In this article, I will discuss mindfulness meditation and how to practice it. Mindfulness means paying attention to the activities and thoughts in your environment in a neutral and non-judgmental way. So you are limiting your thoughts to your present circumstances. If other thoughts interfere with this process, bring your attention back to the present. For example, if you are mowing the lawn, think about the things you see, smell, hear, taste, and feel while mowing the lawn. Avoid thinking about your unpaid bills, relationship problems, the past, and the future. You just want to be present in the present moment.
Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness practice helps declutter your mind. When your mind is cluttered, you feel stressed, and it can make you feel stressed, tired, overwhelmed, or irritable. Not only can this hurt you, but it can also affect your relationships with the people who matter most to you. If your mind is cluttered. You may be emotionally unavailable and not fully engaged with the people around you. This happens when you are having a conversation with someone and you can’t remember any of the details of what they said because you were thinking about your to-do list. In the short term, the recipient knows you are not listening. In the long term, you lose time with the person that you can’t get back.
How to Live Mindfully
So, how do you solve the problem when you have a busy life that you can’t change? You live every moment mindfully. Now you don’t need a meditation cushion or hot stones to do this. You just need to focus on what you’re doing at any given moment and stop everything else. And it doesn’t have to take much time, and a little goes a long way.
Examples of Everyday Mindfulness
You can do this while you’re waiting at a traffic light. For example, where do you keep your phone when you’re driving? Do you take it out to check messages while you’re waiting for the light to turn green? Instead of doing that. Enjoy the sights around you. What if it’s just a bunch of cars in traffic? There are some nice cars to look at, but look at the trees and buildings in front of you. Think about how these things were created. Even if it’s an ugly building, it’s someone’s architectural creation. Many people worked hard on that building.
If you’re running an errand or grocery shopping, for example, instead of thinking about everything you need to do after leaving the store, take in your surroundings. Notice the lighting in the store, the temperature of the room, and the sounds of people talking. How many credit card machines do you hear about? This is an example of being fully present in the moment instead of being physically there while your mind is on other things.
Mindful Eating
Now I focus on how mindfulness helps your brain and how you relate to people, but mindfulness is a way to control your eating. So instead of watching TV or checking emails while you eat, pay attention to the texture, smell, and taste of your food. Think about how long and how many times you have to chew your food until you get it to the point where you can swallow it. Now you might think I don’t have time for this, but slowing down the way you eat may only add another 10 minutes to your meal, and the time you spend at traffic lights may only add 5 minutes overall. And what did you gain in those five minutes? Whatever it is, it comes at the cost of keeping your brain moving.
The Problem with Overthinking
So what’s wrong with thinking too much? Your mind doesn’t rest, but it needs rest. If your mind is very busy throughout the day, it will be very active, and then you will have trouble sleeping at night. Now, you are right. If you are thinking about the present moment, then you are still thinking. But it is thought control that you deliberately make positive and neutral.
Example of Uncontrolled vs. Controlled Thinking
So here’s an example of uncontrolled thinking. Let’s say you’re working at your computer, and you look out the window, ow and you see a delivery truck drive by, and the truck reminds you of one that collects money. Then you remember that you need money to put in your child’s bag this morning,g not sure if you did that, and then that makes you think about your child’s tooth pain and wonder if it’s going to be a huge dental bill. Then you remember you need to research the insurance exchange because your COBRA benefits expire at the end of the month, and you hear that the average deductible is $5,00.0. Will it cover your wife’s expensive blood pressure medicine? Now you’re stressed out and aggravated, and all this fzn xnwu from glancing outside and seeing a truck.
Mindful observation of that truck would be to notice the glossy paint on the truck and whether or not it’s driving fast or slow. Is the pavement wet? Is the sun shining? These are simple observations of the environment that are neutral and not connected to any unpleasant aspects of your life.
Four Steps to Start Practicing Mindfulness
Here are four steps to start practicing mindfulness.
1. Be aware.
This means to be aware of everything in your environment, as well as everything that you’re doing and thinking. Keep your focus on the present moment.
2. Number two: Don’t multitask,
do one thing at a time. You’re more efficient if you complete one thing at a time anyway.
3. Be intentional with mundane tasks.
Be focused on the task rather than getting the task over with. So if you’re washing dishes, focus on washing each dish and keep repeating that thought until all the dishes are washed. If you wash the dishes while you’re thinking about how much you hate washing dishes, you’ll still get the dishes washed – but when you do it mindfully, you finish with less negativity.
4. Listen when other people are talking.
Don’t think about your to-do list or what you’re gonna say next. Listen to every word the person says as if you’re you need to repeat it back to them.
Final Thoughts and Challenge
I challenge you to spend ten minutes each day in mindful activity. You may want to do it toward the end of the day when your mind is the most full and see if it helps you unwind and relax.
