There are numerous reasons why you should start incorporating mindfulness practices into your daily life. Not only does it lead to better stress management skills, reduce anxiety and depression, but it’s highly beneficial to your overall well-being. But what exactly is mindfulness?
Harvard Health notes “The cultivation of mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, but most religions include some type of prayer or meditation technique that helps shift your thoughts away from your usual preoccupations toward an appreciation of the moment and a larger perspective on life.” As modern-day humans, there are many things that overwhelm our minds. Work, bills, family, chores, school — the list goes on. Not only that, but we are often worrying over the uncertainties of the future or dwelling on mistakes of the past. This ultimately clutters the minds and can affect your mental, emotional, and even physical health.
Luckily, mindfulness is here to help with that.
Living in the Present More
When your mind wanders, where does it tend to go? Does it kick up bad memories of the past? Play out a hundred different worst-case scenarios? Does it replay past conversations over and over again? Does it remind you of all the bills you have due at the end of the month? These kinds of thoughts and worries, without mindfulness practices in place, can quickly send you spiraling into fear and dread. This can be mentally exhausting day-in and day-out.
A key aspect of mindfulness is focusing and bringing awareness to the present — without the noise of the future or past distracting you. It’s not as easy as it sounds, either. Like any muscle, it’s necessary to train your brain to stay focused on the present, regardless of external and internal distractions. Practicing effective mindfulness requires intentionality as well, it isn’t something many of us can naturally do — especially when we’re stressed or in pain. Perhaps the most difficult part of mindfulness meditation, though, is letting go of judgment.
Observation Without Judgment
Mindfulness encourages observation without judgment. This is because when we withhold our judgments, which are often discouraging and negative, it allows us to accept things the way they are, which can then help us better reflect on our actions and feelings. For example, instead of looking at the pile of dishes in the sink and thinking: “I should clean up but I don’t want to. Why am I so lazy?” Mindfulness changes our thinking to, “The dishes are dirty but I’m not feeling motivated right now to clean them.” Having an awareness of your surroundings, internal presence, and emotions, as well as any physical sensations can reduce stress while still addressing the issue. This is why mindfulness can be a powerful tool to utilize, especially in regards to self-esteem and stress management.
Things like dirty dishes are a regular part of life, but constant negative judgments of yourself and your actions shouldn’t be. While our sense of judgment is certainly crucial for things like buying a new car or starting a family, we often judge ourselves too harshly and far too often. With mindfulness, we can start feeling satisfied with our lives and our decisions, rather than agonizing over every little detail and mistake.
Not Just Mental Benefits
As long as you continue exercising mindfulness, it will keep helping you in many ways. You’ll find it helps during activities you typically don’t think much about. Driving is a prime example. Considering the many distractions there can be while driving, exercising mindfulness makes it possible to be a more present and attentive driver. The means mindfulness can keep you safe and save you money on things like expensive auto-repairs. Mindfulness can also help us make better decisions in our daily life such as choosing healthy foods at the grocery store or avoiding products with unethical ingredients. These uses of mindfulness point to one of the practice’s greatest benefits: its effect on our physical health, particularly our immune system.
It’s been observed that mindfulness can increase the levels of T-cells and activity in our bodies. T-cells are part of our immune system and help us fight diseases. This suggests that mindfulness may be able to help patients with cancer, HIV, or other diseases that harm immune cells. There was also a study in which participants who practiced mindfulness were shown to have higher levels of the protein interleukin-8 in their nasal secretions, which is a sign of improved immune function. While these studies aren’t yet a firm indicator of mindfulness’s total effect on our bodies, it’s still encouraging to at least give mindfulness a try.
Have a More Well-Balance Life
As we get older, it often feels as if we have more and more responsibilities — and less time for the things we enjoy. This is likely why so many adults deal with burnout each year. There can be a lot of consequences to burnout and living an unbalanced life though. It can increase stress, anxiety, and depression levels. It can also lead to things like impulsive purchases, reckless actions, and conflict within your relationships. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t exactly in a situation where we can easily start and maintain a healthy balance.
When in overwhelming situations, practicing mindfulness invites calmness and clarity to the chaos. We’re constantly moving and planning three steps ahead. Taking ten minutes to slow down, sit, and concentrate on your breathing is a great form of self-care. Mindfulness meditation is also a great way to find a balance between your rational side and your emotional side. This can make situations like having to pick a major career move less stressful and easier to navigate.
While life isn’t without its challenges, it’s important to recognize the tools you have at your disposal to help overcome some of these obstacles. This most certainly includes mindfulness. It may take time and practice but eventually, you’ll start reaping all the benefits mindfulness has to offer.
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