Practicing mindfulness can be a great way for some people to improve their mental health. Mindfulness techniques can put you in touch with the present, which can in turn help you stop ruminating over the past and the future and deal with the concrete facts that are right in front of you.
Understanding Mindfulness
Mindfulness is all about living in the present, noticing what is happening around you and paying attention to your emotions. It is not just about what you are feeling but involves noticing the fact that you are feeling. While firmly planting you in the right now, mindfulness also allows you to take a step back and observe your emotions and how they affect you.
You may notice when you are worrying over something that you cannot do much to change or instead of taking steps to change it, or you might find that you are not paying as much attention as you should to early signs of stress. It can also help you be more present in your dealings with friends and family. Since mindfulness calms your mind during the day, you can expect a change in your sleep too as a result. While mindfulness alone cannot help you overcome insomnia it can help your brain find the quiet it needs to be set up for a successful night’s sleep.
Know Your Limits
First, understand that in some situations, mindfulness is not enough, and you might need to seek medical assistance. This could be the case if you are overwhelmed at the thought of needing to learn a new skill or are simply under too much stress at the moment. You might also be suffering from serious anxiety during big moments in your life. Prescription beta blockers may be able to reduce reactions such as a racing heart and shaking hands. You can start your online visit with a medical team and find out how this might improve performance. You can also use these in conjunction with the other techniques discussed here.
Choose Your Times
No one can be mindful 24/7, and this probably wouldn’t necessarily be a desirable state either. But setting aside one time or several times throughout the day to spend a few moments really noticing your surroundings can help you see things in a fresh light. It can also make it easier for you to access that sense of stillness in moments of stress. For example, you may find that instead of immediately getting angry about something happening at work, you are able to mentally take a step back and gather yourself before reacting.
Methods
There are many different ways to be more mindful. You could simply sit and focus on one of your senses, such as your hearing, noticing what sounds are around you. You could observe a bird or another creature nearby. If you are flooded with thoughts, don’t panic, and assume that you are doing it wrong. Noticing your thoughts is yet another form of mindfulness, and this noticing can help prevent you from feeling too controlled by them. You could experiment with being explicit about what is going on with your thoughts or emotions, such as saying to yourself that this is your anxiety about what is happening at work. Doing yoga or another physical activity or just focusing your breathing are other ways people practice being mindful.