COLUMN: Mindfulness a 'way of being'

[aum]

Take a minute to stop everything you are doing and focus on your breath. Can you still your mind? Sounds simple, right?

 

Research suggests this skill may be vital to deal with one of the biggest health issues facing society today: stress. It is best to think of mindfulness as a "way of being" instead of an activity. Mindfulness should be thought of as remembering to pay attention to our present moment experience, instead of simply living on autopilot.

 

Eustress, or positive stress, can help motivate us to do well and get things accomplished. But if we accumulate stress and do not manage it effectively or find an outlet for it, it can become chronic and have adverse effects on our minds and bodies. Chronic stress has potentially harmful effects across the lifespan on the brain, on one's behavior, and our physical health and cognitive - thinking - abilities. It has even been shown to speed up biological aging at the cellular level, which can shorten the life span.

 

Mindfulness is also a technique that can be used to ease the effects of stress. The ultimate goal of mindfulness is to help quiet busy minds, so you can effectively deal with stress by giving your full attention to what you're doing. Mindfulness can give people more appreciation for life, assist with focus and attention, combat multitasking, reduce stress levels, improve working memory, emotional regulation, and well-being, enhance coping with distress and disability, reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders and chronic pain, and can even be used to improve your diet.

 

According to a study in Psychological Science, just 15 minutes of focused-breathing meditation helped people make smarter choices. By reducing how much people focused on the past and future, this psychological shift led to better decision making. If you need a little guidance at first, there are several types of scripts, videos, and audio files available online. You can find assistance for everything from paying attention to smell, sounds, walking, and even washing dishes.

 

Try this exercise. Have a seat on the floor or in a chair, making sure to keep your back straight. Begin by taking a deep breath and close your eyes. Breathe normally and focus on your breathing. Feel the air moving in and out of your lungs. You will experience thoughts or distractions, but as you do, don't give them too much attention. Acknowledge that your mind has wandered, and then move your focus back to your breathing. Start by doing this a few minutes each day, and then gradually increase your time, staying at a comfortable level.

 

Practicing mindfulness is not only about being in the present, but is also about dealing with distractions. As you practice mindfulness meditation, certain thoughts, memories, and feelings may appear in your mind, but the trick is to notice them in a detached way and not focus on them. You can accept those "distractions" without judging and dwelling on them, then get back to focusing on your breathing and meditation.

 

Focusing on one of your senses grounds you in the present. An "anchor" serves as the object of attention. Some examples of anchors are the sound of a bell, or the taste/texture of food. The range of possibilities is limitless, so just allow yourself to consider what your "anchor" can be in your moment. When you become distracted, it is OK. Simply refocus your attention on your anchor and continue. Those who don't have time to meditate need to meditate the most. Finding the time to be more mindful can be difficult to begin with, but keep in mind even 10 minutes of practice a day adds up. I have instructions on making a mindfulness jar with your children. If we can teach our kids to become more mindful, then they will be able to deal with stress much better than we do as adults.

 

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[Arjun1]

To meditate is a privilege

   And

Not a duty.

- Guru