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Hello folks! Let’s talk about mental and physical wellbeing and the power of mindfulness practices. How stress can impact the productivity in our lives and how some simple practices of mindfulness can help us overcome mental health issues and improve our overall lifestyle.
What is Mental Wellbeing?
The World Health Organization (2014) defines mental health as ‘a unified state of mental, physical and social well-being, where a person can achieve their potential, is able to effectively contribute to the community, and can handle the stresses of normal life’.
Our mental health is never same. We all have good days and bad days. Some day we might feel happy and elated and the other day we might be feeling down. According to a research, every one out of four people suffer from a mental health issue. These issues can range from conditions like OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) to serious mental disorders like Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
Understanding Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a state of being aware. It means a sense of being heedful of one’s surroundings, environment, inner feelings and emotions, bodily sensations and whatever is happening around by being fully aware and present in that moment. It has its roots in Buddhist meditation.
A person cannot be mindful if he or she does not pay attention to their thoughts and is judgmental about his way of thinking. A person stuck in the past or too absorbed in imagining future can never achieve the state of being mindful.
The practice of mindfulness means to keep reminding yourself over and over again to stay focused in the present moment and train it to avoid getting absorbed into thinking about unrealistic scenarios.
Science behind mindfulness
Studies suggest that practice of observing ourselves and being wary of one’s thoughts and emotions while staying connected with the present moment can significantly improve the one’s mental and physical health. It is so because when a person repeatedly reminds himself to be actively aware of all the thoughts, emotions and sensations, it becomes a pattern and it reduces the habits of overthinking to a great extent. This results in less anxiety and stress and more productivity leading to feelings of contentment and satisfaction.
Relationship between Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness is the state of being fully aware of what we are thinking and what is happening around us and inside us. It does not mean being over-vigilant and alert of one’s surrounding rather a simple state of being present in the moment.
On the other hand, Meditation is a practice to explore the sensational, emotional and mental developments that a person goes through and de-cluttering the mind. It does not mean to disconnect one’s self from the world around rather it means to explore the world inside and how the outer world affects the inner realm.
Mindfulness and meditation go hand in hand. One must practice mindfulness meditation and explore the working of bodily sensations, emotional and physical stimuli and learn to be in the moment with open heart and mind.
Benefits of Mindfulness
Intentionally directing the attention to practice of mindfulness invokes a unique brain activation function and the repetition of this practice can make it a persistent trait and can lead to permanent change in brain’s functionality. This is because brain function changes in reaction to experience. This change can have following impacts on one’s mental health:
- Less anxiety and depression: studies have shown that the practice of mindfulness meditation or mindfulness cognitive therapy can help treat the symptoms of anxiety and depression and can have better results compared to use of anti-depressant.
- Improved immune system: according to a research by Richard A. Davidson and Jon Kabat-Zinn, people who observed mindfulness meditation after flu vaccination had more antibodies than those who didn’t. This means mindfulness can also be helpful in boosting immunity.
- Slows down brain aging: according to a research conducted by Dr. Eileen L
- uders in UCLA School of medicine, people who practiced mindfulness were less likely to develop gray matter atrophy hence their brain matter was less likely to decrease in volume as they age.
- Improved cognitive abilities: a person practicing mindfulnessdevelops improved cognitive abilities and is more connected to the surroundings and one’s own self. Such persons are more capable of identifying the negative thought patterns and have ability to figure out new ways of thinking to cope with negative thoughts.
- Support for heart health: mindfulness can improve heart health by keeping the blood pressure in control.
Getting started with Mindfulness practices
Some of these practices can really help in improving symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. If these practices are incorporated into daily routine, we can learn to control out thought process and avoid being consumed by over-thinking and anxiety.
- Focus on Breathing: taking out 5-10 minutes from busy routine and sitting at a calm place to meditate while listening to one’s breathing and exploring the working of body and mind can really help change the mood and de-clutter the puzzled mind.
- Mindful Eating: we can change the eating habits and become more physically healthy if we start eating mindfully. This means to fully experience the hunger and cravings and eating slowly to feel the cravings being satiated. Eating without distractions and savoring every bite is important to fully realize the benefits of any food.
- Mindful Walking: This might sound weird but when we walk we usually either keep using our mobile phone or talk to someone. On the other hand if we focus on breathing while we walk, inhale the fresh air and exhale it and focus on every step, simple practice of walking can also become a sort of mindfulness exercise.
- Consistency is the key: Another most important practice that we must incorporate in our lives is being consistent. Consistency is the key to achieving goals and if any practice or exercise is not done consistently, it becomes more of a burden rather than a routine.
Overcoming Common Challenges in Mindfulness
- Distractions: Dealing with distractions can be difficult if one cannot find a calm place to meditate and practice. In such condition one should always stay calm and deal with the noise and distractions with patience. When you stop fighting the distractions they become less distractive and you learn to focus even in the presence of such interruptions.
- Not being Consistent: For beginners it can be really challenging in the beginning to stay consistent and practice mindfulness. Beginners should try to take out at least five minutes from busy routine and sit at a quiet place and practice mindfulness meditation or just some muscle relaxation exercises.
- Self-Compassion: It is important for beginners to not judge their progress and show some self-compassion. No one can become a pro in the beginning so be patient and don’t judge your inner voices.
Resources and Tools for Mindfulness Practice
Practicing mindfulness has become easier in today’s advanced digital world. There are multiple resources like mobile applications to help improve focus and bring tranquility in mind and body.
Apps like headspace, Calm, insight timer and smiling mind are some very famous tools to enhance focus and make the practice of mindfulness an essential part of daily routine.
There are some Youtube channels as well offering free of cost meditation training. Headspace’s Youtube channel has multiple small course videos on meditation. Further “The Honest Guys Meditation Relaxation” is also a great resource on Youtube to learn meditation and practice mindfulness.
Embracing Mindfulness for a Healthier Mind and Body
Mindfulness is as important in life as a dustbin in a room. It helps to free our minds from scattered thoughts, teaches us to live in the present moment and also leaves positive impact on our physical health. It is a very beautiful and calming way of emptying the mind and relieving the stress associated with unnecessary thoughts. Mindfulness is the key to the major issue of over-thinking that we face in our lives every day. By staying connected with the moment you are living, you can overcome the stress and anxiety associated with future and past.
Less anxiety, stress or any mental health disorder can lead to a better physical health as well. This is because the body responds to any mental activity caused due to the vibrations of surroundings. Hence, a healthy mind is essential to maintain a healthy body and vice versa.
Mindfulness: the key to a healthy Lifestyle
After all the detailed discussion, we can agree on one thing that the power of mindfulness can transform our lifestyles and help us be more aligned with ourselves and our goals. So, let’s start the practice of mindfulness and make it a compulsory part of our daily chores. Life can be more simple and beautiful if we spend each and every moment living it. The worries of future and the traumas of past should not be bigger than our courage to live a happy and healthy life. So, start mindfulness today and enjoy the perks of a healthy mind and body.
Good luck!