What is mindfulness, and what are the benefits?
There's very active and passive versions depending on what you're up for, your attention span, surroundings, and experience. I'm going to explain a few of my favorite mindful techniques here.
If you don't wanna hear about the benefits of mindfulness and just wanna practice - skip this next part, and scroll to "How Can I Be Mindful"!
Mindfulness is a meditation technique for focusing your awareness on the present moment. It is an active technique that requires some focus, redirecting your mind to the life around and in you right now instead of wandering thoughts, the past, future, or anything else distracting. It has helped me recenter myself and focus on my life in the past few years. I struggle with very poor memory as well as a stressful/hectic lifestyle, and practicing mindfulness daily helps me in moments of heavy mental and emotional load/pressure to put my mind back where it belongs: in the present moment. I feel physically and emotionally better when I practice mindfulness consistently.
But is it all in my head? How much of mindfulness is just a placebo? Scientifically, mindfulness has been proven to have benefits against IBS, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, PTSD, and even fibromyalgia and psoriasis. The effects of regular mindfulness have been the same as taking medication or participating in talk therapy in some studies.
But these good effects of mindfulness don't only happen while you're meditating or actively practicing mindfulness - through regular practice, the benefits last long after your time of practice. Studies have shown that the parts of the brain that process fight-or-flight responses as well as endocrine functions (metabolism, blood pressure, hormones) start to become less erratic throughout daily tasks and life.
All of these benefits can happen from just 5-10 minutes a day of meditation or mindfulness. So how can you start today - simply?
How Can I Be Mindful?
1. Grounding
This is a technique involving your 5 senses. You can do this technique anywhere, and it's one of my favorites to quickly bring me back into my body and mind in the present moment. You can do this sitting, standing, or laying down. Just find one thing each of your senses can identify: one thing you can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. And focus on that thing for each sense and how it makes you feel. This usually takes about a minute to do.
2. Body Scan
Body scans are a great way to check in with yourself physically and get out of your own head. I usually do these laying down in the dark before going to bed with my eyes closed, but you can also do these anywhere. I start from the tips of my toes and scan slowly through each body part, muscle, and joint up through my legs, waist, torso, chest, arms, and head, noting how each body part feels. If it's the end of my day, I'll relax my muscles as I go.
3. Box breathing
Box breathing is another technique that is very helpful to refocus my mind off of racing thoughts. Box breathing follows a 4-4-4-4 pattern of counts. I typically do this sitting cross legged, one hand on my chest and the other on my stomach, so I can feel my breath as it moves through my body. To do this breathing technique, you breathe in for 4 counts (1, 2, 3, 4), then hold the breath for 4 counts, then breathe out for 4, then hold again for 4. I do that for as long as it takes to recenter and ground myself - usually, I can tell I'm grounded when my heart rate lowers and my muscles relax.
This is a quick intro to some of my favorite mindful techniques. I try to use these throughout my day if I'm feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or lost in thought. They help recenter me and calm me down. Try one out, and let me know what you think in the comments below!
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