If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place. (Lato Tzu)
Modern life is quite hectic and that is why people experience high levels of anxiety, stress and depression. This can affect the mental and physical health of people and generally deteriorate the quality of life. To manage these negative feelings, we can use the practice of mindfulness.
The word mindfulness refers to being present. In other words, to pay full attention and full awareness to both yourself and others.
Mindfulness consists of being present and paying attention to the present moment without making judgements. To achieve this, the person is required to recognise their own feelings, their thoughts and to identity their presence while connecting with the environment.
When a person focuses on the present moment, they reduce the emotional load on the mind since they stop worrying about both past situations and future events. This allows the person to be more aware of their emotions and achieve greater inner peace, which is vitally important to improve their well-being.
The practice of mindfulness is not complex and can be done in several ways, it just requires discipline to practise it periodically to achieve good outcomes. The best-known form of practicing mindfulness is perhaps meditation and breathing practice. There is also yoga and tai chi that helps relaxation.
Meditation
Doing meditation in a quiet place allows the person to pay attention to emotions and bodily feelings and this allows them to relax better and consequently, to feel better too.
The NHS website offers a comprehensive guide on how to practise meditation and makes it clear that meditation is not a mystical affair, it is simply a way of stopping the daily routine to allow yourself to breathe deeply and relax. To achieve this, you can follow the recommended steps below:
- Set a time to do it.
- Find a comfortable and quiet place.
- Focus on the present moment.
- Closeyour eyes, inhale, and exhale slowly.
- Don’t get distracted. Focus on breathing.
The NHS points out that there are many types of meditation and practicing any of these techniques has many benefits as, over time, they can help reduce stress levels.
By releasing physical tension contained in the body, meditation can help us release the worries that we accumulate in the mind, relieving anxiety, stress, bad moods, and even helping us to have a calmer and more restful sleep.
Meditation can also provide a sense of calm that allows the person to respond in a more measured way to the events of daily life, leading to less conflict and better well-being for everyone.
Developing the discipline of being present requires paying attention and enjoying the small details of everyday life. The person can begin the practice of mindfulness from the moment they wake up, enjoying the warmth of the bed, feeling the water when showering. When eating, enjoying the flavour of food and its texture. Listening to others fully when having a conversation. Enjoying the sound of music and the wind when being outdoors.Doing exercise
Exercise is an important part of well-being. When having a walk you can enjoy the colours of the plants, the view of the landscape and the flight of birds around. If you go to a museum, you can pay attention to the details of the paintings or sculptures and delight in the shapes and colours of the pieces of art. Furthermore, you can read a book and reflect on the content. In addition to reading, prayer can help a lot; in most religions there are prayers that help a person be at peace with themselves.
Deep breathing
A person can do deep breathing anywhere. One of the MedlinePlus articles outlines the following steps, which a person can do while sitting or standing.
- Put one hand on your stomach and the other on your heart.
- Inhale slowlyuntil you feel your stomach rise.
- Holdyour breath for a moment.
- Exhale slowly, feeling the stomach empty.
Additionally, the person can begin to pay attention to basic physical and emotional needs, that is, taking the time necessary to take care of themselves.
To conclude, practicing mindfulness improves the ability to concentrate and helps memory, it allows the person to better manage emotions, it reduces stress and anxiety levels, it promotes creativity and self-knowledge, it provides calm and tranquillity reducing cortisol levels in the blood as well as blood pressure.
Bibliography:
- https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUJdzaLDRIo&t=72s
- https://situam.org.mx/es/la-importancia-del-mindfulness.html
- https://www.mindfulness-salud.org/mindfulness/que-es-mindfulness/
- https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/ency/patientinstructions/000874.htm
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000874.htm
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRPHsp5K-Zk
- https://www.iepp.es/beneficios-mindfulness-ciencia/
- https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner
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