Practicing Mindfulness and Why it’s Important

Did you know that the average person spends about 47% of their time focusing on other things rather than what they are doing in the actual present moment? That means that almost half of our waking hours are spent on everything else, except for where we are or what we are doing RIGHT NOW! Talk about a wake up call. This was a huge eye opener for me and honestly kind of scared the living hell out of me. So my next thought was (and you’re probably thinking the same thing) what can I do to get back that 47% of my life? The answer? Practicing Mindfulness.

What is Mindfulness?

I know these days the term “mindfulness” is thrown around a lot. But just in case you aren’t totally familiar with it or are still unclear as to what exactly it is let me help you out. Mindfulness is all about being completely present in the moment. You aren’t overwhelmed with thoughts or anxiety. You are just an observer of what’s going on around you in that moment without judgement. To put it more simply, it’s the practice of paying attention.

One thing I think is important to note here is that you don’t need to be 100% present 100% of the time. I’m actually not sure if this is even possible. We have thoughts for a reason and it’s perfectly ok to get lost in them every now and then. The problem stems from spending so much time in our heads that we begin to miss what’s going on in our every day lives. We start to take the little things for granted. But by becoming aware that it’s happening you can begin to shift your mind to focus more on the present instead of worrying about what could happen in the future.

Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness

Before we jump into the How let’s take a quick look at the Why. Why is it so important to start being more mindful? I fully believe that the key to a healthy lifestyle starts with a healthy mindset. And a healthy mindset begins with strong, mindful awareness. When your mind is in a more positive place you feel more inspired, more motivated and overall just better. The little things affect you less and less and you become better equipped to take on the bigger things.

You are more likely to make healthier eating decisions, more likely to stick to a healthy morning/night routine and more likely to workout consistently. Practicing mindfulness is a great first step to get you back to the here and now so you can focus on the version of you presently. Not your past or future self. But who you are right now in this very moment. The benefits of being mindful go on and on, but here are just a few to help get you excited.

The Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness

Reduce Stress

Sometimes we begin to look at negative or unwanted emotions as being a permanent part of who we are. Almost as if they’re just part of our personality. For example we say things like “I have anxiety” or “I am stressed.” But these are temporary feelings we are experiencing. Instead we should say “I am experiencing the feeling of being anxious in this moment.” We need to make a conscious shift in realizing that emotions like stress, tension, anger, or anxiety won’t last forever. They are just temporary reactions. Once we learn how to control these emotions, we learn how to remove ourselves from the negative feelings altogether and ultimately reduce the stress that comes along with them.

Improve Focus and Concentration

Consistently practicing mindfulness will allow you to silence the chatter so you can better focus on what’s in front of you. Without all that distraction going on in your head you are able to enhance your concentration. This allows you to not only perform the tasks faster, but also with more precision.

Prevent Burnout

When work gets overwhelming, more often than not we choose to ignore the signs and messages our bodies send out. We keep pushing through it regardless of how awful we feel. But when we are mindful of what our bodies are telling us we can choose to slow down and press pause. Creating a deeper inner connection allows us to quickly acknowledge when something feels off. This way we can take the time to re-center and come back to the present. Because ignoring the problem altogether will inevitably lead to more stress and burnout.

Better Decision Making

You’ll learn how to organize your thoughts into categories-the ones that are helpful and the ones that just plain aren’t. You’ll be able to use this new found gift in key decision making moments in your life. This will help you cypher through the madness to get to the main problem you are trying to solve.

Increase Happiness

When we let go of stress from the past and the uncertainty of the future, we automatically let go of so much anxiety that weighs us down each day. By incorporating a few mindfulness exercises into your routine you can quickly begin to release what no longer serves you, in order to make more room for what does.

How to Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness in your every day life is far easier than you would think. The harder part is actually remembering to do it. What has worked best for me is using certain every day habits to act as gentle reminders to incorporate my mindfulness practices. I’ve listed out a few of my favorite examples below, but you can use anything you’d like to act as your own little reminder.

Practicing Mindfulness Eating

Ever been eating your meal while mindlessly scrolling through your phone only to bite your tongue? This pain is the Universe telling you to WAKE UP. Focus on what’s in front of you. You took the time to make that meal. You spent the money on it. So take the time to savor and enjoy each and every delicious bite.

Mindful Conversations

Stay focused on what the person in front of you is saying to you. Don’t worry about thinking of what you will say next. Focus and listen, then respond. Not only will you be able to remember far more of the conversation later on, but you’ll also find your conversations are much more meaningful and this will also help you further deepen the relationships with those around you.

Brushing Your Teeth

You can use brushing your teeth as another great reminder to practice mindfulness. I love this one because it gets you focusing on the present moment at the beginning and end of your day.

These mindfulness reminders can be anything you’d like. More examples could be taking your dog out for a walk, washing dishes, cooking or showering. Any small daily habit can be used as a great opportunity to remind yourself to practice mindfulness consistently.

I hope you found these tips helpful and I hope you begin incorporating this practice into your own daily routine. Because trust me you will quickly begin to feel all the incredible benefits the moment you do.

Enjoy the journey my friends.