Mindfulness was one of the first topics that really caught my attention when I started taking control of my self-development journey. I found mindfulness during one of the most difficult periods of my life (which you can read about in my “Graduating From School to Life” posts, Part 1 and Part 2). It was a time of confusion, uncertainty, and disconnection from myself. Amongst all that inner chaos caused by what felt like the collapse of my outer world, I found comfort in the concept of mindfulness. Until about two years ago, I had no idea what mindfulness was, but now I try to implement it into my life every day.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool, a lifestyle shift, and a mindset that changes everything. There are so many facets of mindfulness, too many for me to dive into in one blog post. I’m not an expert and I’m still learning about mindfulness, but I feel like I have a handle on the basics, so let’s start there. Read on for my basic guide to mindfulness.
So, what exactly is mindfulness?
Dictionaries define mindfulness as the practice of maintaining a non-judgemental state of awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis, and being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment. I like to define mindfulness as being in the present moment and paying attention in an intentional way. It’s about connecting with your mind, body, and soul in any given moment. It’s the ability to stop thinking about the past and future and focus on the present. It is the practice of decluttering your mind, taking a breath, and appreciating what is right in front of you, right now.
Mindfulness comes with a multitude of benefits.
Science has proven that practicing mindfulness has positive effects on your mind, body, and quality of life. If you live mindfully, chances are you will experience better sleep patterns, you’ll be more able to control your stress, and you’ll find it easier to avoid illness. You’ll gain the ability to appreciate the little things in life, and will find yourself closer to gratitude. Mindfulness makes dealing with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues more manageable. Decluttering your mind can lead to deeper thinking and more nuanced thought patterns. Basically, mindfulness starts in your mind, but expands to every other aspect of your life. When you’re able to bring mindfulness to your daily life, the benefits will just keep rolling in.
There are several activities you can do to bring mindfulness into your life.
Yoga, meditation, and gratitude practices are all powerful forces of mindfulness. In addition to these, there are smaller mindful activities you can do, like monotasking, mindful eating, and simply taking a deep breath. You don’t have to go out of your way or schedule a time for mindfulness. You can bring it with you wherever you go. All activities, big and small, will bring mindfulness to your life in beneficial ways. Check out my “5 Simple Mindfulness Activities for Your Daily Life” post to learn more about the small things you can do to bring mindfulness into your day.
Mindfulness shows up in my life in a few different ways.
I’ll admit that I often struggle with staying in touch with my mindfulness. I overthink everything, I find myself multi-tasking more than I should, and I easily get caught up in the thoughts that pull me away from the present moment. I started going to yoga classes a couple years ago, and I enjoy them, but I often find my mind wandering for most of the hour. I also tried to start a daily meditation practice, and it worked out for the first little while, but I’ve come to the conclusion that my always cluttered mind makes meditating a little difficult. Even though I struggle with some activities and aspects of mindfulness, I’ve discovered the parts of mindfulness that bring the most benefit to my life. Overall, the most important aspects of mindfulness to me are living with intent and paying attention to my mind, body, and soul. I put thought into everything I do, I check in with myself frequently, and I give myself what I need in any given moment. Practicing mindfulness has helped me live with my anxiety, get through my lowest moods, and allowed me to approach life with a mindset of appreciation and gratitude. Yes, there is room for improvement, and no, I’m not perfect. But I try to remind myself that the important thing is I’m trying my best to live as intentionally and mindfully as I can.
Now it’s your turn!
So we’ve covered what mindfulness means, the benefits of mindfulness, some mindfulness activities, and how this all shows up in my life. Now it’s up to you to decide how you want to implement mindfulness in your own life. Do you want to incorporate some yoga classes into your week? Maybe try your hand at meditating? You could even pick up a book or two on mindfulness to learn even more. Mindfulness could show up in your life in significant and subtle ways. The possibilities and benefits of mindfulness are plenty, and I know you will gain so much when you bring it into your life.
I believe everyone can benefit from practicing mindfulness. It’s a simple mindset shift that creates powerful possibilities. I hope this basic guide to mindfulness inspired you to learn more, practice often, and allow mindfulness to help guide you along your self-development journey.
what do you think?