What is Mindfulness? Is Being Mindful Really Difficult?

Mindfulness is the art of being present in the moment, being aware of your thoughts, feelings, sensations and surroundings completely. We carry a lot of thoughts everyday and if you carefully observe, most times it is impossible to empty the mind enough to truly experience the moment. Being mindful does not mean being in this awareness state throughout the day (though that would be the ultimate experience!). That is practically highly demanding and we are not wired to be that way. But being mindful at least a few moments while gradually increasing the duration of such moments is possible.

Why is being mindful important?

We do various tasks in a day – related to work, social relationships, family, personal etc. Most chores, happen on auto-pilot.

For example, you don’t really think, ‘I’m cleaning the vessels now’ or ‘I’m driving now’,

Instead you think, ‘I have to get the groceries after this cleaning or ‘I can pick my child, drop her home and then go back to work to complete that X presentation which is due by tomorrow.

Everyone does this , almost all the time. Our work schedules are demanding, our commitments are unforgiving. Our lives have become so fast-paced that we do not have the luxury to do only one thing at a time. This makes ‘being mindful’ all the more relevant.

Mindfulness enables you to focus on an experience and savor it completely.

This helps you to

• Be completely aware of the moment
• Release stress
• Improve concentration
• Help accomplish tasks better

Why should you practice being mindful?

It rewires the brain

Studies have shown that mindfulness techniques (meditation in this case) has led to increase of grey matter in the brain. It automatically improves your attention and concentration on the task at hand and effectively dispels distractions. Mindfulness has also established important roles in fostering creativity and curiosity and an overall positive impact on mental health.

It helps conquer bias

Subjective bias is something inherent in all people. Being mindful helps you process your thoughts and emotions from a much calmer space that lets you see facts more clearly. This results in reduction of personal bias and an increase in empathy. This is extremely important in social or personal relationships. If you are in a powerful position in an organization, this is an absolutely useful tool for your decision-making.

It is a great antidote to anxiety

Mindfulness literally is the speed breaker for all your emotions, thoughts and actions. It engages you with your environment very effectively. Small things that most of the times you would have missed in a hurry come into better focus with such exercises. It can even change the way we process pain and reduce our pain and anxiety. Just a few minutes of mindfulness everyday helps greatly reduce negative thoughts which would otherwise lead to depression.

Improves Cognition

As you practise being mindful regularly, basic cognitive functions like attention. memory, thinking, learning and concentration improve steadily letting your complete you work in an efficient manner both at home and office. It helps you navigate other social activities in a timely and focused manner easing your daily life greatly.

Improves your overall health and happiness

Mindfulness can easily be incorporated to observe your daily routines – for eg : food and eating patterns mindfulness

• Do you have three meals a day?
• What do you eat mostly?
• Do you eat on time?
• Do you pay attention to what you are eating and how you are eating?
• Do you eat when you work or watch your phone/TV?
• Does your diet have enough nutrition?
• How many times do you eat outside?
• How often do you cook at home?
• What foods do you really enjoy?

These are some general questions related to eating. You start paying attention to your mind and body with relation to food when you are mindful. This will help you choose your diet well and watch out for discomforts related to foods. The same way, you can approach all areas of your life with mindfulness. Give undivided attention to whatever you are doing at the moment. It helps you de-clutter your life and bring mental clarity.

Mindfulness Practices

Meditation

One of the most well known techniques of mindfulness is meditation. The focus could be on

• Emptying your mind
• Observing the breathing patterns

Both forms are effective. Many people use meditation as a guide to calm down, relax and de-stress. But meditation does not mean mindfulness automatically. You try to reach mindfulness through meditation. Mediation can be for a short or a considerable duration. Start slowly and build on adding few more minutes every time you meditate. To sit still in one place for a good amount of time is the biggest challenge you will face in the beginning. But keep at it and you will slowly tune your body and mind into achieving whatever you have set out to do. Similarly there are other mindfulness techniques.

The Full Body Scan

In this technique, you have to first lie down in a relaxed posture with your palms facing upwards. Then beginning from your big toes, concentrate on each body part separately – the sensations you feel with respect to that part is the focus here. You have to simply observe for a few minutes. Try to reduce your overall body movements during this technique while observing. It deepens the experience.

Keep observing all parts, travelling upwards and finish it with deep breaths when you reach the top of the head. The best way to do this technique is to close your eyes as it reduces distractions significantly.

The Five Senses Mindfulness

This technique as the name suggests, primarily looks at the five senses as focal points. You have to identify five things you can see (simply observe without drawing conclusions), four things you can hear, three things you can smell, two things you can feel and one thing you can taste (It can be anything nearby – fruit or water). You take into account only the sensory experiences without judging, interpreting, deciding or revisiting any decisions. Your feelings at the moment when you experience this is all that matters.

Walking

While the other activities are primarily carried out indoors, walking is a great outdoor mindful activity if you can focus on all its aspects – how your body moves, the sensation of your feet touching the ground, your breathing rate while walking, your surroundings etc. Be completely aware of everything you experience when you walk.

Conclusion

Mindfulness at the beginning does not come naturally. You have to remember to incorporate it daily at various times in a day. But with time, it gets easier. It requires some degree of patience and practice to become achievable. Many benefits of mindfulness have been documented. Different studies show the extraordinary effects of being mindful on the mind and body. It is one of the best practices for psychological health. Mood swings and anxiety can be greatly reduced. You will be feel much calmer and happier. Cognitive functions improve. All this can result in a better quality of life.