THE POWER OF MINDFULNESS

Improve your Emotional and Physical Well-Being

By Diana Caterin Rojas Pérez

 Have you ever felt like running away from work or school? Is it easy for you to keep calm under stressing situations? Do negative thoughts often come to your mind making you drown in a deep feeling of anxiety? If you have had these questions, you need to stop and think how to make an internal change in your life.

          It’s a very busy world and the latest pandemic has caused several emotional issues in people of all ages. In fact, people’s positive thoughts are merely focused on the end of this and how they will enjoy life afterwards; in consequence, people see their current life as a torture and have almost no sense of joy. In this way, losing the connection with the present moment is the only alternative to protect the slight emotional stability you may have.

At the moment, the environment and reality seem odd and unpredictable; nevertheless, people can learn how to empower emotions and shift those negative thoughts away to appreciate the simplicity of life rather than the uncontrollable problems and issues around them.

What is mindfulness about?

 Nowadays, almost everyone has heard the word ‘mindfulness’, but just a few people really know what it is about. This practice doesn’t really require much effort as it is normally thought. Mindfulness intends to help people focus their attention on the present, gives people the power of accepting situations without judgment; consequently, stress is reduced and there is a feeling of satisfaction and happiness embracing people’s daily activities.

Do I have to join a gym or spend hours trying to focus into meditation? Have you ever tried those? Of course, everyone has tried; however, these practices require time and discipline that the current world does not allow everyone to have. So, what do I do if I want to feel better and keep stress away from me if I can’t dedicate hours to my well-Being? In the following lines, you will find some ways to incorporate mindfulness into your life; therefore, you will feel as if you were carrying a lighter load of the extremely heavy you are carrying now.

 How can I incorporate the power of mindfulness within my life?

 There are several books and articles that explain how mindfulness is incorporated into a life routine, all the literature regarding this topic is useful. Perhaps, the techniques can be applied in different ways, but they are all focused on relaxation. It does not take longer than a few minutes, just a few minutes dedicated to helping yourself refocus on the present. You will see how your productivity increases and you will definitely feel the difference.

Conscious Breathing

The best technique, the one that helps me make better decisions and refocus is ‘conscious breathing’, we all breathe, actually it is the act of inhaling and exhaling oxygen. Now, we are going to take five minutes to breathe well. Since thoughts are always there, you need to concentrate in the way you breathe, so in order to avoid thoughts interfere in this 5-minute exercise, we need to count as we breathe. First, sit at a comfortable chair or sofa, if you can go to a green area, it’s even better. Place your hands on your legs, sit properly and close your eyes. Inhale and count until 4, then allow the air downward into your lower belly for 4 seconds and exhale slowly counting in your mind four times (1, 2, 3, 4), if you can think about something you are grateful for at the end of each breathing exercise, even better. This exercise will take you 5 minutes and you can do it before making a decision, before attending a difficult meeting or just to relax.

 Meditation

Whenever you mention the word ‘meditation’ people think about ‘long hours to do this’ and that is as right as it is wrong. Some people have developed the capacity to meditate for hours; however, most people are not able to do it. Now, let’s think about a brief and efficient exercise. Sit quietly in a place where you find no disturbance, or if you can’t, use your headphones to listen to meditation music. There are several types found in YouTube, my favorite is the ‘Monoman Meditation’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjHGZj2IjBk). When being sitting down with your headphones on, consciously breathe twice and then try to remember all the good things that happen to you during the day, there are many, think about how blessed you are because you can walk, you have your two hands, you could have breakfast that day, think about your family, and so on. Just allow your thoughts to come and go without judgment and return to your focus breath as many times as you wish. The first day is the hardest, if negative thoughts come to your mind, ignore them and start again. After a week you will be able to do this exercise without complications.

Emotion’s diary

I love this! Actually, there are companies that have become richer by printing planners with daily encouraging messages. Why do we have to buy joy if there is a lot in our lives? Begin your day by writing how happy you are of having something or someone in your life, search for an inspiring message in google and write it down. Now, sometimes there are other feelings present, such as ‘anger’ or ‘frustration’, please accept them without judgment, write how you felt and how your body reacted towards it. For example, ‘today I felt depressed and I had a strange feeling in my stomach.’ If you learn how your body reacts towards those feelings, you will definitely know what’s going on and learn how to stop and let them go without judgment.

 Sensory exercises

Have you ever stopped 5 minutes to have a morning snack or just enjoy your coffee peacefully? I bet the answer is ‘almost never’. That is a huge mistake! The most productive managers and CEOs around the world work a lot, they have time to read and even for their families, but how does that happen? The answer is easy, first they train their memory a lot, remembering things helps them be more productive and save time, most of them have people like Jim Kwik, train them to be successful in their jobs. Nevertheless, it’s not only the fact of being more intelligent or not. It is the fact that if you are able to find time to enjoy those moments, you will be more successful. Whenever you are having a cup of coffee, notice how it smells, take some time to taste it, focus on its flavor, do not take your cellphone in the other hand, just put it on the table upside down. Ignore the world for just some minutes, see the environment around you and notice the sounds, look at a painting and try to enjoy its beauty and why not, recall what you are grateful for. Then, you are ready to work with enthusiasm, doing in less time what you normally do in more.

Practice acceptance

Please be kind and forgiving toward yourself. Do not judge every single mistake you make, but use mindfulness techniques to find a way out. Try again, and redo what you need to redo. Treat yourself as you treat others. Why are you compassionate and understanding with others while you are not like that with you?  

Mindfulness can help you incorporate joy in your life, don’t close your eyes to what it has to improve your Emotional and Physical Well-Being.

 Sources

 Images taken from

https://www.sloyu.com/2020/11/28/11-citas-de-expertos-en-mindfulness/

https://www.psiquiatriapsicologia-dexeus.com/es/unidades.cfm/ID/1075/ESP/terapia-mindfulness.htm

 Boyatzis, R. E., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Harvard Business Press

 Glomb, T. M., Duffy, M. K., Bono, J. E., & Yang, T. (2011). Mindfulness at work. In Research in personnel and human resources management. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.