Mindfulness
Mindfulness (noun) : Bringing awareness to your thoughts and feelings, and intention to your actions
Though at first glance, mindfulness seems easy enough, it is harder than you think! We so often go into auto-pilot mode at work and home-- going through the motions of our day without really registering what we are doing or how we are experiencing it.
(We’ve all been there!)
The more time you spend operating on this auto-pilot, the easier it can be to disconnect from your lives, your relationships, and yourself.
But what if you were intentionally present in those moments? “Intentionally present” looks like being aware of your thoughts and tuning in with yourself. It can also look like bringing awareness to each of your five senses on purpose (What do you smell? Is it pleasant (or not)- does it remind you of anything? What do you taste? What do you hear? What colors, shapes, and textures do you see? What do you feel on your skin? The keys of your laptop? Or the weight of your phone in your hand?).
Mindfulness is when we allow ourselves to be fully present where we are- wherever that may be- and to simply notice what comes up. We can create a moment to reconnect with ourselves- our emotions, desires, and goals.
The purpose of mindfulness is not perfect stillness.
Once more for those in the back, the purpose of mindfulness is not perfection!
Mindfulness encourages a stance of non-judgementality, which in today’s fast-paced world may seem unheard of. We are all moving so fast and doing so many things at once, that we are in a near-constant state of doing, thinking, and evaluating-- which, when left unchecked, can be incredibly draining.
The human brain is made to think; to judge; to process and analyze data. It doesn’t want to be non-judgmental-- that’s the opposite of what it is supposed to do! But non-judgementality can be powerful. Bringing awareness to your thoughts or feelings and simply noticing them. Letting this action welcome you into the present moment instead of getting sucked back into your to-do list. Allowing yourself a moment to recognize what you are thinking and feeling, instead of shaming yourself for not thinking or feeling what or how you think you should, or going back to auto-pilot to tune out of the present moment.
Mindfulness helps us slow down and reconnect to ourselves-- to our needs, our feelings, and our experience. We live in an age of multitasking, that is often encouraged and celebrated. Being busy, on-the-go constantly, and working 50+ hours per week is often the expectation. But we are not robots! We are dynamically human and have emotional, mental, and physical needs. Mindfulness helps us slow down to see and connect to those needs which is vital to our wellbeing and functioning, as well as our happiness and quality of life. Mindfulness helps us remember that we are more than our productivity, work output, and to-do lists. It is a means of practicing self-compassion. It is how we can practice being kinder and gentler with ourselves, and in turn, with others.