There is so much information available about mindfulness these days. You’d think that it is something new, that’s never been thought of before! The sheer number of books, videos, blogs, etc. on the topic can be overwhelming. It’s enough to make anyone think that it is a really complicated topic that requires lots of learning to practice it successfully.
The truth is that it is a practice that is easy to achieve and will benefit anyone who takes the time to devote some attention to themselves on an ongoing basis. The wisest and most successful people throughout history have always had a greater degree of ‘mindfulness’ than the average person, simply because they took time to notice what was happening to them and around them.
So, read on if you want to learn how this practice can benefit you in your daily life?
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be thought of as “being aware of your current experience in a non-judgmental way.”
Simply put, this means to be paying attention to what you are doing, whatever that may be, and how you are feeling in this current moment. To achieve this we need to ‘self-regulate’ our attention to the present moment and accept what is happening with openness and curiosity, and without judgment.
Surely that’s not too hard? But why would we want to do that?
By being attentive, we can be awed by simple events such as our child’s smile, the opening of a flower, the rainbow in a soap bubble, the song of the birds, waves breaking on the beach, and so much more of the stuff that we currently take for granted and pay ‘very little’ attention to.
Mindful living allows us to see, what we currently think we know and understand about the world around us, with new eyes, new feelings, and new emotions. By focusing our senses we are able to experience everything on a deeper level, and it is this participation in our current experience that develops feelings of excitement, joy, and awe within us. By paying attention to more of the moments, more often, our lives are positively enhanced and our whole life experience improves.
We can use a mindfulness practice to help create space to think, breathe, relax, and most importantly, space between us and our reactions. By investigating our thoughts we are able to consciously choose how we feel and think about them and then choose how to react in the most beneficial way.
Are you saying there is a better way to live my life?
Most of us accept the ‘lot’ we have been given in life and rarely challenge ourselves to experience anything outside of the box that conforms to our consensus reality. We just expect things to continue the same as they have been for generations in the past. I.e. we are born, go to school, get a job, fall in love, buy a house, have a family, pay the mortgage, work for 40 years, consume large amounts of stuff, retire, and die.
If this is what you expect from life, then I would say that you are one of the mainstream who is ‘sleepwalking’ through the majority of your life, or living on autopilot.’ Benjamin Franklin was referring to these people when he said: ”Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.”
It is unfortunate that most of us are living a large portion of our lives on ‘autopilot.’ Research has shown that “People spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they’re doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy.” The same researchers, (psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert of Harvard University,) said “The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost,” and “A human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind.”
We are doing a lot of stuff automatically because the patterns of repetition that we have built up over time have become ingrained into us so that we do not need to think about what we are doing. Our mind is then free to wander and be consumed by other thoughts. These ‘other’ thoughts are not based on our current experience, but are more often than not, our mind regurgitating memories, or thoughts of what we want in the future, or passing judgment on what is happening. These things happen when our minds return to their default ‘autopilot’ mode. In this state, we are not really connected to our current life experience, which means that we are missing out on ‘most of our lives.’ Not being connected can leave us feeling dissatisfied, empty, and quite shallow.
So what can I do to improve my life experience?
Practices like mindfulness give us the opportunity to wake up and be present in our lives so that we can truly participate in what is happening at this moment. It is entirely up to each one of us as to how much of our time we choose to be present every day. If we can awaken from some of our ‘mindless’ habits and focus some more of our attention on what we are actually doing and feeling we will change the way we feel and think about life. This will enhance our life experience as we will begin to understand more about ourselves and our interactions with others, nature and the process of life itself.
It is by being non-judgmental that we learn to observe life as it unfolds and revel in the magnificence and beauty that are found in the moments that ‘sleepwalking’ people miss.
It is only when we do something new or stuff that we are unfamiliar with that our full attention is required so that we may ‘learn’ the new task.
Have you noticed that when you go on holiday you automatically become more present more of the time? This is simply because there are so many new things that attract your attention. You are removed from your familiar surroundings and exposing all of your senses to new experiences. Your senses take over and give your busy mind a much-needed rest.
Even if you have no travel plans, you can achieve similar effects by shaking up your regular routine by trying new activities, taking different routes to work or school, or eating different types of meals. Your senses will love you for it!
Jon Kabat-Zinn talks about how easy it can be to cultivate mindfulness in our lives: “It’s not really about sitting in the full lotus, like pretending you’re a statue in a British museum.” “It’s about living your life as if it really mattered, moment by moment by moment by moment.”
How do I become more mindful?
