Feel Better with Mindfulness

Mindfulness is being fully focused on what you are doing right now, in the present moment, on purpose!

Easy, right?

Well actually it is surprising how much of the time we move through life, doing things on automatic pilot, without actually being fully aware of how or why we are doing them. I mean, have you ever walked or driven to work and reached a particular point on the journey and realised you have no recollection of the route or actions you've taken to reach that point?

We can cultivate this awareness by taking time to purposefully and gently place our awareness on specific elements such as our body, our breath, our senses, and our movements, amongst other things during a formal mindfulness meditation practice. The more we practice, the more this awareness spills over into our everyday life.

The more aware we become, the more we start to recognise patterns in our thoughts and actions that are repeated often during the day, the week and months of our lives. Some of these patterns may be helpful, and others less so. For example, we become more aware of the feelings and bodily sensations that lead us to reach for the biscuit tin when we feel stressed and to binge eat. Our thought patterns can take us down a rabbit hole of despair when a seemingly tiny event disrupts our plans for the day. This is why mindfulness can be a great help for managing stress, anxiety and cravings.

It’s just as important to understand what mindfulness is not:

You might have an image in your head of a monk or Buddha-type figure sitting cross-legged on the floor with their hands pressed together for hours on end. Although mindfulness meditation does have its origins in Buddhist philosophy, you can actually be mindful anywhere and in any position - on the bus, in a queue of people, at your desk, doing the washing up… literally anywhere!

Mindfulness helps to bring peace of mind and a sense of control over one’s thoughts and actions, so it can improve your life in many ways. It is commonly used to help manage stress, anxiety, sleep conditions, chronic pain management and support a sense of overall wellbeing. However, you don’t have to have a specific condition or diagnosis to start a mindfulness practice. In fact, starting when you’re feeling well is a great thing to do, as it takes time to build your practice into a habit. It is not an overnight fix but regular and consistent practice can lead to short and long term benefits.