In the fast-paced world we live in today, it is common to always be thinking ahead to the next day, the next hour, or even the next moment. Your mind may be filled with constant chatter about what needs to be done or you may pride yourself in being a master multitasker by attending to multiple tasks at once. On the flip side, you may also find yourself ruminating about the past, such as replaying social interactions repeatedly in your mind where you wish you had said or done something differently.
Constantly looking ahead to the future or thinking about the past pulls us out of living in the present moment. But, the present moment is where we may experience the most joy, excitement, happiness, or calm. You may have heard people in your life tell you to be more “mindful” and practice “mindfulness.” But what does this actually mean? Mindfulness is “the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.” It can mean being tuned into your inner experience, such as by noticing the thoughts, feelings, or body sensations that are happening to you in the present moment. You can also mindfully attune to your external environment, by noticing the sights, sounds, textures, smells, and tastes you are encountering.
7 Key Principles of Mindfulness
The 7 principles of mindfulness were introduced by John Kabat-Zinn, the creator of mindfulness-based stress reduction.
- Nonjudgment: Do you ever catch yourself judging yourself, others, or your circumstances? You may feel like you shouldn’t be feeling a certain way or that your current situation should be different. Holding onto the judgment we assign to our thoughts, feelings, and experiences can really bring us down and prevent us from experiencing a more joyful and fulfilling life. Nonjudgment is all about simply observing what is happening without assigning a label of good or bad.
Exercise: Today, take a moment to gaze at the clouds in the sky as they leisurely pass by. When you’re looking at the clouds, you’re not judging them based on how fast or slow they’re moving nor the shape they take. You are simply observing with curiosity as they glide through the sky at their own pace. Take a moment to be fully present and observe whatever thoughts or feelings come up during this exercise. Then, simply allow those thoughts and feelings to pass by, just like the clouds in the sky.
- Patience: Practicing patience means accepting that things unfold in their own time. Maybe you just can’t wait to rush through this week so you can enjoy another weekend and you find yourself impatiently looking ahead to the next moment, the next hour, the next day. However, this is at the expense of losing touch with the present moment. Patience is about embracing the notion that life has a cycle of its own. Just like the changing of the seasons, a caterpillar emerging as a butterfly, or the sun rising and setting each day, all things happen on their own unique timeline.
Exercise: Today, when you find yourself looking ahead to the next task, take a moment to appreciate where you are right now and practice repeating the phrase “all good things take time to cultivate.” Notice any feelings that arise when you repeat this phrase.
- Beginner’s Mind: The concept of beginner’s mind means attempting to see the world as if for the first time, as though through the eyes of a child. This will enable you to suspend your judgment, opinions, and expectations of your experiences. If you already know what’s going to happen in a situation, life can get pretty boring, right? But, life is ever changing, and no moment can be duplicated. Seeing your experiences with a beginner’s mind can help you embrace new learning, increase curiosity, and practice open-mindedness to new perspectives and ideas.
Exercise: Practice seeing the world with a beginner’s mind by spending time observing an ordinary object that you may normally pass by without a thought (i.e., plate, tree, stop sign). When you experience this object, look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Observe the colors, shape, and fabric. Maybe you become curious about how or where this object was made and how it came to be in your possession. Try this exercise and see where your curious mind takes you!
- Trust: This refers to learning to trust yourself and your feelings. You and you alone are the expert of your experience. At times you may feel doubtful and uncertain when making big decisions but the old cliché of “trust your gut” has its merit!
Exercise: Practice trusting yourself by stopping to notice how you feel before making an everyday decision, like choosing where to eat or what to wear. Try to turn your attention to your mind and body and listen to what your “gut” is urging you toward. By practicing this form of trust, you will strengthen your intuition and discover a more authentic you.
- Non-striving: While striving is all about ‘doing’ the next thing, non-striving is about ‘being.’ This means being in the here and now without trying to change anything about the present moment. This may go against the grain of what you are used to, because we are always striving to achieve more, but non-striving can bring about a sense of inner peace and appreciation for what is present.
