All too often we find it difficult to accept what we are feeling. A common pattern is to experience an initial unpleasant experience, and feel bad, then to feel bad because of feeling bad, and then to feel bad about feeling bad, and so on. It is a vicious cycle of feeling bad about feeling bad that we are not always aware of. The feelings are generated by thinking in an unhelpful way. We can learn to break this cycle.
“WORRYING IS LIKE A ROCKING CHAIR. IT GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO DO, BUT IT DOESN’T GET YOU ANYWHERE”
– Unknown
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the ability to stay in the present moment and to focus your thoughts on what is happening in the here and now. With all the unknowns of what is coming in the future, it is all too easy to get stuck in negative loops which ultimately breed stress in the body. And stress is the last thing we need if we want to boost our immune systems and keep a healthy mental state.
Simple ways to be mindful
1. Practice gratitude
You can do this simply by waking up and thinking/writing down 5 things that you have been grateful for. This could be something that you achieved the previous day, your health, family, friends and so on. This will focus our attention to what is positive in our lives in the present moment, bringing the good stuff to the forefront of our minds.
2. Check-in with your body
Your body is continuously working hard to keep you alive without you having to think about it – you breathe automatically, your heart beats continuously and your bodily functions keep going regardless of what you do. What do you notice?
Where are you holding tension? Do you have aches or pains? Do you feel heavy or light? Bringing your attention to your body can help realign your attention to the present but also connects you to the information you need to take better care of your body.
3. Your five senses
One of the simplest ways of staying mindful is to bring your attention to the present moment. Stop what you are doing for a moment and observe what is going on around you. What can you hear? What can you smell? What are others around you doing?
4. Focus on your breath
The breath is happening with or without our conscious awareness, but by bringing our attention to our breath we can help our mind focus. Shut your eyes and focus your breath for a minute. Breathe in for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 and breathe out for 6. Repeat this 4 times and notice your mind becoming more relaxed.
5. Mindful eating
Most of the time we aren’t paying attention to the food we eat because we’re eating at our desk, watching a YouTube video or reading while we eat. But research has shown that when we eat with more mindfulness, we digest our food better which helps get more vitamins and minerals and aids in overall digestive health.
key benefits of being mindful
- Greater insight
- Improved Problem solving
- Better attention
- Less selfishness
- Less Neurosis
- More acceptance
- Greater enjoyment of life
- Less ‘Beating ourselves up!’
- Better mind-body integration.