Do you find yourself stressed and unsure of how to achieve a level of peace and calmness?
Consider the short and long-term benefits of mindfulness as part of your daily routine.
What Is Mindfulness?
Being aware of your feelings, senses, and emotions during high and low times is a form of mindfulness. It is considered a type of meditation that is often self-guided and relies on breathing practices and imagery.
Why Is Mindfulness Important?
If you have ever found yourself feeling the extreme highs and lows of your emotions, mindfulness is one way of regulating these highs. Practicing mindfulness allows the individual to decompress and focus on what they are feeling and, more importantly, the cause of their emotions.
Achieving Mindfulness Through Spirituality
To reach a level of mindfulness through spirituality requires both patience and compassion. These are two things that do not always come easy, especially when we are at the height of our emotions. There are going to be times when we find ourselves in a fight or flight mentality. This can hold us back from achieving a level of mindfulness; however, when you recognize the signs and embrace the natural emotions we feel as humans, you are a step in the right direction.
What can you do to achieve mindfulness through spirituality?
Self-reflection
When we take the time to self-reflect on our actions, behaviors, and thoughts, we can begin the process of addressing and making the necessary changes. For example, if you struggle with negative self-talk every time you receive criticism or feedback, the first step is recognizing when your mind starts to go down a dark path. Reflecting on the why can result in us understanding habits that we may not realize are holding us back.
Self-reflection is not always easy, as it can make us conscious of things we may not want to admit to or think were never a problem to start with. Like self-reflection, embracing and accepting the highs and lows requires patience and compassion because the path to mindfulness is not easy, nor is it pain-free.
Embracing the Highs and Lows
Achieving mindfulness through spirituality means realizing that life and what we go through are about embracing the good times and bad. It is about embracing the barriers we may encounter and learning from them.
Breathe and Meditate
Not everyone is a fan of meditation, but something that we all do is breathe. Reach a level of mindfulness through calm and self-aware breathing. Doing this is a way of centering oneself and calming the sometimes chaotic and negative thoughts we may experience.
Meditation combines using a breathing technique and relaxing one’s body to allow for the stress, tension, and anxiety to flow out. This is not a technique for everyone; however, even taking deep long breaths in silence can do a lot in terms of taking that next step to mindfulness.
Slow Down
We live in a society where instant results are appreciated and wanted; however, mindfulness, speed, and hastiness are not the way to finding a sense of calmness and peace. To find serenity is about slowing down, taking each day, each challenge, and each moment for what it is, a moment.
Society and societal expectations have lead us to believe that the slow one never wins the race in the game of life; however, this is not true. Remember, the fable of the hare and the tortoise. It was the tortoise that ends up victorious. We need to apply this to our own lives and remember that if we constantly move and think at lightning speed, we may miss out on the details and the simpler pleasures of life.
Mental Wellness Through Mindfulness
One’s mental wellbeing is directly affected, if not correlated, to one’s level of mindfulness. If you find yourself constantly frazzled, stressed, and anxious, these are warning signs that you need to pause, take a breath, and slow down.
We don’t always listen to the signs our body and mind are giving off; however, it is better to take the initiative and practice mindfulness than to let it overpower you, resulting in you burning out.
Small Actions for Big Results
Achieving mindfulness is not going to be instant. It is going to require making life changes. These changes are going to come from being aware of your current mental, emotional, and physical state to reflect on where you want to be in the future.
Mindfulness is a lifestyle that can be achieved if we are willing to make these changes. Remember, the changes you make do not have to be grand; start with small changes such as looking at the bright side rather than the downside or appreciating the things you have rather than what you don’t. This change of mentality can go a long way. Never underestimate what you can do and are capable of.
Unsure of what small actions you can take to achieve mindfulness?
Consider:
- Embracing nature and the outdoors
- Disconnecting from technology before going to bed
- Having a well-balanced diet
- Spending time with family and friends
- Fostering meaningful relationships
- Writing down goals, dreams, and aspirations
- Focusing on your needs first rather than others
Simply doing one or two of these actions can go a long way. Some are also going to be a lot easier to practice than others. For example, to some, disconnecting is hard to do. Putting your needs before others is also another tricky thing that sometimes is difficult to do. The main thing is to try because you won’t know what you are capable of until you try.
Conclusion
No matter why you want to practice mindfulness, know that what you gain by trying is better than not. Remember, it won’t be easy. There are going to be times where keeping positive and having a positive outlook is challenging. Don’t give up; remember, life is a journey that is meant to have ups and downs; what matters is how we choose these twists and turns down the road.
“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experiences” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
