Mindfulness in its essence refers to the art of being present with self and with the environment around us. It takes into account moment-to-moment awareness of our experience with the world with complete acceptance and non-judgement. The art form of mindfulness has found its roots centuries ago in Buddhist practices and has evolved into a kind of discipline that any person can adhere to.
The term has been used interchangeably with related practices such as meditation however, mindfulness is somewhat different from simple meditation.
Basically, mindfulness involves self-regulation that focuses on training your mind to increase attention and awareness, of self as well as surrounding.
A huge body of research has shown mindfulness practice to be beneficial.
Decreased rumination- rumination refers to compulsively focusing on negative thoughts. Several studies have demonstrated that mindfulness can help decrease negative affect in people, result in less rumination as well as lead to fewer depressive symptoms.
Stress reduction- Mindfulness practices can help reduce stress. Stress constitutes a chunk of our lives, especially for adolescents and young adults considering the rapid changes that they go through in major domains of life. According to the American Psychological Association, mindfulness can help soothe the feelings of anxiety and stress. Mindfulness and yoga practices help people address thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to stressors (APA, 2019).
Better focus- Mindfulness practices enable people to increase their focus and attention by engaging in self-regulating exercises. It helps in enhancing sustained attention and subsequent attentional functioning.
Better memory- Mindfulness has been linked to enhanced memory performance. It can help boost memory.
Stronger relationships- There is evidence that mindfulness has a positive impact on and can strengthen interpersonal relationships. People who are more mindful tend to be more accepting of others’ characteristics and flaws. Such people who are more accepting of their friends or partners tend to feel more satisfied in their relationships.
Better physical health- Mindfulness can help relieve symptoms of a variety of different health conditions. Mindfulness based practices have been said to be linked to improvement in lower back pain, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, etc. Since mindfulness has been shown to combat stress, such practices may also be helpful for people who have chronic illness.
Weaving mindfulness in the thread of everyday life
Mindfulness and mindfulness based practices have clearly shown to be incredibly beneficial so why don't more people make it a part of their everyday life? Well, for starters, it requires
discipline. Second, people seem to assume that mindfulness can only be done on a yoga mat and in a quiet room. Such an environment is quite beneficial however that does not mean you cannot take mindfulness out on a walk with you. Many of us commute daily, whether it is to school, college or work.
So, how to take mindfulness along that ride?
Pre-commute morning rituals: Practicing stretches and engaging other bodily movements can help bring a sense of calm before getting mixed into the routine.
Engaging in mindfulness based activities: Using breathing techniques such as deep and intentional breathing can help reduce some of the stress and noise from the background. Intentional breathing can help the mind stay sharp and alert.
Getting in touch with the environment: People can engage their senses while commuting. This can take the form of observing the details in surroundings, closing your eyes and listening to various sounds, paying attention to different kinds of smells. It involves engaging your senses with the environment.
Using mindfulness based applications: For people who feel it is hard to start or initiate mindfulness can make use of mindfulness guided apps that usually involves breathing exercises and other exercises. Such apps can provide a kickstart to the process of mindfulness.
There are many possible benefits of mindfulness and how it can be adopted into our daily routines. Initiating any sort of discipline can be challenging and hard at first but through everyday use, it can become second nature. Given how sweet the fruit of wellness is, a little labor is expected right? One important thing to keep in mind is that mindfulness is not an all-fit-one approach. It is tailor fitted for everyone. What matters is how it works for you and how it can enhance the quality of your life.
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