The Power of Mindfulness: Embracing the Present | Blog

The Power of Mindfulness: Embracing the Present

Mindfulness cloud ladder

Mindfulness cloud ladder

In our fast-paced world, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of responsibilities, distractions, and anxieties. Taking time for ourselves and practising self-care often falls to the bottom of the list of priorities.

But what if there's something we could do to feel calmer and improve mental wellbeing?  Something that can also help with anxiety, stress, low mood, or poor sleep?

You might have heard of the practice of mindfulness but not know what it's all about, how to get started, or if it's right for you.

Mindfulness, often referred to as the art of being present, offers a wide array of benefits that can significantly enhance your mental, emotional, and even physical wellbeing. Learning to live mindfully, could help you cope better with challenging situations too.

In this blog, we'll delve into the advantages of mindfulness, explore why incorporating it into your daily routine could be beneficial in improving your mental wellbeing and offer some mindfulness tips and techniques on how to start living in a mindful way.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is all about living more in the present moment without judgment and not thinking about either the future or the past. It involves cultivating an awareness of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surroundings, all while acknowledging them without trying to change or react to them.

By paying attention to the present moment and to what is going on inside and outside of ourselves, the practice of mindfulness empowers you to reconnect with yourself and the world around you.

Stone tower

Benefits of mindfulness: why should you do it?

Reduced feelings of stress, anxiety and depression: Studies have shown that mindfulness can help improve feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. By focusing on the present moment, you can detach yourself from future worries and past regrets. This mental shift helps lower cortisol levels, the hormone associated with stress, leading to a calmer and more centred state of mind.

Taking control of emotions: Mindfulness provides you with a valuable tool for managing your emotions. When you become more attuned to your feelings as they arise, you can observe them without immediately reacting. This awareness allows you to respond to emotions in a more balanced and thoughtful manner, promoting emotional resilience.

Improved mental clarity: Our minds are often cluttered with an endless stream of thoughts. Mindfulness helps clear this mental clutter, allowing you to focus on one thing at a time. This heightened mental clarity can lead to better decision-making and increased productivity.

Boosted concentration: In an age of constant digital distractions, maintaining focus has become a challenge. Mindfulness exercises, such as meditation, sharpen your ability to concentrate by training your mind to return to the present moment whenever it wanders.

Better physical health: The mind-body connection is strong, and mindfulness can positively influence your physical health. Regular practice has been associated with lowered blood pressure, improved sleep quality, and a strengthened immune system.

Enhanced relationships: When you're truly present in your interactions with others, your communication becomes more attentive and empathetic. Mindfulness fosters deeper connections by allowing you to listen and respond genuinely, leading to improved relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.

Building resilience: Life is full of challenges, and mindfulness equips you with the tools to face them with greater resilience. By learning to approach difficulties with an open and non-judgmental attitude, you can navigate hardships with a more balanced approach.

Rainy street with umbrellas

How to incorporate mindfulness into your life

Start small: Begin with short mindfulness exercises, such as a five-minute breathing meditation or a mindful walk. As you build consistency, gradually extend the duration of your practice.

Choose daily triggers: Link mindfulness to existing daily habits, like brushing your teeth or having your morning coffee. This helps you remember to practice regularly.

Join our Introduction to Mindfulness workshop: Our Introduction to Mindfulness workshop is a one-and-a-half-hour session that provides an overview of the principles and techniques of mindfulness and a great chance to give it a try, guided by one of our inhouse mindfulness experts!  The session is free and you can book a place here

Visit our Mindful Living page: Mindful Living is a free to access course on our website designed for anyone who'd like to bring mindfulness into their daily lives.  It's a self-directed programme that you can do from the comfort of your own home. The course is split into 4 chapters covering the themes of; present moment awareness, mindfulness of the breath, connecting to the body, and compassionate responding.  Find out more here

Use mindful apps: There are numerous apps available that offer guided mindfulness exercises, making it easier for beginners to get started and stay on track. Headspace is a science-baked app in mindfulness and meditation, providing unique tools and resources to help reduce stress, build resilience and aid better sleep.

Practice patience: Like any skill, mindfulness takes time to develop. Be patient with yourself and acknowledge that your mind will inevitably wander during practice -gentle redirection is key.

Create mindful moments: Integrate mindfulness into everyday activities. Whether it's mindful eating, appreciating nature, or fully engaging in a conversation, these moments enrich your experience of life.

