Mindfulness means living in the present moment. It means being more aware and awake to each moment and being fully engaged in what is happening in one’s surroundings, with acceptance, without judgment. According to the American Psychological Association (APA.org,2012), mindfulness is a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. It’s not static, nor are some people ‘born more mindful’ than others. In an age of social media, where opinions, likes, and commentary are more than forthcoming, it’s easy to see how non-judgmental reflection can be a welcome change.

            Common and simple examples of mindfulness are such as being aware of your breath or focusing your attention on the food you are eating, fully feeling and paying attention to its temperature, its crunchiness or its flavor and not to the people eating together with you, your smartphone, or your tv. Mindfulness can be found in every action you take, as long as you make the effort to be aware of your body, emotions, and surroundings.

            With all of those attention, what can we get from practicing mindfulness? First thing first, sleep. Yes, mindfulness improves sleep. A study showed that older adults with sleep problems had short-term improvement in the quality of their sleep thanks to minfulness.

            Mindfulness can also improves working memory. According to a study by Jha and colleagues in 2010, minfulness meditation has been empirically linked to enhanced working memory capacity.

            Whether you want to practice mindfulness to deal with anxiety or stress, or whether you’re keen to improve your attentional skills, there’s plenty of scientific evidence in your favor. Mindfulness can help us cope with depression, boost our psychological well-being, manage physical pain, and even have better memory. When it comes to the way we think and feel, being mindful of our emotions helps us to switch to more positive mindsets and work towards being a ‘better’—or at least, a happier—person.

Day-To-Day Mindfulness Practice

            As you would expect, a lot of the more informal approaches to practicing mindfulness also feature meditation and yoga. It’s also easy to sign up for classes, retreats, programs, and talks, but the easiest way to get started right away is to try special exercises that you can do at home. 

Sources:

https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-mindfulness/

https://youmatter.world/en/definition/what-is-mindfulness-definition/

Pict source:

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/03/26/21/54/yoga-2176668_1280.jpg