Background story
I was in my room reading a book called ‘This is Marketing’ by Seth Godin. I had just finished eating when this thought rush through my mind, I had imagined the plate falling off the table and then using the plate to injure myself, thereby causing my death. Then I was trying to ration if it was murder or not so as to determine where I would spend my afterlife. It was at this point I realized I was still on my chair reading the book… But my mind had wandered off, in that same chapter I have married my beau and given birth to children.
Again I remember this fateful day, I was having my quiet time with God and I was seriously praying for a shift in my spirit. Just when I resuscitated from my fantasy world, my mind had gone to the day I was with this guy lurking my lips with his. Two extreme emotions setting in at the same time. I was really serious with my prayer but I could not fathom these “unholy’ thoughts playing through my mind. It wasn’t the first though.
When I am present I really want my mind, body and should to be there with me. Does this thing ever happen to you, where you find your mind wandering off different places?
I read sometimes and somehow I came across what we call mindfulness. You know how you hate that you can’t tell your little cousin, nephew, niece or pet to do something in particular and they are just disobedient. Yes, that is exactly how I feel when I can’t put my mind to concentrating and not having a rush of emotions. Have you ever found your mind wandering and struggling to feel the present moment?
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What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a broader part of meditation. It includes meditation as well as developing and exercising how you approach life, yourself and everything around you. Being mindful comes wit training ones mind, moment to moment by being present taking a breath and not giving in to reactive thoughts. Like every other habit, this is is formed by continuous repetition.
“Mindfulness is the act of being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling at every momentwithout interpretation or judgment” (“Can Mindfulness Exercises Help Me?,” 2018).”
While on the contrary mindfulness does not eliminate the stress or difficult situation, it helps you become aware and in control of how you respond to these situations. It helps you have more choices in how to handle them at the moment and a better chance of reacting calmly and emphatically when faced with stress or challenges.
Tips to practice mindfulness
- Breathing: Using your breath as an anchor for your mind and to maintain awareness. Focusing on the rise and fall of the chest and return to the breath whenever you get distracted or notice your mind begins to wonder.
- Body sensation: While at the breathing position, notice and feel the sensation of your body, Notice what partis itching, causing pains, notice the clicks and ticks of your joints. Allow your mind scan through your body.
- Allow your emotions to be present without judgement. Accept the presence of the emotions without judgement and let them go.
- It is important to know that your mental processes are just thoughts; they aren’t necessarily true, nor do they require you to take action. Mindfulness is about basically being, and about being relaxed in tolerating things around you as they seem to be. This applies internally too.
- When with a friend, try listening in a way that’s entirely judgment-free. You may notice that you’re becoming more aware of your own feelings and thoughts. Don’t judge them, just accept them.
- Yoga practice can also help us to be more mindful.
Benefits of mindfulness.
- Reduces stress.
- Helps us in managing our emotions.
- Helps in coping with anxiety and depression.
- It helps us pay more attention.
- Being mindful may assist our attempts to build resilience.
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