Everyday often is hectic and determined by deadlines and to-dos. Relaxing and really calming down becomes more and more difficult for many people. And if we have time for ourselves, we are ruminating about the past or the future. We unlearn to live right here and now and fully in the present moment. Mindfulness and mindfulness-training helps to increase that ability and also leads to many benefits for our health.
What does mindfulness mean?
Originally, mindfulness and the related practices come from buddhism. Luck and fulfillment can be found by people who accept their own being and the present state and circumstances without any judgment or scoring. Free of any religious or philosophical conviction, mindfulness can help everyone to more satisfaction. The psychological construct of mindfulness means to fully live in the present moment and being conscious of it through focusing your attention on the here and now – without any scoring of your perceptions.
Letting go past and future
Our thoughts often revolve around the past and what could have run better. But we are also often preoccupied with the future. We are concerned about future challenges which we have to deal with. But mostly these thoughts are not target-oriented considerations, we just ruminate without finding a solution because we can neither change the past nor the future. The acceptance of this fact helps to release inner tensions about things we can’t change. We should distance ourselves from diffusing and negative thoughts, because they distract us from experiencing the present moment with all of our senses and perceptions. So in mindfulness moments it’s important to be conscious about such considerations to let them go, so that we can keep our focus on the here and now.
Concentration and flow
We experience everyday life most of the time in form of automatisms and habits. No matter if showering, brushing teeth, eating or our way to work: Nearly nobody digressive these routines and thereby leaves the present. Also multi-tasking prevents us from fully engaging and concentrating on one task. The human brain isn’t made for working on different issues simultaneously, so it switches between tasks and we are not into it with our full attention. If you want to forget time and really focus on one thing, mindfulness training will help you to get into this mental flow-state.
Positive effects of mindfulness
Like described above, one of the biggest benefits of mindfulness is an increased concentration and attention. In our society, the attention span is decreasing since the past years and everyday life becomes more and more hectic. People who train their mindfulness can resist that development. Furthermore mindfulness leads to more serenity and inner peace. These two help to calm down in challenging and stressful situations, so that you can look at things with a little distance instead of being controlled by your impulses. Stressors cannot fully develop their negative impact on your mind. A mindfulness way of living also leads to more acceptance and this furthermore to a releasing feeling of letting things go, which promotes quality of life. This also helps with mental illnesses and reduces the risk of a burnout-syndrom for example. In the following section you will learn how to train mindfulness and how you can profit from all these benefits.
Mindfulness in practice
One thing ahead: Mindfulness isn’t a gift but rather a capability which can be trained by everyone.
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction
One of the most famous methods to train mindfulness is the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction from (MBSR) from Prof. Dr. Kabat-Zinn. The MBSR ist scientifically proven and already part of psycho therapy measures so that some health insurances cover the costs for such courses. There are different elements used in this method to train awareness and body-perception, for example mediation parts, beathwork, yoga exercises and bodyscans. You can learn MBSR in special courses over about 8 weeks. The aim is that you can transfer serenity and mindfulness into your daily life.
Mindfulness training in everyday life
There are also little exercises which help you to train mindfulness in your daily life. For an easy beginning you can sharpen your awareness and consciousness in a daily moment. If you are on your way to work don’t distract yourself with your smartphone or a book. Try to notice the present moment with all your senses, so be conscious of what you can hear, see, feel, smell and maybe also taste. Watch the situation which you are into without judging your impressions. If such a thought comes up, just put it gently beside and concentrate on your environment again. Another option is to listen to music you don’t like or even don’t hear normally. Just listen to the different sounds and rhythms without an internal reaction to them. If you also learn to accept uncomfortable situations non-judgemental, you are able to be calm in stressful moments like waiting on your delayed train. Live in the present moment and accept the current state instead of resisting or struggling internally.
