How Practicing Mindfulness Can Lead To A Happier More Fulfilled Life
“Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be”
The word mindfulness is being thrown around a lot these days, but how many people actually truly know what it means to be more mindful. Well the first step would be to define what it isn’t!
So here’s a Question.. Have you ever driven or walked somewhere, arrived at your destinations and not remembered anything about how you got there?
Or walked in to a room scratched your head and thought “why did I come in here again?
These are 2 examples of being lost in your mind and not being present in the moment.
People associate mindfulness with meditating or sitting on a mountain top chanting mantras. But breaking it down it is simply the awareness of your thoughts, emotions and actions.
Practicing mindfulness can help calm your mind and give you more clarity and focus in your everyday life. Being more fully present in each moment will give you far more joy and fulfillment than being lost in thought.
The majority of people are unfortunately either clinging on to the past or longing for the future. Living this way causes us stress, anxiety, depression and so many other health related illnesses.
In fact stress is now one of the leading causes of sickness in the workplace.
So how can you be more mindful?
1. Recognize a thought is just a thought NOT a fact.
2. Identify if you have any patterns running through your mind that triggers a negative response i.e. anger, frustration, or impatience.
3. Once you have identified your thought be fully present and acknowledge what response you have had because of this thought.
4. Except it and don’t blame yourself for feeling or thinking this way. This is a huge step to becoming more mindful
5. Lastly, don’t beat yourself up about it. Now you have identified a trigger you can begin to overcome it.
So in essence mindfulness allows you to take a step back and observe what is going on around and inside of you at each given moment. It is the gateway to a more fulfilling and happy life.
Make practicing mindfulness a daily activity. Just like we train our bodies, let’s train our mind. The more you train the stronger you will become.
Exercise to try this week Pick an activity you do daily for example eating, and be really aware of the taste, temperature, smell everything. You will be amazed at how much better everything tastes when you are fully present.
