I did do that, try not to judge me too much.)
If you do come across something uncomfortable – this could be a memory, or a bodily sensation such as pins and needles – try to just sit with it. These are just sensations, and they themselves can’t hurt you. In doing this, it’ll make you question whether something you perceive as ‘bad’ is really as dire as you first thought.
If it gets too much, open your eyes and let yourself adjust. Over time, your mind will learn to be less reactive. I think it goes with saying, but if you think you are in any immediate danger, stop. Some things, like your overall health, are more pressing.
I just want to put it out there that you don’t need accessories (meditation cushions, incense, and the like), unless you feel like they are going to help you ‘get in the zone’. If you’re new to all this, something like a candle may help – or even soothing sounds on YouTube. For example, I like listening to rain and waves on beach. But you can use whatever you feel like. That’s your decision to make.
Some of the Benefits
While there are hundreds of benefits to mindfulness, not everyone will be able to take advantage of them at the same rate. For example, it can take a month of regular meditation for stress reduction to take affect, but you may find it takes only take a few weeks. It varies on the individual. For that reason, I’ll take you through a few of the main benefits.
Better Productivity
Having a clearer mind makes everything feel and flow so much better. And who doesn’t want to be more productive?
More Responsive, but less Reactive
Over time, you’ll start to appreciate thoughts and situations as just that. They are happening, then they’ve happened, and the moment is gone.
Self Awareness
Building on the idea of productivity, you’ll better be able to distinguish one thought from another. Being more aware of intrusive thoughts and negative behaviour patterns allows you to take thoughts apart and put them back together in a way that’ll help you reach your potential. Making you generally feel better about yourself.
Acceptance
As you practise mindfulness you’re encouraging yourself to go with the flow, which helps you observe things as they are, not how you think they should be. You appreciate aspects of your life as one piece of the Universe’s puzzle. And you’re okay with that. You are content with who you are, so why should it matter that much what other people think? I like to remind myself that if people unfairly criticise you, they’re either jealous or struggling. It’s a tad debatable whether these ideas are so different from each other.
Better Physical Health
If your mind feels better, then surely your body will too? Even the stress headaches and migraines you might get, they could improve. Less anxiety will improve your blood circulation – which then nourishes your brain and body. Having a compounding effect on the benefits listed above. Happy days!
Conclusion; back to the ‘or not’
What’s stopping you from pausing? All you have to do is press pause, and it could all just stop. If you get panicky, you can always press play. You’re in control of this moment.
For every minute you stop, the deadlines and bills to pay are still there, yes. This isn’t about wishing your stresses away. If anyone had figured out how to do that, I’m willing to bet the world would be a completely different place. But in the meantime, you can feel better about tackling your troubles. You’re in control, not of the next or last moment, but the moment you’re in now.
How are you going to use this moment?
– D
*Note: some of the information on this post was referenced from https://www.nhs.uk, https://positivepsychology.com, https://www.mindful.org
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