Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a word we hear a lot of nowadays but what exactly is it?  Mindfulness is intentionally focusing on your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and body sensations in the present moment without judgment. When we are mindful and present, we are in better control of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors - this allows us to make better decisions and respond to situations more calmly and thoughtfully. Much research has been conducted on mindfulness and it reveals that any age from infant to adult can benefit from mindfulness practices.  

So why practice mindfulness?  Research shows that practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, increase emotion regulation skills, improve attention and focus, improve social skills, improve health and sleep patterns and increase a sense of well-being.  Even practicing mindfulness for just 5 minutes a day can benefit you!  

So how do you practice mindfulness?  First and foremost, when beginning the practice of mindfulness it is important to choose the right time of day with the least amount of distractions, some suggestions could be early or later in the day or at bedtime.  Mindfulness can come in many forms, such as breathing exercises, creating art (coloring, painting, drawing), listening to relaxing music, reading, mindful eating, body scan/progressive muscle relaxation, journaling, practicing a hobby, or feel free to create the mindful practice that fits you!  

Where can I find different mindfulness practices? There are a ton of resources out there with different mindfulness activities.  A few suggestions are mindful.org, mindfulnesseveryday.org, or apps like Calm or Headspace and as always, YouTube has an enormous amount of videos! 

Remember to become mindful, it takes time, practice, and patience to build and develop this skill. So be patient with yourself and give it a try!