Mindfulness: Your mental health well-wisher

Nowadays, life is frantic. Most people wake up, take a shower, have breakfast, go to school or work, and so on, all on autopilot. We nonetheless carry out our daily tasks since they are habitual to us. Many of us aren't even aware of how we spent the entire day.

Do we pause to consider the chores we complete during the day? When was the last time you savored your food in the morning? And ate because you loved it, not just to fill up on food. Did you explore the food's texture, appearance, fragrance, and distinct flavors? In other words, you were conscious of the food you were eating and the items placed on your table. I honestly don't even recollect what I ate for the last meal.

We have forgotten to give time to our sanity and well-being in this world of rapidly advancing technology, people rushing from place to place, time-consuming jobs, academic pressures, constant housework, caring for children, and so on. We are finishing things so haphazardly that we are no longer enjoying the process. We don't pay attention to the task or activity we are performing. We just carry on for the heck of it. To refresh or rejuvenate ourselves, we must pause and focus on our surroundings, any activity we are involved in, or on ourselves in general.

Mindfulness means being able to focus your attention on what is going on right now and helping you stay in the present. It's our capacity to stay present in the moment rather than dwelling on the past or the future.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, quotes.

"The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little. "

While it could be challenging to fit a 25–30 minute mindfulness practice into our daily schedule, we can take a few moments or short breaks during the day to check in with ourselves.

"Mindfulness isn’t difficult; we just need to remember to do it."

• Sharon Salzberg

Here are a few ways to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives:

1. A quick body scan: Our body continues to carry out all bodily functions, for instance, breathing, digestion, blood circulation, and so on, without much awareness on our part. It is always beneficial to pause for a moment and pay attention to our bodies. Do you feel any tightness or pains? Do you notice any stress in your body? This awareness will help you keep a healthy body and reduce stress and aches.
2. Engage all five of your senses: Being in the moment is one method of practicing mindfulness. Activate the present moment in your brain. Take a brief break from what you are doing and look around you. Observe your surroundings. Can you perceive diverse angles, colors, and objects? Are there any scents around? What sounds do you hear? Employ all five of your senses while focusing on what is going on in the immediate vicinity. Bring your attention to the here and now.
3. Deep Breathing: Settle in and start taking long, slow breaths. Be conscious of what is occurring inside your body when you inhale and exhale. If you have wandering thoughts, acknowledge them and then slowly return your attention to your breathing. Do not rush through it.
4. Go out into nature for a walk or just to explore. Rasheed Ogunlaru is a motivational speaker and life/business coach who has authored several popular books on mindfulness quotes - “Step outside for a while—calm your mind. It is better to hug a tree than to bang your head against a wall continually. " Go out in the open, take a walk in the park or garden, enjoy the views, and refresh your mind.
5. Gratitude: Practice thankfulness by listing your blessings in a journal or on paper. Every day, you can list two things for which you are grateful.

Last but not least, just immerse yourself in whatever you're doing, whether it's cooking, cleaning, washing your car, or dining. Engage all five of your senses to make the experience considerably richer.

In this quick-paced world, mindfulness can help us slow down a bit and increase our awareness of our bodies, thoughts, and emotions. We will gain from it in several ways.

Here are a few advantages:

1. Thch Nht Hnh is a Buddhist monk, author, and mindfulness teacher (whose many students include the above-mentioned Jon Kabat-Zinn) who was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He quotes: "The feeling that any task is a nuisance will soon disappear if it is done with mindfulness." Mindfulness will help you become more productive and make your tasks more interesting.
2. It is beneficial to our hearts. By lowering blood pressure, mindfulness may benefit those who are at risk for heart disease.
3. According to Serani, a professor at Adelphi University in New York, "Mindfulness meditation has long been found to help with insomnia and sleep habits."
4. A large body of research indicates that mindfulness training helps lower stress levels in healthy individuals. And owing to Jon Kabat-Zinn's MBSR(Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) method, there is now a wealth of studies demonstrating that mindfulness can assist people in overcoming the stress, anxiety, sadness, and pain that they experience.
5. Decrease in cognitive decline: Mindfulness may be able to slow cognitive decline. According to a growing body of research demonstrating its cognitive benefits, it may be able to counteract typical age-related cognitive decline or even improve cognitive performance in older people.

Finally, I'd like to leave you with a fantastic quote that sums up mindfulness in the simplest terms.

"Being mindful allows us to get to know ourselves and our experiences."

• Jonathan Kabat-Zinn