How to practice mindfulness.

As soon as I wake up my mind starts ticking with the hands of the clock, to prepare the tea, get ready, have breakfast, drive to work, meet the daily targets, drive home, have food and, go to sleep…. this pattern keeps on going day after day.

But during the course of all these activities, what I miss to notice:

• The chirping of birds, just before the sunrise…
• How a sunrise looks, or feels like…
• The smell of the fresh news paper…
• The warmth of the cup of tea…
• How beautiful the flowers look in my garden…

…and many more such things and people in our surroundings which help us in making our day possible.

“Technology has made us more mechanical task oriented and less emotional, due to which we tend to lose the touch, feel and sense of our surroundings.”

But why is it important to maintain a constant touch with our senses in present?

It can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much.

Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can improve your mental well-being.

Some people call it awareness of the present others call it “mindfulness”

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the act of focusing on being in the present, such as focusing completely on drinking a hot cup of tea, taking in its scent, warmth and taste and removing overpowering emotions from mind.

“It’s easy to stop noticing the world around us. It’s also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living ‘in our heads’ – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behavior”

An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means waking up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. That might be something as simple as the feel of a banister as we walk upstairs.

Another important part of mindfulness is an awareness of our thoughts and feelings as they happen moment to moment.

It’s about allowing ourselves to see the present moment clearly. When we do that, it can positively change the way we see ourselves and our lives.

How mindfulness helps mental wellbeing?

Feelings of contentment, enjoyment, confidence, self-esteem and engagement with the world are all part of mental well-being.

When we become more aware of our present moment it helps us enjoy the world around us in a better way, we experience fresh things.

Mindfulness also allows us to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that we experience, and to see how we become entangled in that stream in ways that are not helpful.

Awareness of this kind also helps us notice signs of STRESS, ANXIETY, and DEPRESSION much earlier and help us deal with them better.

How to improve mental well-being?

Below are few steps that, can really help to boost our mental well-being:

• CONNECT: connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbor’s, spend time with them in building bonds.
• STAY ACTIVE: You don’t have to go to gym or do Pilates. Just go for a walk, play football, spend time with your children in the park playing with them, do swimming etc… Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life.
• KEEP LEARNING – Learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and new confidence. It also helps in changing the brain chemistry in terms of performance by stimulating neurons in the brain. Learning new things helps you to fight the boredom, which in turns makes it easier to adapt to change.

“People who learn a new skill are less likely to develop dementia”

• GRATITUDE: Help people around you, even a small act can count whether it’s a smile, thank you or a kind word. It feels good that god has enabled YOU to help someone. Show gratitude to people around you.

By focusing on the present, many people who practice mindfulness find that they are less likely to get caught up in worries about the future or regrets over the past, are less preoccupied with concerns about success and self-esteem, and are better able to form deep connections with others, enjoy better mental and physical health.

If you like the article then do let me know you thoughts in the comments section below 🙂

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