Mindfulness is the cognitive ability to pay close attention to your feelings in the moment without judgment. It helps you to develop positivity in life by helping concentration in class, work, and even home. With the benefits of mindfulness now known in medical settings, perhaps you might want to learn how to practice this technique to relieve anxiety and stress. The techniques are easy to follow, and you do not need any special equipment; you just need a few minutes.
Recent studies have revealed that mindfulness is a useful anti-depressant medication, relieving mounds of anxiety, stress, and depression. In one study, Lancet researchers sampled a group of 424 UK adults who were at high risk of experiencing depression. Half of the adults were put in a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy where they were guided through meditation and mindfulness methods while the other half was placed on medication for two years.
Then, the progress of each cluster was assessed. The study found that a similar number of individuals from both groups had relapsed. Experts explained that mindfulness provides long term useful skills hence putting you in control of your life unlike relying on anti-depressants.
The following are ways to practice mindfulness:
Mindful Yoga
Spend at least fifteen minutes in a quiet and open environment for meditation and yoga. Meditation helps you to bring your full awareness to both your emotional and physical sensations as you try various poses. These feelings will bring about relieved tension and even reduced pain in your body, helping you to relax.
Body scan meditation
Like yoga, this technique involves spending time in a secluded place, sitting in a comfortable position without feeling disturbed. During the exercise, close your eyes and try to bring close attention to every part of your body starting from your toes, feet, ankles, calves, knees, hands and even up to your head.
Mindful Eating
During your mealtime, find a serene place where you will not be distracted. As you take your meals, try to eat slowly while you also engage your senses of taste, smell, sight, touch, and sound. Try to finish all your meal by chewing and swallowing slowly.
Mindful Breathing
Mindful or conscious breathing is another great way to eliminate stress and tension. Take at least five minutes in a convenient location, like the shower or subway and shift your concentration to breathing in and out. To concentrate during the exercise, you can pick one aspect to focus on. Nothing else has the potential to boost your relaxation the way mindfulness can. Give it a try; you might be astonished what it can do for you.
How to Live in the Present Moment
Many people live in the future. Why? Most people have a future that doesn’t mirror their present. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because Law of Attraction states, “…that which you give your attention to will manifest in your life.” However, staying in the future means your present is passing you by. The following are some ways to help you live in the now and live a happy life without stress.
Don’t Think About It
Your goal is to stop thinking all the time. Go write down things that pop in your mind, this could be exams that are coming up or that visit to grandpa in a few weeks. Then cross off the ones that you are happy about. The first kiss with your lover can be a great memory that you might want to remind yourself of sometimes. Now you have a list of bad things you think about all the time. Because you want to stop thinking about them simply make a pact with yourself to do something stupid each time your head wanders off to one of the subjects on your list. This can be shaking your head really hard or even do 3 push-ups. Warning: Be reasonable and always try to forget if it comes up again.
Do Yoga and Exercises
Doing daily exercising will get you in great shape and stops your head from wandering off. Don’t say to yourself I can’t exercise until I finished this, because that’s exactly what you want to get rid of.
Avoid (too much) Daily Routine
We like to plan our days so that we don’t hit any surprises. But there’s nothing wrong with some variation or on-the-fly decisions. Donate a dollar to the collector in front of your grocery store. Smile randomly when you see a new store opening up or a beautiful tree. They’re resources you can use for a very long time. You can visit the store to buy new things, and the tree will always be there for your viewing pleasure—and oxygen.
The Past and Future is a Reflection of the Present
The most important thing is to do good in the present. Great memories will bloom and future health and wealth can be created. With that in mind, it’s only natural to be your best in the present. Really enjoy what you’re doing. Writing or watching television; find the good things in your current activity. It’s the only thing you should worry about.
If You Don’t Like the Present, Change It
You can’t change the past but you can change the future. And that’s most important. If you’re not happy with something in your life then change it. Want to be an architect? Go study architecture. Feeling lonely? Consider the various online resources to meet new people. The only thing that is important is that you are happy about the present. Only then your future is as bright as can be. Practice living in the now and know that by accessing the power of now, you can enjoy even more success than ever before.
