Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, & bodily sensations within and around you. Being mindful is related to being open, nonjudgmental, friendly, curious, accepting, compassionate and kind.

Mindfulness is being fully present in the moment.

Why is mindfulness important?

This topic has been studied widely and benefits of this simple act of being present and aware, in the moment, have shown to improve mental well-being, enhance focus, improve self-awareness, reduce depression, anxiety, & stress, decrease symptoms of insomnia and improve sleep, help with weight control and overcoming eating disorders & addiction, as well as improving physical health & reduction in pain!

When to practice mindfulness?

Really, any time is a good time. I might suggest right when you wake up, when you are eating, driving, working, moving your body, or even when you are just sitting. Practicing mindfulness when you interact with others will show the other person that you care. They will be able to tell and appreciate it so much more when you are more present rather than being distracted or hurried.

What are some mindfulness techniques?

Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) or mindfulness techniques are really quite simple. Sitting and just paying attention to your body or doing a head-to-toe body scan is a great technique. Starting at the top of the head, relaxing all of the muscles in your body, going through each body part until you get to the tips of your toes. Taking a walk-in nature is a wonderful mindfulness technique. Nature is connected to all living things and there is so much positive energy supplied by nature that it naturally recharges the human body. Additionally, breath work - mindfully breathing in and mindfully breathing out - can help calm the nerves & rebalance the autonomic nervous system. There are so many different breathing techniques but just focusing on the breath can be so beneficial.

The five senses meditation is a wonderful MBI - take a deep breath in the through the nose and out through the nose. Take in your surroundings using your 5 senses - what is it that you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste?

How to incorporate mindfulness practices into your everyday life:

It can be as simple as starting with the idea of mindfulness. Then you set the intention that you want to be more mindful when you (fill in the blank). Then, it's something you try, then something you do. When you practice mindfulness consistently, you feel the benefits, there's a dopamine (a natural chemical that makes us feel good) response and it becomes a habit. Then, it's simply who you are.

References

Zhang D, Lee EKP, Mak ECW, Ho CY, Wong SYS. Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review. Br Med Bull. 2021 Jun 10;138(1):41-57. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldab005. PMID: 33884400; PMCID: PMC8083197. Retrieved from: Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review - PMC (nih.gov)

Khoury B, Sharma M, Rush SE, Fournier C. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res. 2015 Jun;78(6):519-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.03.009. Epub 2015 Mar 20. PMID: 25818837.

Allen, J.G., Romate, J. & Rajkumar, E. Mindfulness-based positive psychology interventions: a systematic review. BMC Psychol 9, 116 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00618-2

Mindfulness exercises. Retrieved from Mindfulness exercises - Mayo Clinic