Mindfulness is being present in the moment. Creating openness and awareness to your moment-to-moment experiences; thoughts, feelings, sensations, emotions. Most of us are masters of living in the past or contemplating the future. We ruminate, hope for, maybe even dwell in our past experiences. How many times have you heard people say "when life goes back to normal or the way it was before the pandemic...?" What does that actually mean? We can learn from our past, grow from our history and experiences but we cannot relive it or bring it back. It is beautiful to vision and hope for a future, knowing that the foundation of the future is built on uncertainty and unknown. That leaves us here, now, in the present moment. However, most of us do not live in the present, we struggle with it. That means we have an opportunity to learn how to be more present. The question I often get is why is mindfulness important?
There are many reasons why building mindfulness practices into your life is important, and most of them are supported by scientific research. Here are a few key reasons why: it's proven to reduce stress and anxiety, improves focus and decision making, builds stronger relationships with yourself and others, reduces the risk of accidents and injury, you will be less likely to miss out on important information or experiences, increases your communication and listening skills, and it builds your patience and trust.
HOW do you get started today? Mindfulness takes intention and like most other practices a little bit of time. Here are three easy ways to integrate mindfulness into your life.
TIP #1: Remind yourself to Pause and take a breath. Before each meeting or phone call today try to stop and pause and take one deep breath. Notice how you feel. Pro Tip: place a post it note on your computer or somewhere obvious and write BREATHE on it...it helps, I've been doing it for years!
TIP #2: Take a moment while you are showering or having your morning coffee and observe what is happening. Notice how you feel, what you see, what you hear around you. Take it all in. This is a conscious shift from mindlessness to mindfulness. What happens to you?
TIP #3: Try going for a walk with no music or cell phone distraction. Take a few moments to enjoy what is around you - outside or inside. What do you see, hear, smell, feel?
Until next time, live the change and enjoy these mindful moments.
For more information on how to reduce stress, anxiety, break habits, improve decision making, build confidence & resiliency, with the power of mindfulness, self-compassion and storytelling, please reach out to me at: jen@admitone.ca
You can also visit my site at: https://admitone.ca/doublejstrategic/
