Mindfulness is the practice of being aware and present in the moment
without judgement. I like to think of it as choosing to focus. It is often
used in therapy for the many benefits it gives. Something I always
mention to clients who are first learning about mindfulness, is even with
5 minutes each day you can start to see the effect it has. Our lives can
get pretty busy, but no matter how much we have on our plate we can
typically find 5 minutes a day to work on ourselves. Sometimes we need
to give ourselves a break from the constant stress even just for that
small amount of time. People choose mindfulness because it is not time
intensive and it is a cost effective way to start relieving that anxiety and
stress.
Another reason why people choose mindfulness is the increase of calm
and relaxation that people feel during and afterward. The effects are felt
pretty quickly for most after starting a mindfulness activity. People who
practice mindfulness regularly also experience increased levels of
energy, self-confidence, and self-acceptance. When we are anxious or
stressed, we feel it physically. Our hearts may start to race and our
muscles start to tense. Mindfulness can help you to be aware of this
and help you to let go and slow down physically.
Mindfulness is also helpful if you have a hard time with letting go. This is
something that a lot of us struggle with. This is where the awareness
piece of mindfulness comes into play. With gaining awareness into
ourselves and the world around us we can start to break the cycle that
we often find ourselves stuck in.
I often get the comment, “I can’t focus”, or “it’s too noisy to think”. Like
with any change you are making in your life it takes practice. The more
you practice mindfulness, the easier it becomes even if there are
outside distractions. Even being able to notice distractions or noticing
the place where our minds wander to during that time is considered
mindfulness. I can remember when I first started taking yoga classes
and the instructors would use phrases pertaining to mindfulness and I
thought it sounded silly and I would never be able to understand what
they meant. The more I tried though, the more I truly felt it and was able
to see the benefits of using it in my life. There is no wrong way of
practicing mindfulness as long as you are trying and that is what is so
great about it!
Ariel Kruemcke, LPC