There’s a lot of buzz around the word ‘mindfulness’ at the moment. Sounds exciting and possibly new? Actually mindfulness has been around for 1000 of years and the benefits are far reaching.
Mindfulness can be utilised in our everyday lives. It helps us to stop, slow down and live in the now and look at life. Think before acting and jumping in, observing without been critical, been kind to yourself, existing in the now and learning that you’re not your thoughts. To focus on the thing that you are actually doing at the time.
Sound simple? Let’s try it.
Let’s take an everyday task like brushing your teeth. While doing this, think ONLY about brushing your teeth. Feel the texture of the paste on your teeth and the brush in your mouth, the mint tingling on your tongue, the sounds the brushing makes. The cool air you breathe in and which hand your using. Perhaps look in the mirror too? Quite a bit to think about and that’s just the tip of the ice burg! In taking this moment you are acting mindful of your task and making time for you. If your mind starts to wander off gently bring it back to the act of brushing your teeth. Focus and be in the moment, keep in the moment. It doesn’t have to be brushing your teeth. Practice something mindfully for a few moments, see how you go.
By practicing mindfulness you can also start to be more aware of your body’s signals and interpret them from a logical perspective, rather than reacting in ways that may not be healthy or productive. We are not our thoughts alone.
We can practice mindfulness in many aspects of our lives and they are varies methods too. Perhaps today look at walking the dog mindfully, eating your meals, dressing mindfully. Can you think of any others areas? All you need to do is keep bringing your mind back to the one task you are doing. No distractions, no multitasking – simply doing the thing you’re doing and notice that moment.
