Mindfulness simply means being fully present in the moment. I may tell you mindfulness is simple but I am certainly not saying it is easy.
What does it mean to be fully present in the moment? You'll hear this a lot from self help guru's, yoga teachers, meditation leaders, psychiatrists and therapists amongst many others but not many truly understand what it means to be in the moment and that it is something that needs to be practiced regularly, as it is a skill. A life changing skill.
I'd like you to take a moment right now to experience some mindfulness. Take a slow deep breath in through the nose and feel the sensation of the cold air entering the nostrils, feel your lungs filling up and the tightness in your chest when you can't inhale anymore. As you exhale feel the warm breath leaving your nose. Feel the sensation on the tip of your nose as the breath leaves it. How does your body feel right now? How do your feet feel on the ground? Is the floor cold? Hear the sounds around you close by and in the distance. Just hear the sounds, don't try and figure out what they are or attach feeling or emotion to them, just listen. For a moment take your eyes off the computer (once you've finished reading this direction) and sit there in the moment and feel every sensation, hear every sound and take in your surroundings. In that very moment you have all you need. Let your thoughts just pass by you like clouds. In that moment you do not need to plan the future, worry about the past, or answer the demands of others. You have everything you need, take in your surroundings and just be.
For those few moments you were fully present. That may have seemed like a lot to be thinking about, sensations, feelings etc, but in fact the less you think the better. Mindfulness is deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgement. Acceptance of what is.
Now why do we do this? The benefits of mindfulness are vast and vital to overall happiness, health and life. Mindfulness can:
- Improve well being
- relieve stress and anxiety
- lower blood pressure
- improve sleep
- significantly help relieve symptoms of depression
- help with eating disorders
- help with obsessive compulsive disorder
- help you focus
- support in weight loss
- improve creativity and memory
- improve blood sugar control
- boosts immune system
- let you get to know yourself and your hearts desires
And many more...
The benefits to your life and improving mental health are amazing which is why, as someone diagnosed with bipolar and managed to turn my life around, I want to share ways and inspiration to help you be more mindful in your everyday life. Through practices like meditation, yoga, certain food, creating a routine, setting goals etc. you can do this. And I will go into detail on each area.
But to start with, how about every morning before jumping out of bed, take a moment to be grateful and present, set a positive intention to start your day. Practice just 5 minutes of meditation before the chaos of the day kicks off and your taken with it. When you pour tea hear the sounds, feel the steam rising, inhale the smell. Taste your food. Don't eat while watching the TV. Food tastes so much better when you are mindful about what you are eating, you will also be less likely to eat junk food as you will be fully aware about what you are putting into your amazing body. Taste it, smell it, feel the textures in your mouth and see the different colours on your plate.
I hope this has given you a clearer understanding of mindfulness and what it can do for you. Please subscribe for guides, meditations and inspiring life lessons.
Now go and be present xx
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