Mindfulness: what it is and what it offers us.
We're so often on auto-pilot and running by the narrative in our minds. When we experience anxiety, it gets even worse; more often than not, we get stuck in thought spirals and rumination.
Mindfulness can be an incredible coping and grounding tool, and more than that, when we develop it as a skill that becomes intuitive, it changes how we engage in life. It allows us to connect deeply to ourselves and that's essential for healing. Mindfulness provides a way to embody concepts such as acceptance, gratitude, and compassion rather than simply thinking about them. It allows us to connect with our body, spirit and the world around us.
Definition of Mindfulness
The quality of being conscious or fully aware of something; focusing one's awareness on the present moment.
Mindfulness has roots in many ancient practices. It's maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and the surrounding environment, in a non-judgmental and accepting way.
Is it the same as meditation?
Nope... but there is mindfulness-based meditation, one type of meditation out of many, which has mindfulness as its core intention.
Mindfulness is a way of engaging in life. Because it's not easy, practicing it through meditation can help build it as a skill first, before being able to cultivate it more deeply in everyday life.
Benefits of mindfulness
It creates space in our minds, where we often get lost in thoughts, go down spirals, or get hooked by unconscious or conscious core wounds.
It gives distance from our thoughts, which we often mis-perceive as truths; this increase anxiety and self-judgment.
It brings us into the present moment and surroundings, to fully experiences all parts of it, including joy and love.
It teaches to be more in touch with our internal states which can guide how we react and respond.
It allow us to create a deeper connection with ourselves.
It teaches us how to embody acceptance and self-compassion.
It helps us sit with and move through uncomfortable emotions and sensations.
It is grounding when emotions feel intense.
When we apply mindfulness to everyday activities, we not only get out of auto-pilot minds, but we notice things we have never noticed before.
