Mindfulness Keeps You Healthy
Human beings are always multitasking. They start with another task even before the previous one is over. And why wouldn’t they? There is so much to do and so little time. This is the thought that has become prevalent all over the world—we are busy, and it is making us sick. Mindful meditation is the answer to almost all the health questions our generation has been collectively raising.
What Is Mindfulness?
In the simplest sense, mindfulness is all about being aware of the present. Forcing your mind to focus on only one thing: your current task at hand. Whether that is eating your lunch, going for an evening stroll, or even something as simple as… breathing. Focus.
When you let your mind wander from task to task without direction, you can experience health issues and mental disorders like anxiety and depression.
Your mind is the monumental hurdle between you and your happiness. The ability to control your mind is a necessity in our times. We need a solution that naturally handles our stress and can have a big impact on physical and mental health.
By focusing all your energies on only one task at a time, you accomplish two things:
- You complete the task to the best of your potential
- You do not panic or stress thinking about the results since you are only focusing on what you are doing, not what comes next
Don’t underestimate the difficulty of this ‘simple’ solution. This will require a lot of practice and effort on your part. Your mind has been a wanderer all your life. It keeps thinking about the past and the future while working on the present. It is accustomed to functioning like that.
How to Practice Mindfulness?
So now you have to start from scratch. The best part about practicing mindfulness is that you can do it anytime, anywhere. You do not need a specific space for it—it can be done while you are laying down on your bed!
To get the best results from mindfulness techniques, make sure that you practice them every day. Assign time for it—at least an hour every day. In that hour, you may only find a few seconds of empty mind space at a time at first. Those seconds are enough to calm your mind down significantly. The best results of mindfulness can only be seen after you’ve been doing it on a daily basis for a long period of time.
Here are some of the easiest mindfulness techniques you can use to focus your mind and take it to its highest and healthiest potential:
Basic Meditation
In this technique, you sit down in a relaxed position and focus on your breathing. You can also come up with a mantra. This is a word that has no meaning and therefore induces no emotion. Hindus use the sound “Ohm.” You can use any word or sound you like as long as it is meaningless.
Repeat this mantra in your head and focus only on that. This will clear your mind of all thoughts and you will feel rejuvenated.
Body Sensations
In this exercise, all you have to do becomes aware of your own body. Start from the head. Try to feel the strands of your hair, then go all the way down to your toenails. Feel it all without judgment.
A slight caveat: when you do it for the first time, your mind will try to play tricks on you. You’ll feel phantom itches and other sensations since your brain is not accustomed to remaining in a meditative state. Let those sensations pass without addressing them.
Accepting Your Emotions
We are constantly in a state of emotion. We keep passing from one state to another. This is why it is important to practice mindfulness.
Accept all of your emotions without any judgment. If you are angry, remind yourself why you are angry and just accept it. Don’t process it—no one is asking you to solve all your problems! Emotions are only natural, but when we don’t simply accept them, we tend to manifest friction and stress.
If you keep practicing these three simple techniques on a regular basis, you will notice the following changes in your mind and body:
- Less stress
- Fewer heart issues
- Better metabolism
- Lower blood pressure
- Better sleep
- Better gastrointestinal functioning
- Less anxiety, stress, depression, and OCD
Wrap-Up
Even the world of science has come to accept the benefits and importance of mindful meditation. It is high time our world accepts it as a common practice that needs to be part of our daily routine.
- 3 Ways to Practice Mindfulness at Home - December 4, 2023
