Mindfulness and overthinking, they are the modern-day enemies of the mind. Just think about these two concepts for a minute. When we tend to overthink a situation, we most-likely start stressing about it, creating anxiety and inner turmoil.
If we act without being aware of our surroundings and feelings while in such a state, i.e. being mindless, there’s a good chance that we will make a wrong choice.
Feeling stressed and anxious, coupled with a bunch of wrong choices is a recipe for unhappiness. The solution may be easier than you think, however. The opposite of overthinking and acting mindlessly is being mindful.
Practicing mindfulness on a daily basis can have amazing benefits for our physical and mental health, and let’s face it, we can all do with being a bit more mindful and happier.
Is mindfulness really just a trend?
There are many ways we can better our physical and mental health. If you go onto any online or social media platform, there’s about a 90% chance that you will see someone working on their self-improvement. Whether it’s about exercise, eating healthy, being creative or learning meditation, the world is making a conscious shift to being generally happier and healthier.
Mindfulness is not really a new thing; it has been practiced as part of mindful meditation by Buddhist monks for centuries. Being mindful means that you are allowing yourself to be totally aware of the present moment, focusing on it without judgement or attachment. It’s a way for us to cut through the noise of life and see a clearer path through the clutter of our minds.
The science is catching up too. Mindfulness practice has been used as complementary treatment for people who suffer from conditions like depression and anxiety and has been used successfully in recovery programs. A study1 published in 2019 in Frontiers in Psychology found that mindfulness was able to reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. When practiced with meditation and focused on decreasing worry, the study found that the risk of developing clinical depression may even be reduced.
How to practice mindfulness
Mindfulness can slot in with daily meditation practice. First you will need to learn to sit still and focus only on your breathing. This first step can already be hard for people to do. Focusing on your breath is an easy way to become aware of your body, how its moving and the temperature of your breath.
If your mind is racing, try to shift your focus on your breathing the best you can. Once you start getting used to becoming still, you can teach yourself to become mindful of the moment by first observing the moment from afar. Next, you can try to describe the situation for yourself without judgement or opinions. Lastly, you can choose to fully participate in the moment.
This is just a basic breakdown of how mindfulness practice works.
What are the benefits of mindfulness practice?
• Helps us to reduce the distractions of an information-saturated world and helps us to focus better on what is really important to us
• It can lower our stress levels and reduces anxiety
• Improves mental health
• Improves physical health by encouraging better sleep, healthier eating and even
reduces blood pressure, inflammation levels in the body and the risk of heart disease
• It will give you your self-confidence back by allowing you to be your true self without
any judgement
• It reduces harmful ruminative thinking and encourages positive affirmations
• It gives you a way to fight against self-sabotage
• It can better our relationships with people important to us
We can all do with better focus, less distractions, less mindlessness and stress in our lives. It will not only be beneficial to us, but also those surrounding and caring about us.
Thank you and have a fantastic day today