Mindfulness is so very beneficial. It is the mental state where we focus on the present moment instead of the past or the future. If you?re practicing mindfulness, you immerse yourself fully in the moment and feel all the thoughts, sensations, and feelings that course through your body. Not trying to change or guide any of them; you just notice them as they go through you.
While practicing mindfulness, you also notice what?s going on around you. Being fully present in the moment, experiencing whatever is going on near you. Being fully present is challenging and we are never fully present all the time. We can practice increasing the time spans that we remain present.
The follow are benefits of practicing mindfulness:
Being happier and less stressed than those who don?t.
Being able to dwell less on the past or worry about the future.
Mindfulness improves sleep and makes it easier to relax.
Practicing mindfulness has been shown to improve relationships.
Practicing mindfulness also increases creativity and learning ability. Like a gratitude practice, practicing mindfulness regularly will rewire the brain to increase connections in your emotional processing centers. People who practice mindfulness tend to be more content with life, have higher self-esteem and like themselves more.
How can you get started with practicing mindfulness?
Start by taking short breaks during the day to do so, even a 30 seconds to a few minutes when first starting. Stop whatever it is your doing and focus on what?s going on around you and how you feel.
Doing this multiple times a day will allow you to gradually increase the time you spend on it. Learn to notice your thoughts and feelings as they flow through your mind and body. You should eventually get to the point where you can spend several minutes being mindful without stopping what you?re doing. Then practice focusing on whatever task you?re working on. Focus on it completely and notice every little thing about it.
You?ll start experiencing benefits right away. Even starting with short periods of mindfulness will help you on your journey. You will become more mindful as time goes on. Your periods of mindfulness will increase until you?re mindful more often than not. That is of course when you?ll notice the greatest rewards.
