How to Start Practicing Mindfulness

Do you ever find yourself lost in thought or not enjoying pleasant moments? Maybe you are in constant fear of the future or caught up on things that have happened in the past? Or it could be that your routine has you stuck in autopilot; just moving through the motions. If any of these apply to you then introducing a mindfulness practice may be just what you need! 

What is mindfulness?
The idea of mindfulness is to experience life as it happens or to “live in the moment” as some may phrase it. This is accomplished by encompassing attention, awareness, and acceptance into your thoughts and actions. You can think of awareness as our ability to draw our attention to our inner experiences, such as the present moment. When we are able to focus on the present moment, we can then accept and observe - rather than shy away from or judge - our streams of thought. It is a way of befriending ourselves and our experiences! 

How can I practice mindfulness?
We know the goal of mindfulness is to achieve a focused state by paying attention to our thoughts and sensations without judgment. The question is how do we achieve this? Well believe it or not there is no big secret behind mindfulness practice. In reality you can make any experience or activity mindful by practicing a purposeful and present awareness. Here are some examples of instances where you can practice - 

• Daily tasks/activities. Going on a walk, hiking or exploring outside, listening to music, starting a puzzle or coloring book, eating a tasty snack, or folding your laundry. These activities and tasks are likely common and require little to no attention or awareness to complete. The challenge for you is to apply your mindfulness techniques to these basic activities! Practice drawing your attention, awareness, and acceptance into each of these tasks when your mind begins to wonder. 

• Yoga practice. Yoga can be a great way to practice mindfulness and conveniently can be done practically anywhere! During your time on the mat you will have the opportunity to focus your attention away from your external distractions and towards what is happening internally. You will be encouraged to hone in on your breath, bodily sensations, and your thoughts; offering you the chance to really focus on the present moment. As you continue this exercise your awareness will expand, allowing you to practice acts of non-judgement, letting go, self-awareness, and peace within. 

• Meditation. The ultimate mind clearer; training you in awareness and a healthy sense of perspective. There are a variety of meditative practices to choose from and all of them will help you put space between yourself and your reactions or thoughts. All you need to do is set aside a few minutes of your time each day. Maybe you could swap that 15 minutes of social media time before bed for a guided meditation instead.

•  The STOPping technique. When you find yourself in an undesirable situation, you can try this mindfulness technique to help relieve unwanted feelings or thoughts.  

  S - Slow down. Pause for a moment. 
  T - Take a deep breath or two
  O - Observe how you are feeling at this moment. Take a mental note of your thoughts and how your body is feeling. 
  P - Proceed. Now that you’ve taken a moment to breathe and take note of how you are feeling, you can consider what options you have. This allows you to pause before impulsively reacting to the situation. You may have a clearer picture of what triggered that negative or undesirable emotion and you can move forward with a more present and logical mind.

What are the benefits of mindfulness?
Mindfulness is one of those tools that can be used whenever you feel it’s necessary. It is used to reduce or counteract maladaptive thinking processes, such as rumination, constant worry, overthinking, and so on. This is achieved by, you guessed it, constant practice! When you are able to tune in to the now you are inadvertently benefiting yourself in numerous areas of your life. Here are some benefits - 

• Reduce stress and increase fulfillment. We all have an idea of how stress manifests in our personal life. However stress plagues you, the practice of mindfulness can give you more options! When we practice mindfulness we are allowing a quiet and still focus to enter within. Once we are able to focus our attention on what is happening in the present we can help mitigate and manage the stressors in our lives, allowing for more fulfillment and positive experiences to enter.

• Learn to appreciate small moments. Mindfulness can give you a different perspective on what is happening in your life. Instead of living with your thoughts somewhere in the distance, you may start to notice minor details or nuances you didn’t see before. It allows you to appreciate these small, often unnoticed moments happening around you. These moments may be comforting, inspirational, or enlivening. 

• Reconnect with the things you love. It can be easy to take life for granted. Especially, when many of us are committed to a routine day in and day out, leaving us on autopilot. Practicing mindfulness can be a great tool to help you slow down. Help you focus on one thing at a time. Help you create balance and time management. Help you put things into perspective. Thus, mindfulness can also help you reconnect with the things you once valued and loved! Now you might have energy to spend quality time with loved ones or you might just pick up that book you never got to finish. 

Like any skill, mindfulness will require practice. Don’t expect to have it mastered in an instant! Give yourself grace as you begin to explore this new tool. Remember, mindfulness will be available to you whenever you want/need it.

growgood psychology has a team of therapists ready to walk with you as you begin building a foundation of mindfulness.
Whether you’re new to mindfulness or have been doing it for a while and want to process what you’ve been experiencing, our therapists are here to support you. Connect with us today to begin a new path towards healing!