Morning walk

We spoke with Adam, CBT Therapist for Wellbeing Suffolk about his experiences learning and teaching mindfulness:

A: Many of us believe that mindfulness means sitting cross-legged, emptying our minds of thoughts, experiencing deep relaxation and going into a blissful state. We might be sceptical about it altogether. It can be quite a shock to see just how busy our minds are when we sit down and deliberately choose to focus our attention on the present moment. In the early stages, we might want to give up when we realise just how difficult it can be to bring our attention away from our thoughts, we tell ourselves we are doing it wrong and cannot meditate. It might not seem like we are getting anything from it, nothing is happening, we are feeling worse, and we are just wasting precious time when we have so many other things to do. But in my experience, mindfulness is certainly something worth persevering with beyond those initial challenges. The reality is, the mind loves to wander and sometimes we feel very unpleasant emotions and physical sensations, and mindfulness is not about an absence of thoughts or escaping from unwanted internal experiences but more a different way of relating to them. In my experience, the benefits of mindfulness tend to come from holding our experiences in awareness with curiosity, rather than striving for a particular goal or trying to change the inner state we find ourselves in.

Discussion group

Q: In your experience what have been some of the best things about teaching mindfulness?

A: The good news about mindfulness is that it is free, you can practise it at any moment of the day or night in any location and it is not just about sitting down once a day for a period of time. Mindfulness can be brought to any activity we do so we can do things like walk, listen, eat, wash up, drive, cook or dance with awareness, meaning it does not have to take time away from our busy lives. It is all about making the practice our own, being creative and seeing what works for us. The more we train the attention muscle, the more we will find our ability to remain in the present moment increases.

In my experience of helping others learn mindfulness in groups, it is inspiring to see the journey some people go on. Often from coming to the first session with understandable scepticism and quickly discovering mindfulness is not a quick fix after an experience of their mind being all over the place, physical discomfort and unpleasant emotions, to persevering and finding some much-needed calmness and clarity in the midst of busy and stressful lives and gradually coming to a place of becoming less reactive in daily life, taking time for themselves, looking after themselves more, being more present in their lives and with their loved ones and restoring balance in their lives. The experience really is different for everyone.

Tea reading and eye mask

Q: What are some of the challenges of practising mindfulness?

A: A challenge with mindfulness is finding a way to practise it regularly, either when first starting out or trying to maintain it over the long term. One thing I have learned is the importance of making it a part of our daily routine rather than seeing it as just one more thing to try and somehow squeeze into a busy day. For example, allocating the first 20 minutes of every day upon waking or getting up a bit earlier to do this can soon become an automatic thing that you do like brushing your teeth. And once the benefits of mindfulness begin to show themselves, this can increase your motivation to continue. There is something about regularity too, so a little a day is probably better than a longer practice once a week. Even five minutes a day is a good start, maybe gradually building up to 20 or 30 minutes if you can. Ultimately, this is something we all have to find our own way of doing, choosing a suitable time of day and place to do it without interruptions if possible and experimenting until we find what works. Using a guided practice or setting a phone alarm to signal the end can be useful too. Sometimes we can feel very restless and uncomfortable when we sit for long periods, so it helps to try and find a comfortable posture and adjust this when you need to, bringing awareness to this and making it part of the practice as much as you can. This might mean sitting, lying down or even standing, listening to what your body needs in each moment.

A useful question to ask yourself is: is this the right time for me to start practising mindfulness? If we are severely depressed or in the midst of an extremely challenging life event, this is not the most suitable time to begin, and it would likely help to wait until our mood has improved and our life is a lot more settled first. Equally, if you experience any distressing experiences from mindfulness, it would be a good idea to stop and speak to a professional before deciding whether to continue or whether to explore another option.

Just like committing to a regular exercise routine, my own experience with mindfulness has shown me that it is not easy, but it can be invaluable. I have experienced many benefits including relating to thoughts, emotions, body sensations and experiences very differently; feeling less anxious and stressed; getting better quality sleep and feeling better equipped to navigate the storms of life. I would encourage you to try it regularly for at least 1-2 months before making a call on its use in your life.  Why not give it a go? You never know, it might just be one of the best gifts you ever give yourself.

Mindfulness written in sand

In a world that often pulls us in a hundred different directions, mindfulness offers a sanctuary of peace and self-discovery.

By embracing this practice, you can cultivate a greater sense of awareness, inner harmony, and resilience.

Where do I start?

If you're curious and feel like you'd like to start your mindfulness journey, our Introduction to Mindfulness workshop is the perfect place to start.

We also offer workshops to organisations as part of our support for schools, employers, teams or groups of 10 or more people. Find out more here

Sitting in flowers

If mindfulness is not for you:

If you are feeling low, stressed or worried, we are here to help.

For free we offer:

Workshops

Social events

Peer support

Employment advice

Talking therapies

And more!

You can access our support by self-referring on our website, to join one of our other workshops have a look here!

Relaxation Station Workshop

Improving Your Sleep Workshop

Anxiety Toolkit Workshop

Low Mood Toolkit workshop

Improving Low Self-Esteem Workshop

Menopause and Womens Wellbeing Workshop
www.wellbeingnands.co.uk 0300 123 1503

Thank you for reading!

If you or anyone else is in crisis, or feeling suicidal then please call NHS 111 and select the mental health option, call 999, or the Samaritans on 116 123, or you can also contact your GP who will be able to help you.

wellbeingnands.co.uk 0300 123 1503

Thank you for reading!

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