My days have been filled with distractions. Creativity and ideas has been blocked. Space and stillness is needed for new ideas to form. It is hard to sit still. Our ego wants to be entertained at all times, but we need to reduce the ego’s power. Get back to a place of peace, ideas and creativity. Ovrrstimulation does nothing for us.
I have been practicing mindfulness for four years now. Although, my mindset, mental health and state of mind has improved. I still have setbacks. Emotions still take over from time to time, mostly during work hours. Negative thoughts appear. I am mindless at times.
My mindful state isn’t always on. Although, I do become aware of my negative thoughts and emotions when it happens, so that is a plus. I do want to get better with dealing with the overwhelming work at my job. I like to learn how to not get frustrated at others for their lack of work ethic, because in the end. I have no control over them, or the situation. I get mad over the same thing, the situation won’t likely change, so I must change my mindset, which is in my control. I am glad I am aware of this, the next step is learning to cope.
I am writing this to say that you will not always be on. You will not always be mindful. We are imperfect human beings. Life is about learning. The exciting part is evolving and improving. Try not to get down on yourself for not being as mindful as you like. The journey is not smooth and easy. It takes work. The only thing you can try to do is to improve. Work on yourself. Work on your goals. Work on your habits. Always remember to be kind to yourself on this journey. We can only work towards being more mindful, content and at peace. There will be some hiccups along the way, but we can learn to keep moving forward, and continuing to grow.
I will continue to work towards improving in this area that makes me less mindful and at peace with myself. I will try to take more deep breaths, during that time. It may not always work, but trying is better, than just giving in to the thoughts and emotions. Remember the five points( focus, awareness, understanding, perspective and acceptance). I can do it! You can do it! There will be difficulties, but you can always learn and improve. It isn’t all or nothing, or black and white. All isn’t lost if you have setbacks.
The past couple days have been a bit stressful. I have been glued to the screen, seen a bit too much negativity, but I also did see hope for a better tomorrow. I thought today will be a nice day to take a break from it, and get back to being more mindful. It has been really nice these days, so I took the opportunity to step outside for some fresh air, and view the beautiful scenery around me. This walk, along with doing a bit of running, yoga, and some journaling helped put me in a better place mentally and physically.
There will be times when you step away from mindfulness practices, but you can always step back, and reclaim your peace of mind. Journal to get your thoughts out, and confront them. Take a walk outside to get fresh air, and see the beauty of this world. Exercise to get some movement, and strengthen your body, and to increase our feel-good hormones(dopamine, serotonin, endorphins). Practice yoga to stretch and relax the body & mind. Meditate to calm the mind and gain clarity. Work on your goals, and be productive to gain a sense of accomplishment.
If you are feeling a bit stressed or down. Just remember that a bit of mindfulness can help bring you back to a better place mentally and physically. You may fall off track, but it will always be there when you need it. Giving yourself space to be present, and giving yourself space to focus on you is truly important, and something we should remember to do. I allowed too many of others opinions to consume my mind. Time to give my thoughts a time to shine. Always remember to look within yourself.
I spent my morning being in silence(away from distractions), and being mindful. I feel amazing, refreshed, relaxed, and at peace from doing this. Mindful time is good for the soul. I read this passage this morning, and thought it was perfectly timed with my mindset at the moment. I was able to be inspired and creative, while enjoying, and embracing the quiet. It is hard to be inspired with noise and distractions. It is nice to give your mind space to be free.
I wasn’t able to find inspiration recently, but having my mindful time has invoked my inspiration. I truly appreciate this time of silence. Try to give yourself times of silence to clear your head. It is truly a lovely experience. I lacked this yesterday, too distracted, but getting back to mindful silence is a beautiful experience. It is hard to sit in quiet, but once you are able to do so. You realize the beauty of it. Have a lovely mindful day everyone.
Mindfulness practices have brought peace, calmness, and positivity into my life. I just wanted to discuss some benefits to these three practices. I always feel much better doing each of these practices, some may be more difficult to do than others. I still try to keep these things in my life, because they can always bring me back to my mindful state of mind, and help make my mindfulness nature much stronger. I think having these three things in your life can make you a more mindful and happier individual.
Nature
Studies show that nature has a positive effect on your mental and physical health. An article mentioned two reasons why nature has its benefits.
Psycho-Evolutionary Theory-Natural environments reduce stress level, because it has qualities our ancestors needed for survival.
Attention Restoration Theory-Sharpest patterns of nature are positively stimulating to a fatigued mind.
This makes sense, my mind feels much clearer and calmer after walking in nature. I always feel a sense of peace, and have a relaxed mind and body afterwards. I feel fresher ,and rejuvenated after a nice walk in nature.
There was another study with Indiana University & Illinois University. They found people who went hiking at a park, or wilderness showed increase signs of joy, and a decrease level of cortisol(hormone involved with stress).
That joyful and more relaxed feeling you get after walking is built in us. We need nature. It helps bring us back to the basics. That is where it all began, in nature.
YogaÂ
This practice is associated with improved flexibility, metabolism, muscle strength, better focus, lessen chronic pain, lower blood pressure, and stress reduction. According to a team of scientist in Brazil, they found women to have greater cortical thickness in parts of their brain that associated with cognitive functioning. In short, yoga can help defend against aging minds. It helps keep the mind and body younger.
I enjoy this practice. It is nice to give my body the stretch it needs. I like to be able to move around as I get older, and I feel practicing yoga can help with that. My body and mind feel much better after a yoga session. Yoga is good for your mental and physical health. It is important to incorporate this practice to our lives.
Meditation
This practice may be the biggest part of Mindfulness, but can be the most difficult practice to do. I say for me, it is. It isn’t easy for us to sit still in the busy world we live in. It is ingrained in us to move and keep going. But we should try and make an effort to sit still, because this practice really does help bring peace to our lives.
According to healthline.com studies have shown meditation helps reduce stress, control anxiety, promotes emotional health, reduces activity in the “me center” of the brain, helps preserve aging minds, improves attention spans, control pain and improve sleep.
I believe it heightens clarity and calmness of the mind. It reduces stress levels, and improves your coping skills. These have all been benefits of meditation for me. There is just a sense of calmness, positivity and peace after practicing meditation.
The benefits of these practices are wonderful additions to our lives that we need. They help meet our physical, mental and emotional needs. Our minds and bodies need these practices. I believe these are practices we should incorporate in our lives for a more satisfying and fulfilling life.
Psychology of Mindfulness 