Mindfulness can improve your sense of overall wellbeing by helping you become more present in your life. By the end of this article, you will be able to define mindfulness, and understand the benefits of incorporating this practice in your life.
Mindfulness is the human ability of bringing awareness to the present moment experience on purpose, non-judgmentally, with a sense of openness and curiosity. With practice and patience, this approach can help you see the world and your experiences though a lens of gratitude, openness, and curiosity.
Attitudes
Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn, author, professor and founder Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), suggests attitudes to help cultivate mindfulness.
Beginners mind: A sense of experiencing something as if for the first time, with a sense of awe and wonder. It offers the opportunity to let go of the “expert mind” which can bring expectations and judgments to experiences.
Acceptance: Active recognition of our circumstance vs fighting or denying with what is. Acceptance allows us to know where we stand and take wise, flexible actions based on our reality.
Letting go: Reminds us to allow things to be as they are. We can find peace and freedom by not fighting, clinging, or forcing anything (situations, emotions, ideas etc.).
Trust: Cultivating a sense of faith in our own wisdom. This quality can be expanded to other relationships and situations.
Patience: Allowing for things to unfold in their own time with patience and openness.
Non- striving: The practice of connecting with the present moment without having an agenda or striving to modify it. This practice can help us to align with our wisdom, and values guided actions.
Gratitude: The practice of noticing and celebrating what we can be thankful for at this moment.
Generosity: Honoring a sense of interconnectedness by offering resources to others with a sense of compassion and care.
Benefits
Current scientific research studies have provided proof of cognitive, psychological, and physical benefits of mindfulness. Below I have listed some of the benefits:
Psychological
- Decreased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression
- Increased resilience
- Happiness
- Increased compassion
- Increased relationship quality
- Increased sense of meaning
Cognitive
- Increased memory
- Increased attention
- Increased creativity
- Increased problem solving
Physical
- Improved Immune Function
- Reduced Hypertension
- Decreased Chronic Pain
- Better quality of sleep
- Cortical thickening
- Decreased levels of cortisol
I hope this article has given you a clearer idea of what mindfulness is and how it can be beneficial in your life.
Questions to reflect on
- How can you apply mindfulness at this moment?
- What attitude of mindfulness would you like to practice more?
- Which attitude do you predict will be most challenging to practice?
Useful Links
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness and its application in your life, I have listed some resources:
- The Importance of Mindfulness: 20+ Reasons to Practice Mindfulness https://positivepsychology.com/importance-of-mindfulness/
- 9 Attitudes Jon Kabat Zinn – https://youtu.be/2n7FOBFMvXg
- Everyday Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn – https://www.mindful.org/everyday-mindfulness-with-jon-kabat-zinn/
- What is MBSR? – https://www.institute-for-mindfulness.org/offer/mbsr/what-is-mbsr
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Therapy can be a safe space to work on having a more mindful approach our inner experience. If this post resonated, and you find that cognitive distortions are affecting your well-being feel free to reach out to schedule a FREE consultation.
