In this stress-inducing, hurry-up world it is often hard to slow down and think before you act. However, thinking before you act - the practice of mindfulness - is a skill with big benefits. By getting into the habit of mindfulness you can avoid emotional outbursts on the job and develop more satisfying relationships with co-workers, family, and friends. By focusing on the moment, individuals avoid feeling anxious about future outcomes.
Some People are Better at It
People who have acquired the skill of focusing on the present are said to be mindful. They are good listeners and when they talk they always seem to say the right thing. While some may have been born with the set of genes that makes them mindful and less stressful, others have to work at it.
Know When to Get Started
An emotional outburst or a careless sentence may alert you to the need to focus on what you say before it spills out. In other cases, high blood pressure may demand that you to get a grip on stress and anxiety levels. Sometimes, a disease like diabetes may be helped by understanding your mindless eating habits or developing new habits of mind that motivate you to exercise more.
Begin with the Basics
Daily activities present us with many opportunities to practice mindfulness skills. Start when you are alone by slowing down and thinking about the things you do as you do them. When you wake up in the morning, stay in bed for a few moments and pay attention to your breathing. Chase away the random thoughts that interrupt. Simply breathe in and out and don't think about anything else.
After a few minutes, get up. Pay attention to your movements. How are you removing the covers? What part of your body is moving first, second, and third? Listen. Do you hear birds or traffic? Do you hear your significant other, children, or parents? This practice should calm you.
The practice of paying attention to yourself is key to what comes next: benefiting from emotional control in your relationships with others and defeating the bad habits that keep you from taking better care of yourself.
Practice Mindfulness with Others
The next time you come home from work to a sink full of dishes or step into the employee lounge when your co-workers are talking about religion or politics (not yours!), don't yell, scowl, or fume. Stop, step back for a minute and take a deep breath or two. Calm down.
The calming down doesn't mean you aren't justified in feeling mad, it just gives you the time you may need to recognize that you are mad because you are tired. You are upset with your co-workers because you have strong feelings that are contrary to theirs. But, what is the real source of your feelings, not your beliefs? What is the most effective way to discipline teenagers? Will anger help you win the respect of others for your ideas? Will a stressful outburst now help you in the future?
Practice Mindfulness with Yourself
Health care professional are seeing benefits from integrating traditional medicine with mindfulness practices. Sometimes called behavior control, the practice of mindfulness is also identified with Eastern religions. However, the practice of mindfulness is essentially a practical, life skill.
For example, bad eating habits are often unconscious. We often eat the same types or brands of foods our parents ate. Do we seek comfort from extra salt or large portions? Do we eat fast because we are anxious? Try making yourself choose foods that are better for your health and eat slowly. Think about every bite. Try new foods or visit a store or farmer's market where you will be confronted with new products. Having to slow down and focus on new things will allow you to practice mindfulness.
If you know that you need to exercise more but are in the habit of looking for the parking space that is closest to the store, practice mindfulness. Why are you spending anxious minutes speeding ahead of others to get that parking space? Wouldn't it be better to park in the first place you see and get some easy exercise by walking farther?
Be Cool, Be Mindful
Mindfulness practices are being recommended by health care professionals more often and the National Institutes of Health is currently funding fifty studies. While there are quite a few professional articles and many books on the market, further reading on health agency sites is currently sparse.
Look for more development in this area shortly, however. A mindful new American President may make coolness a trend.
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