- Slow down. Take time to pause before automatically reacting
- Pay close attention to your breathing
- Notice what you are feeling at this moment and become aware that ‘You are not your feelings.’ They are just something that you are experiencing, and they often change
- Pay attention to your current thoughts and realize that ’You are not your thoughts.’ They are fleeting and often change and they do not define you
- Focus on one task at a time
- Make time every day just to be with yourself and observe the moment as it is without judgment. If you notice yourself becoming judgmental, just let it go and return to your breath
- Release all judgments you have about how you are feeling and what you are thinking
- When you notice your mind wandering, which it will, just gently return it to the present moment again
- Don’t take any moment for granted. Bring your attention to even the simple boring tasks and you may be surprised at what you can learn about yourself and the world at large
- Always be kind to yourself and don’t judge yourself if your mind keeps wandering off. This will happen as it is our habit to do so. Just return to the present moment every time that you become aware of it
What are some benefits of becoming more mindful?
- Mindfulness helps us tap into our intuition by filtering out all the unnecessary mental chatter that is constantly going on inside our heads
- We become more knowledgeable about ourselves when we remove all the excess distractions that plague our days, and more in tune with the environment surrounding us
- We tend to worry less, stress less, and be less anxious about stuff that used to upset us. Being conscious in the present moment prevents us from worrying about things that may or may not happen in the future as well as rehashing old stories from the past
- We develop a greater capacity to deal with problems that may arise because our thinking process is ‘more clear’ and focused directly on the issues without distractions
- Physically, our bodies benefit from being able to achieve greater degrees of relaxation. We breathe deeper and slower, and our organs are able to relax as our blood pressure lowers
- We become mindful of our responses to situations rather than just reacting out based on past habits
- As we tune into ourselves, we are also able to tune into others around us which helps us achieve greater connections with our loved ones as well as improving our working and social relationships. We also notice the effect that other people have on us
- We get to experience more love, joy, compassion, peace, and creativity in our own lives
What is an easy way to begin to develop mindfulness in my daily life?
It is important to understand that there is no way to completely quiet our minds. This is not something to be concerned about as it is a natural aspect of human nature. However, with practice, we are able to stretch out the moments between wandering thoughts so that we remain ‘present’ more often and for longer periods of time.
Different techniques are available for cultivating mindfulness, and you may find one more suitable than another. However, I would like to emphasize that it is not difficult, and should not be over-complicated by thinking about it too much. Just do it. Just become more observant of yourself (thoughts, feelings, sensations within the body) without judgment, more of the time. That’s all! We can all do this if we want to.
For more detailed information and a guide to beginners meditation and cultivating mindfulness, please check out https://www.mindful.org/how-to-meditate/
What are your experiences regarding mindfulness? Have you tried it, and in what way has it affected your life? I would be interested to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Written with the hope of making some lives a little brighter through the information we share.
With love and respect,
Andrew
Autopilot rings a bell. People tend to live a life the society dictates to us and not what we want and we allow it to happen because of fear of going out of the ordinary. Thanks Andrew for your post. It’s full of wisdom.
Hi Wil. You are so right. Most people are actually afraid to pursue their dreams so end up living an ‘ordinary life.’ This leads to many of the diseases that we see around us every day. Suppressed dreams and desires lead to people being unhappy, which leads to an unwell body and mind. If more people stood up and were brave enough to follow their hearts desires we would have a population of happier and healthier people! It is a choice that we can all consciously make, to be a happier and healthier individual. What are you choosing for yourself?
Cheers,
Andrew
This post is so full of wisdom Andrew, i believe interest in mindfulness is growing and becoming more mainstream, which is a very good thing. Paying attention to what is happening in the present moment and being aware of ones thoughts without being attached to them is a skill that perhaps should be taught in schools. I remember being taught about the various breeds of cows in school and remember thinking what a load of tosh! Thank you for this post, I hope it is read by many.
Haha. Yes, I have to agree with you, Ann. The names of the breeds of cows are not very useful to most people unless they want to be farmers or veterinarians. Whereas we can all benefit by learning about mindfulness. It is a good thing that, as a practice, mindfulness is gaining popularity in the West. I wish you well on your journey,
Andrew
This is so true. I have been practicing meditation and found it so beneficial. I just wish kids were taught more of this in school. So much of our lives are filled with being busy and staring at our computers and phones. Getting back to nature and our surroundings, understanding what we are feeling is essential for our mental well-being.
You are so right Deb. Too much technology and left brain thinking are not in our best interests. We benefit when we slow down and take a good look around at ourselves and our environment. After all, we are physical beings living in a physical world and we do have emotions as well as feelings which connect us to this world. A solely intellectual approach to life just separates us from our true essential spiritual nature and separates from all of the love, joy, and happiness that are surrounding us at all times. Being mindful of our connection to ALL life ensures that we live a very full and rewarding life! Thanks for sharing.
