The Truth About Mindfulness

A recurring theme comes up almost every time I talk about mindfulness: most people are familiar with the common use of the word, but they don’t really know the ins and outs of the practice.

So, what is mindfulness, really?

Mindfulness is an exercise. That means it’s something we have to intentionally practice on a regular basis in order to become skilled at using it effectively. Mindfulness is not something that just happens throughout our day, or something that comes naturally to us (trust me, I wish it was that easy!)

A mindfulness practice teaches us how to separate our thoughts and feelings from facts. And, if you’re dealing with a stressful situation, whether it’s work related or personal (or both), being able to separate your thoughts and feelings from the facts is a super useful tool. Having this ability allows you to make better decisions for yourself that are based on the bigger picture, not fueled by emotion.

Mindfulness also helps us strengthen our ability to focus on the current moment, instead of worrying about the future or focusing on regrets about events in the past. This helps you feel less overwhelmed, allows you to see the situation you’re in more clearly, improves your mood, and reduces your anxiety and stress levels. 

So, where do you start?

A mindfulness practice doesn’t have to be complicated or take a long time. You can even practice it during one of the mindless tasks you already do on a daily basis (things like: doing the dishes, walking your dog, eating lunch, or even brushing your teeth). Make a commitment to practice mindfulness each day during an otherwise mindless activity, and you’ll begin observing the benefits in just a few weeks. Here’s how...

How to practice mindfulness:

Bring your attention to the world around you. You want to notice and describe to yourself the things you can see, hear, feel, and smell (and, if you’re practicing while eating something, also taste!)

• Practice separating your opinions/judgements from the things you are noticing. This means instead of thinking, “I see a beautiful sunset” (“beautiful” is a judgement here), you may notice that you see a sunset with oranges, pinks, and purples disappearing behind a mountain. 

• Remember, mindfulness is a skill that takes practice! Don’t beat yourself up or quit because it’s challenging at first. That’s part of the process. You (yes, you- even if you have a super short attention span) can have a successful mindfulness practice if you keep practicing!

• You will have unrelated thoughts pop into your mind while you’re practicing mindfulness. This is normal. The goal is to practice noticing when these thoughts pop up, then direct your attention back to the mindfulness exercise (instead of letting those thoughts capture your attention, as we so often do when thoughts randomly pop into our minds!)
  *Tip: Some people find it helpful to imagine the random thoughts that pop up as clouds in the sky. This helps your mind create some distance from those random thoughts, which can make it easier to control them. You can picture the thoughts floating out of your mind just as easily as they floated into it.

And, that’s how you practice mindfulness! Remember to practice it daily, but you don’t need to practice it ALL the time (that’s frankly not realistic, and would be pretty exhausting!).

Remember: the goal of mindfulness is to strengthen our ability to focus on what’s happening right now, while also separating our worries and concerns from the realities of our current situation. It’s a great tool that helps us feel less stressed, and helps us tackle the stressful things in our lives more effectively.