What’s Mindfulness All about?

Mindfulness has become a bit of a buzz word in recent times. The fast pace of modern lifestyle can bring many stresses and strains with it. Mindfulness is a type of meditation that can act as a reprieve from the busy world around you. For many people, it’s evolving into a complete ‘way of life’ as a result of the far reaching benefits it can produce. Let’s find out what it’s all about.

What is mindfulness?

In its simplest form, mindfulness is all about ‘being present’. It means that your mind is fully attending to what is happening at any given moment. In mindfulness meditation, the person meditating pays attention to the thoughts, feelings and sensations that arise while they are meditating. The goal is to observe these without judgement, and simply recognize and accept them.

Mindfulness can extend to all areas of life. It’s about being present in the moment, and not thinking about what has happened in the past, or what is going to happen in the future.

The potential benefits of mindfulness

• Experience more mental clarity and an increased ability to focus and get things done
• A greater sense of calm, peace and fulfillment as a result of living life more fully
• Decreased levels of stress, anxiety and depression 

‘Mindless’ examples in the real world

In a busy world, it’s easy to get caught up with ‘mindless’ activity. This is because a person may be thinking about the million things they have on their ‘to-do’ list. As a result, the focus is taken away from the task at hand.

A few examples of ‘mindlessness’ include:

• Eating a whole packet of biscuits because you were working at your desk, or transfixed in front of the TV and didn’t realize you were eating so many
• Hearing your child talk but not having any idea about what they are saying because you’re not present, and instead you’re thinking about your ‘to-do’ list
• Being distracted by the nagging thoughts in your mind and almost getting run over by a car

Ways to start being more mindful

• Eat mindfully and your waistline will love you for it. Avoid eating at your desk or in front of the TV. When you eat, pay full attention to the taste, texture, and aroma of the food. Eat slowly and chew your food properly. You’ll be more likely to enjoy your meal and also avoid overeating.

• Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is not the friend of mindfulness, and you will probably find you’ll get more done by focusing on one thing at a time. Resist the temptation to brush your teeth while checking your phone, walking around the house and tidying up at the same time!

• If you live in a busy city and regularly find yourself stuck in traffic or jammed into a bus or train, stop and be present. Instead of anxiously willing the traffic to move or the train doors to open (i.e. willing the future to come faster!), try and relax into the moment. Think about the other people around you and how they might be feeling. Tune into your surroundings by noticing the feeling of your feet on the floor and your back against the seat, and the sights and sounds around you.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Start by focusing on one aspect of your life that you find stressful. Step by step you can turn it into a more enjoyable activity and reap the overflow benefits into the rest of your life.