Being mindful is being responsible
Being mindful is the ultimate skill of awareness for yourself and others. Mastering the skill of mindfulness is of importance if you want to be the best version of yourself.
Mindfulness can be defined as the quality of state of being aware of something. I also like to define it as being so aware of your thoughts and feelings and remaining in the present moment. This is a therapeutic technique that allows you to feel things, recognize things, and embrace things. Being mindful is a state if being that takes time to master. When you are aware of how you are feeling, the thoughts you are thinking, and what it happening around you in the present moment, you can make more clear and positive decisions. Mindfulness skills help us to bring us back into that state of being in the present moment. There are so many out there that can assist you on becoming a more mindful person, you just need to take the time to discover what works best for you.
The reason I say that being mindful is being responsible is because you have a duty to yourself, first and foremost, to be responsible for your well-being and then the well-being of others. Mindfulness has the power to improve so many things in your life. It will improve your mental health, physical health, communication, relationships, daily routine, goals, and more. If you consistently practice the skill of mindfulness, you can rewire your brain to think automatically in this state of being. That “Think before you Act” will be automatic and not a reflection. To me, that has been essential to my relationships in my life and has helped my own core being to be a more thoughtful, responsible person who has gained so much more peace in my life because I have been mindful of myself.
What to be mindful of:
Thoughts
Actions
Emotions
When you are in the present moment, it is important for you to be mindful of the thoughts you are having, the actions you are partaking in, and the emotions that are coming up for you. Let these things come into your mind and have no attachment to them other than awareness. Let them guide you in your present moment and teach you. It is imperative to release any judgement that comes up in the present moment with these things. This will help to transition your mental wellness.
For example, say you read something that in that moment brings up some anger for you. Practicing mindfulness, you are fully aware that you are feeling anger. Being in the present moment and recognizing this feeling without judgement is now allowing you to tap into why you are feeling this way and to resolve it in the near future. If you were to stray from the present moment and not engage in being non-judgmentally and mindful, you could act on that anger. You could miss what the anger is truly teaching you. Recognizing that anger using your mindfulness skills, you can then transition that anger into something far more useful to you. I always say that anger is a secondary emotion anyway and it truly takes mindfulness to explore and discover what other emotions anger is covering up. Mindfulness can be extremely powerful that way.
Some skills to help you practice mindfulness:
Deep breathing, meditation, stretching- bringing your thoughts to a calm and peaceful point. Drowning out any other mind chatter that does not belong in the present moment
Journal your thoughts. Truly observe what is there and describe what you are feeling. Fully, FEEL THE FEELS
Do not avoid- Stay in the moment, stay in the now.
Grounding exercises- observed what is around you and use your 5 senses to bring your mind to the present moment. You can do this during a time where you are anxious, or during a time that you need to re-focus. I often give my clients an ice cube and have them describe what they are feeling and fully feel the sensation of the coldness. I recommend cold to a lot of my clients with anxiety, the temperature change helps the nervous system and can be a great “mind-body” tool. Wash your face with cold water and feel the sensation and how it changes your affect. You can also use colors to ground/become present in the moment using your sense of sight to view a number of colors in the room and say them out loud. The same with taste. Mindfully eat. What flavors do you taste. How many people eat something so delicious and then its over? I am so guilty of this and not practicing mindfully eating. I encourage you, the next time you are enjoying something to practice mindfulness. Feel it, enjoy it, notice what comes up inside your mind.
The power of sound can be extremely useful. You can create your own sounds to stay present like playing an instrument or even the beat of your hands on the table. Music is a great tool to feel great in the present moment.
Body scan: Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and start at your feet. Allow yourself to slowly scan the energy from your feet to your head and be fully aware of everything that comes up in that moment and feel the energy in each section of your body. This tool is great to help you get in tune with your body and in the present moment.
Gratitude is a great mindfulness tool to help you gain positive perspective over your mind and body.
Being Mindful is being responsible to yourself and others. You do not want to fly through life without truly knowing yourself and how things have shaped you- even the little things throughout your day. Remember that practice and consistency are so important. Have so much love for yourself. A huge part of being mindful is non-judgement. What is happening in the present moment- just is and allow it to just be.