Andrew
A brilliant post!
For the past couple of years, I have felt like I am stuck in a rut and just existing rather than living life to the fullest and that thought terrifies me. I am terrified I am wasting time and missing out on the beauty the world has.
I have in this past couple of years began to meditate and use meditation tools, they have helped me tremendously but there is still much work to be done.
Since meditating I am certainly calmer and more focused!
It’s great that you have started a meditation practice. The benefits of this are that it will ground you in the present moment and therefore you will not be lost in thoughts that do not serve your best interest. The fact that you are aware of what else is available for you to experience shows that you are on a path of personal growth. Don’t be afraid that you may miss out on stuff, and instead try and organize your thoughts to discover what it is that you really want to do with your future and then work towards making these things your reality. I am currently reviewing a book called ‘As a Man Thinketh’ by James Allen, and this good would be a great read for you as it explains how we can use our thoughts to our advantage to create the life we desire for ourselves. I wish you well on your journey, and please come back and ask any questions that you have and I will do my best to share with you what I think may help you.
Cheers, Andrew
Thank You Andrew for this post on Mindfulness,
Just last week I heard a primary school teacher talking about mindfulness being taught to students.
This post has given me a greater understanding of the practice and realize that we call it taking in the moment.
This reminds me of bible texts like “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” and “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have”
I have bookmarked the page and will come back.
Many thanks for contributing to the discussion. I like the bible quote. So often people get caught up thinking about scenarios that never eventuate. It is such a waste of time and effort. It is actually easier just to live in the moment. many thanks for sharing.
Andrew
Dear Andrew.
Thank you very much for your fantastic website. It is amazing that you show people where to start and what steps to make towards health and happiness. I hope more people will know about your website and follow your guidance.
Kind regards,
Andrey
Thank you for your kind words, Andrey. I wish you well on your journey. Kind regards,
Andrew
Hey Andrew,
Great post and thanks for sharing.
I love how you say that we should be more present and pay attention to more things in our everyday life, similar to how we are when we go on holiday.
I think for me it is about being more intentional in my life and focus on things that excite me and that I’m passionate about rather than the boring mundane things we do each day. So I think you have hit the nail on the head with this post.
Thanks again and I will definitely be coming back.
Tom
Hey Tom. Thanks for taking the time to read my post. A very good way to start a mindfulness practice is to do more of the things that excite you and naturally draw your attention. If we become more aware of how we can focus our attention at these times we will then be able to use this information to focus our attention at other times, even when we are engaged in the boring mundane aspects of life. I wish you well with your practice. Kind regards,
Andrew
Hi Andrew
This is a fantastic post! I really do believe the system is a distraction by design. I believe people are kept to busy to stop, take a step back and think about anything different other than what their so absorbed in. About 3 years ago a changed my life completely, I cleared my mortgage by selling up and downsizing to something a lot smaller, I focused on how a could spend less rather than earning more and then I dropped down to working 3 days a week rather than 5 to spend more time with my family and doing the things I love. What an awakening!
I’ll be back to read more on your site!
Thanks
Billy
Hi Billy. Thank you for sharing your story with us. It is inspiring that you made such ‘radical’ changes to your life. I believe you have taken the best course of action for your health and sanity and the development of your children and relationship. It amazes me that more people are unable to see the trap that they are coaxed into by the system, that by design, robs them of their freedom and personal power, and turns them into automated robots who work to survive instead of live to experience all of the wonders that life has to offer. I wish you all the best and hope to see you again. Kind regards,
Andrew
Hi Andrew
This post should be bookmarked by every one who reads it, and come back again and again to re-read.
Thank you for making us realise to clutch out of autopilot and just free down the path of life. Ride the waves of the eb and the flow life gives you.
It has such a huge influence in our lives and most neglected. The calmness and piece it brings is so valuable.
One tends to run around focusing on what society expects of us and forget to feed our souls.
Many of us will have to go through a change of habits to become the better self. You have given us much to think about and ways to improve.
It was a wonderful inspiring post thank you!
Stella
Bush Lady
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Hi Stella. Thanks for your inspiring comments. We all benefit by breaking our routines as it gets us out of the autopilot mode and into a space where we are actually focused on what we are doing. This is how life should be lived by us, but most of us are so caught up in the ‘daily grind’ of going to a job to make money to buy the stuff we need to survive and want for our pleasure that we forget to be immersed in all of the intriguing details that we are surrounded by. It just takes a moment to pause, and breathe, and check in with how we are feeling to start to change our habits for the better. I wish you all the best on your journey. Kind regards,
Andrew