Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “mindfulness” used lately, and wonder what the term really means. Saying that someone is “mindful” or hearing professionals use the term in the workplace may have you curious to find out what mindfulness is really all about. What is mindfulness?
Is it just a matter of being thoughtful? Considerate of others? Self-reflective? Not exactly…
Rather, mindfulness is a way of seeing and experiencing the moment for what it really is.
Essentially, being mindful means you’re living in that very precise window of time, not holding onto past judgements, but rather taking things in for what they are.Although you may have feelings about something being wrong or right, good or bad, mindfulness is to take a step away from those prejudices and experience that brief point of time to accept the reality that you’re living in. When you’re struggling to understand how you feel about something and the way it impacts your behavior, mindfulness can help you cognitively change the way you process what’s going on around you, so that you can respond in a better, healthier way.
What’s Not Happening When You’re Being Mindful
During a period of mindfulness, you’re not cheating yourself into thinking or feeling a certain way. Rather, you allow yourself to accept the situation for “what it is,” as opposed to hanging on to past anger or struggling with the unknowns of the future.
Mindfulness is about the “right now.”
Experiencing mindfulness means you’re not punishing yourself for how you feel, it’s just taking a conscious approach to accepting what’s going on in that moment, rather than thinking too hard about the right and wrongs that normally bog you down. It’s a way of processing information more clearly and understanding what’s really going on.
To learn more about how to incorporate mindfulness techniques into your daily life, or use them to better manage problems like anxiety and relationship issues, reach out, I'd be honored to come alongside you.
