When we’re busy, it’s easy to spend our time rushing around and focusing on what’s coming next, rather than what currently is. This can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety.
Mindfulness is a technique that can help you bring your full attention to the present moment – specifically, what you’re thinking and feeling and what’s happening in your immediate environment. It aims to help you take control of your emotions and improve your focus.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of mindfulness, how it works, and how you can get started.
How does mindfulness work?
Mindfulness works by helping you to notice more about yourself and what’s going on around you (for example, sights, smells, sounds) at any given moment. It can help to silence unhelpful and debilitating thoughts that may be stopping you from enjoying your daily life.
Our thoughts can impact our behaviour, so if you can have calmer thoughts and feel more in control, chances are you’ll perform more positive actions and live a happier life.
There is plenty of scientific research to suggest that mindfulness can have a positive impact on both physical and mental health. Plus, many top-performing athletes and career professionals are turning to mindfulness as a tool to improve their focus and enhance their performance.
What are the benefits of mindfulness?
In general, practising mindfulness is thought to help us understand ourselves better, enjoy life more, and improve our day-to-day wellbeing.
It does this by helping us combat stress, be kinder to ourselves, become more self-aware and feel better able to choose how to respond to our thoughts and feelings.
Mindfulness can also encourage us to…
Notice the little things
Paying attention to the smaller things in life can have a positive impact on the way we think. This is because it can wake us up to sensations that can be pleasing, but that we often ignore.
For example, if you usually eat your lunch whilst working on your computer or watching TV, perhaps you aren’t paying much attention to the taste of what you’re eating. To be more mindful, you could try switching off your electronic devices and focus on tasting every mouthful of your lunch. Chances are, you’ll enjoy it much more! Our article, A beginner’s guide to mindful eating, has more information.
Try new things
It’s easy to get stuck in ‘autopilot’ mode and follow the same routine every day without a second thought. While there’s nothing wrong with this, it makes it easier for us to rush through life with our eyes closed.
To shake things up a bit, why not try taking a new route to the supermarket or sitting somewhere different when you’re out in the garden? Changing your habits can help you see the world through fresh eyes and notice new things about your surroundings. This will also help bring your mind back to the present moment.
Distance from our thoughts
If you’re someone who regularly struggles to sleep or finds it difficult to truly embrace the moment, then putting some space between yourself and your thoughts may help to bring you some peace.
When you first start practising mindfulness, it’s normal to become overwhelmed by all the thoughts that may rush in – but try not to let this put you off. Instead, try exploring different ways to distance yourself from your thoughts. For example, you could imagine your thoughts as cars driving past you, but not stopping.
By acknowledging your thoughts and how you’re feeling, without judging why you feel this way, you can allow your mind to move on without losing your awareness of the present. Some people also find it helpful to recognise and label their thoughts as they watch them drive by. For example, you could say to yourself: “That’s my anxious thought about finding a new job” or “That’s my anxious thought about all the things I have to get done by tomorrow.”
Others find that practising mindfulness while doing some gentle exercise like walking or yoga can help to quiet a busy mind.
Let go of the past and stop worrying about the future
The reason many of us have issues with staying in the present moment is because we’re too busy thinking about the past and/or worrying about the future.
Mindfulness can help us to reconnect with our bodies and focus on the present, which prevents us from becoming too wrapped up in our thoughts. Once we do this, we can often see how these thoughts may be driving our emotions and our behaviours.
When should I practise mindfulness?
You can practise mindfulness whenever you’d like to. However, when starting out, many people find it easier to build it into their routine by committing to regular times (for example, first thing in the morning or last thing before bed).
As you become more familiar with mindfulness and how it works, you should be able to use it more readily.
Is mindfulness for everyone?
Mindfulness isn’t a magic solution to all your problems, but it can be a useful tool for coping with the stresses and strains of daily life. And, as with anything, the more you practise, the better at it you’ll become.
How do I get started with mindfulness?
You can practise being in the present moment on your own, whenever is convenient for you. It usually helps to start by focusing on small things. For example, shutting your eyes for 10 minutes and focusing only on your breathing, or thinking about how the sun feels on your skin as you walk to work.
As you become more comfortable with mindfulness, you can begin to do it as and when you need to (for example, when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed).
For those new to mindfulness, joining a class can be a good way to learn the skills needed to get started. For example, you might like to sign up for one of the regular mindfulness workshops running on Rest Less Events. Why not tune into a mindfulness meditation or attend the self-compassion and mindfulness series running throughout March and April?
Final thoughts...
Whether it’s helping you to stay focused, enjoy activities more, or combat stress and anxiety, there are a whole host of benefits to practising mindfulness.
To find out more about boosting your mental health, why not head over to the healthy mind section of our website? Here, you’ll find plenty of content on mindfulness and positivity, advice on overcoming challenges, and more.
Do you have any experience practising mindfulness? Do you find it helpful? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!