Mindfulness is a word we’re hearing increasingly often, because of its value for managing a variety of physical and mental health problems.

However, what does being mindful mean and how can mindfulness help us attain greater wellness?

Understanding Mindfulness

The principle of mindfulness comes from Buddhism and was designed to help followers understand themselves, train their minds for the better, and free themselves of unhelpful thoughts that hold them back.

It is possible to do this by focusing on our thoughts, feelings, and environment in the present moment, without distraction to the past or future, and not judging the way we think or feel.

There are four main aspects of mindfulness:

1) Increase attention regulation to focus on an item to avoid distraction

2) Increase body awareness to concentrate on an internal feature like breathing, to make us more familiar with ourselves.

3) Practice emotion regulation to acknowledge our emotions and not react to them.

4) Change the perspective we have of ourselves to foster the idea that change is possible, and this can promote a better outcome.

Benefits of Mindful Practices

When we allow ourselves to be more mindful, we promote better physical wellness by adopting healthier habits. For instance, eating mindfully encourages healthier food choices and more restraint over portion sizes, which helps us to take control of our weight. Adopting mindful principles is also useful when it comes to managing pain, with this technique known as an effective way to control chronic back and neck pain. Areas of our mental well-being that can benefit include reduced stress and anxiety, improved mood, enhanced memory, better concentration, and a greater ability to learn. We can take advantage of mindfulness in our personal lives too, as being more mindful strengthens relationships and helps us to understand others better.

Note: This article is a quick summary of a longer article published here

By the way, what are your thoughts on Mindfulness?

Do you have a Mindfulness Practice of your own, or any helpful tools or experiences to share?

I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and share 🙂

(This Article was contributed by Julie)