Mindfulness is a popular topic at the moment – at work it can make us more effective and collaborative, in our personal lives it can make us happier and more at ease. So what is it and why does it work?
When it comes to mindfulness it has always surprised me the number of ‘a ha’ moments I have seen arise when people start to be mindful. For beginners the most common questions I hear are around “How do I know if I am doing it properly?” “Will it get easier?”. So here are my go to hints:
Have a go – keep an open mind, there is no wrong or right way to be mindful
Mindfulness is a ‘practice’ – something that you try again and again and again, to hopefully become a bit easier. Mindfulness is allowing your awareness to sit within the present moment only, and becoming aware of all five senses. So have a go at been a little more mindful today.
- Eating lunch, can you chew each mouthful for that little bit longer, can you absorb the smell and texture of your food, can you put down your iPhone while you eat
- On your commute home, can you become a more mindful driver? Becoming aware of other drivers on the road, the trees in the street as you pass by, or the colour of the sky, not living in the future and planning what tasks you need to complete as soon as you step in the door, or your to-do-list for the next day at work – been present and sitting with your commute
- I find children are naturally amazing at been mindful, so if you need any tips take a look at them. Children can be really engaged at the task at hand, very aware of their bodily sensations (feeling too hot or hungry) and their emotions. So this also means that we all had the ability to live in the present moment and have either forgotton how to do this, or de-prioritised it’s importance
Show yourself some kindness
It’s a lot easy to be kind to others, rather then ourselves. So when trying anything new attempt to quieten your negative internal voice and show yourself some support. Can you squeeze in a touch of kindness and softness into your mindfulness practice. Not judging how you are going and been present with the moment.
I find it also helps to join up with someone to be mindful with, I have friends I check-in with and share ideas with, or to essentially laugh with. Try not to be hard on yourself, you may have an amazingly mindful day one day, and a completely off day the next – this is the path to been more mindful. Try to keep a light-hearted approach to the practice, as this will make you more likely to stick with it.
There is no finish line, or goal to hit
This one can be tricky! In our fast-paced modern society we are always looking to achieve more, work faster, get better results. Mindfulness is essentially the opposite of this need to achieve.
It’s super interesting to notice what comes up for you each day when trying mindfulness and meditation and to be able to sit with this. Am I feeling angry today, why? Am I at ease today, what has brought about this feeling? This questioning and been ok with experiencing what is going on each day within you is what the leads to the biggest results I have found with all forms of practice that ask us to turn inwards.
Start now, perfect it later on
They say seven minutes a day will lead to a long-term change, so why not start your seven minutes of mindfulness today. See how you go and if you feel any different. Any questions or thoughts, hit me up – I love to chat about all things mindfulness and wellness related.
