It is highly likely that we have heard the term “mindfulness” thrown around in conversation, on social media or on television. But what exactly is mindfulness? And how exactly can we be mindful in our day-to-day life? Mindfulness is comprised of two things, awareness and acceptance. It is the ability to be present in your own mind, and observe the thoughts and feelings, like clouds in the sky. Mindfulness can be used to reduce stress and anxiety, and increase one’s view of oneself.
Mindfulness is often thought to be based on ancient Buddhist and Hindu writings and teachings, and was brought to Western culture by Jon-Kabat Zinn. Zinn created an 8-week, science-based program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, based on his time as a student of Buddhist teachers and Zen missionaries. Zinn’s 8 week program was linked to an increased ability to cope with stress, pain and illness.
Mindfulness can be incorporated into your daily life with just a few simple exercises and life tweaks. It is important to remember that when practicing mindfulness, quality is better than quantity. Look at how you are implementing the awareness and acceptance. Are they from a judgmental perspective? If so, take some time to look at the underlying reasons. Mindfulness that stems from a judgmental perspective has been found to do more harm than good.
As promised, here are a few mindfulness exercises to get you started on your journey into self-discovery, awareness and acceptance:
Breathing
Focus on your breathing. Don’t adjust or alter it, just focus on the natural breath, and how it moves in and out of your lungs. Notice how it makes its way into your body, and then out of your body. Notice what moves with it, and how your body accommodates each and every breath. If your mind starts to wander, that is okay. Gently nudge it back to focusing on your breath.
Awareness
Start with awareness of your body by doing a comprehensive scan. Start at the top of your head, and move slowly down your body until you reach your toes. Ask yourself questions about your body, your environment and your five senses: Where can you feel your body touching the earth? Where can you feel the tension? Where are you holding excess energy? What do you smell? What do you taste? Hear? See? Then move to the awareness of your mind. Become aware of your thoughts and feelings. Make sure to refrain from judgement. Pretend you are floating in a lake or river, and your thoughts and feelings are floating by with the current. Be aware of them, but don’t interrupt their flow, or interact with them. Just let them float past.
Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is defined as one’s ability to love oneself, and provide kindness, and patience towards oneself. People are often capable of compassion, love, kindness and patience with others, but struggle when it comes to themselves. Self-compassion is loving yourself even when life isn’t going perfectly as planned. It is about accepting your failures, and loving yourself regardless of those failures. It means that your self-worth, self-compassion, self-love, and self-kindness are not contingent on achieving your goals.
Combining awareness, breathing and self-compassion can help you practice being mindful. If you can’t figure it out on your own, there are professionals (like us) to help guide you. You are still strong and valuable if you ask for help. Also check out our blog post on finding self-worth.
References:
Clark, A. (2019, May 5). How Mindfulness Can Ease Anxiety. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hack-your-anxiety/201905/how-mindfulness-can-ease-anxiety
Greater Good Magazine. (n.d.). Mindfulness Definition: What Is Mindfulness. Retrieved from
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
Gruman, J. (2020, May 11). When Mindfulness Can Be Bad For You. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dont-forget-the-basil/202005/when-mindfulness-can-be-bad-you
Psychology Today. (n.d.). Mindfulness. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mindfulness