Life can be overwhelming sometimes, with the chaos of our frantic lifestyles and the constant, exhausting chatter in our minds as well. It forces us to view the world in a tainted and distorted manner, making us lose our ability to be in the present. However, there’s no need to fret. We understand that juggling several things at once could have you dropping the ball, but mindfulness techniques can help you balance everything so that you can have a sense of control over your life. Don’t believe us? Let these science-backed reasons convince you to practice mindfulness.
But first, let’s understand what it means to practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness is described as the basic human ability to be completely present in the current moment, allowing your mind to fully attend to what’s happening, what you’re doing, and being aware of the space you’re moving through. Sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? Well, mindfulness as a concept is extremely essential but following through can be slightly difficult. Our mind gets veered easily, distracted by the things and happenings around us or going inwards into our mental chatter. When our mind takes flight, we lose touch with our body and get engrossed in thoughts that could be detrimental to our productivity. But drifting away doesn’t mean you cannot come back to the present at any given time. This is where mindfulness truly comes in. As a quality that all humans possess, mindfulness cannot be conjured up but practiced instead.
So, what are the benefits of mindfulness meditation?
When we practice mindfulness meditation, it encourages us to embrace the practice without fixating on the benefits. Mindfulness helps us reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own minds, and increase our attention to others’ emotions and thoughts. Mindfulness begins with oneself; we need to provide ourselves with a warm and kind space to explore our minds with natural curiosity and without any judgment.
1. Practice mindfulness as our natural instinct
Mindfulness is not something exotic that you need to take classes over. It’s familiar to us because it’s present inside of us. For some, mindfulness could come through art, for others, it could be through sports, it’s about the mind’s ability to put its awareness and focus on the task at hand.
2. Changes our perspective
We think we are a certain way, but we need to realize that in this life, nothing is set in stone. Practicing mindfulness meditation allows us to gain perspective over our thoughts as passing events. This means, our thoughts and beliefs aren’t always the truth that we see them as.
3. Recharges our mind, body, and spirit
Ever had the chatter in your head ring so loud that the outside world drowned out? Well, you’re not alone. Fortunately, a practice like mindfulness meditation can help you break away from the chaos of your mind and the intrusion of everyday thoughts while fully being aware of the events happening around you at that moment.
4. Invokes a sense of purpose in you
Oftentimes we’re afraid to face reality for what it is. Mindfulness encourages us to accept things as they are and further inculcates a train of thought that helps us analyze the situation in a positive manner instead of spiraling into a dark hole of thoughts. It brings awareness and caring into our thought process, especially related to our inner chatter, eliminating any needless stress.
5. The practice is mentally healing
Unlike popular belief, mindfulness isn’t exclusive to our minds. It begins and ends in the body. So, to become aware of where we are, what we’re doing, and how we’re feeling, we need to first become aware of our bodies. This helps us understand how our emotions and thoughts are affecting us, from mind, body, and spirit, helping us recover from low moods quickly.
6. Inculcates a sense of calm
The calming emotional effect that mindfulness invokes results in higher self-esteem and less need to find validation outside of ourselves. With this, we also achieve greater control over our actions, become more conscious of how we behave and become less inclined to act on impulse.
If you’d like to embrace a deeper sense of calm, listen to this meditation music.
7. Better eating habits
Sometimes a bite of potato chips can turn into the whole bag turning upside down. However, practicing mindfulness meditation can help us make thoughtful food choices and recognize when we’re hungry or indulging in emotional eating. This, in turn, helps us control our weight and improve our eating habits.
8. Reduces anxiety and stress
As a scientifically recognized strategy for stress reduction, practicing mindfulness meditation can ensure the reversal of the effects of chronic stress. It also helps us respond to stress in a conscious and mindful manner instead of reacting impulsively or ignoring and deflecting the pain.
If you’d like to learn how to practice mindfulness meditation, learn more about the technique in this article of ours.
Read more: How Does Meditation Help With Depression?
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