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What is mindfulness?
I asked myself this question many times before and recently, when talking to a friend, I thought I could share how I started to understand and practice mindfulness.
At first, I thought mindfulness was about meditation, and meditation was about being still, in silence and clear your mind .
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Mindfulness is “The practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”
Here's another definition: “The practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment, thought to create a feeling of calm.” - Cambridge Dictionary
I hope this helps you get a better idea...
Just kidding! Please keep reading
what does it mean to be mindful?
Let me ask you something first,
Have you ever said something that you regret the second you finish talking?
Have you ever let your emotions have control of the situation? Have you ever felt like the victim of circumstances or events out of your control?
Well friends, if the answer is "YES", you could benefit from some mindfulness.
I remember the first time I hear about mindfulness, I was in class when this professor started talking about mindfulness and to be quite honest, I did not understand it, the idea was to abstract. It took years of stress, fights, mistakes and overreactions (specially in my personal life) to finally understand it and practice it.
So basically, it means being aware of and controlling your experience. You are in the moment acting, not reacting to life.
This is how I see it, Mindfulness prevent us of becoming a three-year-old child who cries when his/her needs are not met. Without mindfulness we can’t see past obstacles, or others people's comments and opinions and we are overly emotional.
Being mindful means that you are responsible for what we are thinking, saying and doing because each action, word and thought are conscious; and if it is not the experience we want, we can change it.
Something that helps me every time and in every situation in my constant practice to mindfulness is:
- Stop, breathe.
- Notice the emotions the situation triggers (Does it bring sadness, anger, fear, joy, surprise?).
- Be aware of the unconscious reaction (facial expressions, body language).
- Determine what part of your reaction you control.
- Then shift your reaction to something more positive