You might have heard the term – “mindfulness” a lot these days on magazine covers, from Instagram influencers and a lot of other places. Are you one of those people who think of a person sitting alone on a mountaintop when you hear the word – mindfulness? Let us first understand what mindfulness is exactly. Mindfulness is completely focusing on the moment that you are in the present and being aware of everything that is going on around you
In simpler words, it means paying attention to what you are feeling or what thoughts are coming to your mind. One of the essential things to keep in mind during mindfulness is not judging anything. This non judgmental approach helps you focus on the present moment, it helps you forget about what is going to happen in the future, what went wrong in the past and how the present moment could have been better.
For better understanding, imagine that the human mind is like a big, evergreen forest. Just like the forest is filled with different trees, animals and water bodies in the same way our mind is also filled with different thoughts and feelings. Mindfulness is accepting different thoughts and feelings without putting the label of good or bad to it.
It acknowledges that just like some creatures destroy the harmony of the forest our mind also has some disturbing times. You must understand that these bad times will pass and you need not get caught up in them. In the world of psychology, mindfulness is an effective tool against dealing with depression and other serious mental health conditions. Various research has shown how incorporating mindfulness in daily life can have a positive impact on your life.
1. Reduces stress
We are constantly surrounded by stress work stress, academic stress, family stress, etc. While the reason for stress keeps changing the negative effects it has on our mind and body remain the same. Several research conducted have shown that Mindfulness is an effective solution to deal with stress. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a therapy designed specially to manage stress.
For example – Bikram was going to have a very tough week. He had assignment submissions and his final exams are just around the corner. He knows throughout the week he is going to be very stressed. So every day before starting his work he practices mindfulness. He is focused on his breathing. He tries to completely focus on whatever task he is doing. This helps him better concentrate on his work and helps in reducing his stress. Mindfulness makes it easier to respond to our day-to-day stressors. It helps in improving our mood and increases our quality of life in general.
2. Boosts resilience
Life is not a smooth ride, setbacks happen but what matters is how we come out of the situation. The capacity to bounce back after a crisis is called as resilience
Example – Ragini was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 25. Her entire world came crashing down with this one news. Her dreams, career, family everything flashed in front of her. But she was not one to give up. She decided to not succumb to the cancer and her journey towards recovery began.
With the help of medicines, there was one more thing that helped her in her battle against cancer. That is – mindfulness. She practiced mindfulness daily which helped her bounce back from this major setback in life. Mindfulness increased her resilience to deal with the disease and get back to normal life. Mindfulness cannot change the situation but it increases our capacity to deal with it better.
3. Decreased chances of burnout
Work sometimes does take a toll on our physical and mental health. With all the deadlines, meetings, and presentations it can get chaotic in our minds.Happen due to unmanaged stress at work. Mindfulness is like our personal best friend. Just the way our best friend checks on us if we are not in a good headspace in the same way mindfulness is a way to check what is happening to us. It makes us aware of whether we are burned sad or stressed.
Example – Aryan is a clinical psychologist. Every day he has to deal with different kinds of clients. Dealing with the client’s trauma every day can cause him emotional fatigue. To prevent getting burnout he tries to incorporate mindfulness into his day-to-day life. This practice helps him relax and recharge his mind and reduces his chances of facing burnout. Mindfulness is like a charger. It helps us know that our mind’s battery is running out and also recharges us for the next challenge.
4. Improves sleep quality
Not getting enough sleep is like a universal problem. Good sleep is an important element in keeping us happy and healthy. Mindfulness can help you in getting good rest. Proper rest will improve your mood which will in turn improve the quality of your work and relationship
Example – Mansea is a brilliant student. She is great at academics, good at extra-curricular activities and an even better friend. But there is an issue. Every time her head hits the pillow, every thought of the universe seems to race through her mind. She can’t sleep well. This makes her feel constantly exhausted. To solve her sleep problem, Mansea decides to try mindfulness. She tries to focus and calm down her thoughts before going to sleep. This helps her have a peaceful sleep and makes her energetic all day.
Mindfulness will quiet the noise of your thoughts and let you have a deep sleep. Practicing mindfulness will help you clear out your mind before going to sleep.
5. Positive effect on attention
Are you someone who finds it difficult to give attention to one thing for a long time? Then mindfulness maybe the answer you have been looking for to solve this problem. Mindfulness is believed to enhance the attention span of an individual.
Example – Sharvari is a film studies student. Her coursework requires her to watch a lot of movies and analyse them. She loves her course but she often finds herself getting distracted in the middle of the movie which causes her to miss on the details. Her friend recommended her to try some mindfulness exercises to solve her problem. On her friend’s advice, Sharvari does try some mindfulness exercises and within a few months she could see the difference. Mindfulness allowed her to completely concentrate on her work. It helped her focus on the movies without getting distracted. Mindfulness exercises had a positive effect on her attention span.
According to the research conducted by Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, mindfulness meditation improves the attention. Practicing mindfulness meditation daily will for sure show an improvement in your attention.
6. Decrease anxiety
We all get anxious sometime or the other. Be it a presentation, an important exam, or any special event. It is normal but when that feeling starts to accompany you everywhere you go it is a sign to seek help. Mindfulness can be a good guide that will help you navigate your road through anxiety
Example – Radha is a classical dancer. She has always loved dance. She has done a great number of shows all over the India. But even today when she has to perform on the stage her anxiety level rises. In her profession it is important that she does not let anything affect her stage performance. To manage her anxiety, Radha inculcated mindfulness in her day to day life. Before going on the stage, she focuses on her breathing and tries to completely be in the moment. This helps her with the physical symptoms of anxiety like fast breathing, increased heart beats and sweaty palms. Mindfulness helps her in giving her best on the stage.
Mindfulness helps you understand your feelings at the moment without suppressing or labelling them. It can also make you aware of the reasons of your anxiety.
7. Better emotional regulation
Emotions control a large part of our lives. It affects the way we talk, respond and behave. If these emotions are not used consciously it can cause a lot of issues. It can make you act impulsively, say things that you don’t mean and ruin your work and personal relations. It is essential that our emotions are regulated. Mindfulness makes you aware of your emotions and understand them better.
Example – Sameer and Komal have been in a relationship for 9 months. Both of them love and care for each other. But, whenever they have a fight, Komal cannot control her emotions and listen to other person’s perspective. This causes them to have prolonged fights without coming to a solution. Komal understanding that she reacts impulsively decides to take a pause and reflect on what she is feeling whenever they have a fight. This technique of mindfulness allows her to respond calmly without letting her emotions overpower her.
By being mindful of our emotions we can manage them better. It will help you accept your emotions the way they are. Mindfulness will encourage you to become more balanced and give clarity to you about yourself.
8. Improved physical health
Now seeing the term – mindfulness you might think that it is only related to your mind but you are in for a surprise. Mindfulness also helps in improving your physical health.
Example – Raj got injured while playing football. The pain makes him feel frustrated and irritated. By practicing mindfulness, he pays attention to the sensations in his body without labelling them as good or bad. This assists him in managing his pain and improves his physical health.
Mindfulness helps in reducing stress, control your blood pressure, assist in treatment of heart diseases and relieve chronic pain. Mindfulness also helps in improving your immune system.
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