Exercise: To practice non-striving, engage in an activity that is just for fun and that you can fully immerse yourself in, like art, dance, sports, or games. The activity need not have an end goal. Simply enjoy the process of being.
- Acceptance: Acceptance means a willingness to see things exactly as they are rather than as you think they should be. To be fully present and accepting, you may pass through periods of intense feelings, like anger, fear, or grief. This does not mean you have to like the ways things are but rather you are acknowledging the truth of your present moment experience. This opens up the door to healing and transformation.
Exercise: To practice acceptance, take a few minutes to intentionally stop and notice how you are feeling and what you are thinking without trying to change your thoughts or feelings. Simply notice and say to yourself “I accept that this is my experience right now.”
- Letting Go: Do you ever find yourself getting stuck in your thoughts or feelings? You may be desperately trying to hold onto the fun and excitement of the past weekend or maybe you are actively avoiding thinking about what is on your to-do list. Whether holding onto the past or actively avoiding the future, both take away the energy and attention you give to your experience in the here and now. Letting go means loosening our grasp on what we wish to hold onto and lessening the urge to push away things that are uncomfortable or aversive. It is the practice of allowing our experiences to arise and pass at their own pace without trying to control the outcome.
Exercise: The first step to letting go is to become aware of what you may be tightly gripping or actively avoiding. Where does your mind tend to go throughout the day? If you are getting wrapped up in thoughts, try shifting your attention to your surroundings and mindfully notice what you are seeing and experiencing in your environment. If you find yourself avoiding certain topics or emotions, notice what happens if you allow yourself to lean into an uncomfortable feeling, even if just for a moment.
The Benefits of Mindfulness for Mental Health
There are many mental health benefits of adding mindfulness practices into your routine:
- Stress Reduction: The amygdala is the brain area responsible for sending signals for the brain to release the stress hormone, cortisol. Through repeated practice of focusing on the present moment, activation of the amygdala decreases, which means lower activation of the brain’s stress response system.
- Improved Focus and Concentration: Mindfulness also helps improve focus and concentration by intentionally and consistently noticing when your mind wanders to different distractions and practicing bringing your attention back to the present moment.
- Emotional Regulation: By being more mindful to the present moment, you will become more aware of different emotions you may be experiencing. This can help you nonjudgmentally notice what you are feeling and become curious about what that emotion may be signaling to you. Allowing space to notice and feel different emotions can also increase your tolerance for uncomfortable emotions.
Overcoming Common Mindfulness Challenges
- Mindfulness can only be done for hours at a time: When people think of mindfulness they may create a picture in their mind of a Buddhist monk sitting in the lotus position meditating in silence for hours on end. Many may think that mindfulness can only be effective if you can sit still for hours on end. Fortunately, this is not true. Mindfulness can be practiced for just a few minutes every day, especially when starting out. It also does not have to be done sitting. One can practice mindfulness by taking a walk, doing yoga, eating, or other activities.
- Mindfulness is about “emptying the mind”: Mindfulness is all about simply noticing, without judgment, the thoughts, feelings, images, and body sensations that emerge for you. There is no way to turn our minds “off” but we can become more aware of what our mind is focusing on and practice bringing our attention back to what we are experiencing in the present moment.
- Mindfulness is “easy”: While the concept of simply noticing what we are experiencing in the present moment sounds easy, the actual practice of this can be challenging, especially when just starting out. Feeling frustrated and distracted is often a part of the process when developing your mindfulness practices. It takes time and practice to get better at being in the present moment. Remember to be kind to yourself when working on being more mindful.
Mindfulness is the practice of becoming aware of the present moment and noticing without judgment what that experience is like for us. There are many benefits to practicing mindfulness, like feeling more engaged when doing activities or spending time with others and decreasing stress, worry, and rumination. Mindfulness can be incorporated into your everyday life by practicing it for just a few moments each day and will become easier with more practice.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from the present moment, you may benefit from practicing mindfulness skills. Our team of mental health professionals at Integrated Care Clinic are skilled at helping individuals learn and practice skills to become more engaged and connected with the present moment. Reach out today to start your mindfulness journey!
