Have you ever had a moment of mindfulness? Do you even know what it means to be mindful? Do you have a preconceived opinion on mindfulness and think it's not for you or that you can't do it? Or perhaps you've heard of this term but don't exactly know to practice it.
Being Mindful is simply being aware of everything in and around you. It's a state where your mind takes a break from the chaos, to take in what's going on around you. Ever heard the term "wake up and smell the roses?". I guarantee you have or at least the roses cousin, coffee.
You see Being mindful is an amazing experience once you give in to it. You feel differently, notice new sounds, smells and tastes. You engage all your senses in a moment of time and feel completely at peace. And I can guarantee that you've had moments like these at some point in your life.
Think back to when you were a child and you might have fallen over. Who was there to comfort you? Your Mum, Dad or Grandparent? Do you remember the feeling of relief of hugging whoever it was that picked you up, the feel of the warm embrace, how the clothing might have felt on your skin. The taste of your tears as they stream down your face and then the scratchy tissue that was rolled up a sleeve, wiping away those tears. The smell of lavender that your nan might have worn, that to this day whenever you smell lavender, you think of her. That moment of just sitting there whilst an adult made sure you were ok, you felt comforted and took in everything, feeling so much better after that kiss on the knee. That is being mindful.
Or maybe you might remember an intimate moment lying in bed in a comfortable silence with your first love, not knowing what to say but just knew you were comfortable lying next to them. Feeling the rise and fall of ones chest, maybe even having your hair twisting around his finger. The feeling of warm breath on your skin that just makes you feel so content you wish you could stay there forever. That is being mindful.
Fast forward maybe to the birth of your first child. Holding them for the first time, playing with their hand and noticing the incredible size difference that their whole hand fits round just one of your fingers. That new born baby smell that fills our nose as you hold them tight to you, cradling them to go to sleep. The feeling of a bond forming whilst feeding them. How you look over every little area of them as they sleep and just think how you can watch them sleep for hours. That is being mindful.
These examples are what being Mindful is about, taking in everything in , ina singular moment and just letting it be and enjoying the Now without the worry of what has been or what's yet to come. It's embracing the Now and living in the moment in complete content.
Many People will say that being mindful is suppose to bring you joy and help calm you down if your stressed, and I completely agree with that. However I feel there is a moment of mindfulness in any situation, good or bad. The good moments you know are good as you laugh and smile through them and enjoy the moment. But with the bad, it not so easily to see it as being mindful. Others might call it "a moment of clarity" or that they had "sense knocked into them". An example of being mindful in a bad situation are in those times in movies where everything goes into slow motion. You see things from the main characters perspective, the realisation of what they're seeing is actually happening, the loud noises, the screams, the feeling of fear, and the sudden decision to do anything possible to get out of there.
Of course not everyone finds themselves in the movies, however you can be mindful during a negative time in your life. Whether Your sat in work and start thinking of how you feel overall. The dread of waking up, the long commute, the unsatisfactory filled hours of passing time, making money for someone who doesn't appreciate you. You become aware of your own thoughts and feelings in a situation and that is being mindful. The mindful moments quickly change to Clarity which then opens up Pandora's box of how you are going to deal with this feeling. Are you going to stay or change, because once you feel it... you cant unfeel it.
Being Mindful benefits everyone who practises it. It's a way to train your mind to not only think with the mind, but with your whole physical being. It's easy to get caught up in day to day life and you have so much going on in your mind that you have all sorts to remember, birthdays, appointments, what you need to prioritise. It's easy to forget or to even notice how you could be pushing your physical self to the limit and it's not until you are so worn down and drained that you are forced to do anything about it. And even when your bed ridden with the flu, or taking time off work because you've thrown your back out, you are still focusing on the thoughts in your head and how you should be doing this that and the other and not resting.
Being mindful is a key component in Self Love. Take those breaks to listen to your body, notice the little aches and pains and deal with them accordingly so you don't find yourself in bed run down and exhausted. Day to day life can be draining physically, mentally and emotionally, we should be looking after ourselves. You are number One. You can't pour from an empty vessel, so take time to recharge and fill your inner wellness so you can be on your game for yourself and for your family before you burn out.
So, how can you start practising being mindful? You can start exactly where you are right now with these exercises:
Exercise 1: The Now
Observe what's around you. What can you hear, what can you smell, what can you see. Sit and just be for a couple of minutes and take everything in. Even if it's just on your sofa or on the bed, notice how your body falls into the chair or bed, is it comfortable or is your body straining on one side?
Right now as I'm writing this, I'm sat in my kitchen. The sky is a pale blue with grey clouds with the hint of sunset pink. I can hear the cars beeping and bangs of scooters landing on the metal ramps in the park nearby. My bum is actually numb from sitting in an awkward position on a solid chair and I can feel the pressure point of where all my weight is baring down. Resting my head in my hand I can feel that my fingertips are cold whilst my palm is warm and how bloated I'm feeling after those enchiladas I made for tea!
It's as simple as that.
Exercise 2: The People Watcher
Another exercise you can do is, the next time your going to a café, leave your phone in your bag and just observe what's around you. What's going on? Take notice in the details of the décor of the café. Is the smell of coffee strong or can you smell a hint of cake in the air too? How many people are sitting by themselves? How many people are engaging with each other and how many are just on their phones? How does that make you feel?
Exercise 3: Being one with Nature
Step outside. Whether its just outside your front/ back door, in your garden, going for a walk, or immersing yourself in nature. Notice what's around you. Can you smell the fragrance of freshly cut grass? Or perhaps the smell of a barbeque in the garden a few doors down. Can you hear Children playing or dogs barking? Did a squirrel just run up that tree that made the rustling sound? Are the leaves on the floor dry and crunchy?
Being in nature is one of the best things you could do for yourself to take some time out. And when you're busy focusing on these small details, you push the worry and stress aside and you're able to feel relief/ content for that little while. And that can make all the difference to your mood.
Exercise 4: Meditation
Now I cant talk about Mindfulness with out bringing up meditation. I've only recently started meditating on a regular basis and still consider myself a newbie. However before I first started I was so confused at what it entailed and had overcomplicated the practice in my mind much more than what it actually was. Do you just sit there and close your eyes? Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes I lie on my bed to get fully comfortable. Have I fallen asleep during meditation? Yes, sometimes on purpose (whilst listening to a guided meditation to sleep deeply) and others by mistake. But both times my sleep has been improved. But at the end of the day, it really is that simple as sitting and closing your eyes whilst focusing on your breathing to keep you anchored!
There are Many meditation apps you can download on your phone or laptop, as well as there being many books, podcasts and YouTube videos out there guiding you along your session, so there's no excuses to not even try the following exercise.
There is a type of meditation known as a Body Scan where you basically lie on your bed and spend some time, where you focus on an area of your body and to feel what it's feeling. You can either start at your head and scan down your body, or start at your feet and work your way up. With this form of mindfulness, you are reconnecting with yourself. Stepping away from the ego of the mind and giving your body a chance to tell you what it wants or what's wrong. You're tuning in with your intuition and listening to your body. This may be hard or pointless at first, but meditation is an ongoing practice and the longer you practice it, the easier it will get and the more benefits you will gain. You will become more in tune with yourself whether its pinpointing ailments in your body, or sifting through your thoughts to get to the root cause of a feeling.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and have learnt how simple being mindful is. If you did, have tried any of the exercises or have any questions, then please let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you and your experiences on how being mindful has helped you!
Caru Mawr, Cx.