Mind full or Mindful: What do you choose?

You often hear people telling you to live in the moment, to relish everything while it lasts but does it ever feel like that your life and its moments are just passing by and you are on standby mode never actually living it?

Everything happening around you, every feeling, every emotion, time spent with friends and family, or just simply eating a meal, it feels like you are doing it for the sake of it. You are unable to appreciate anything as if you’re not really present in your body and when you do look back, everything is blurred because you were in such a hurry to complete or finish the task and move on to the next objective that you never really revel in it.

It’s the nature of the mind to think, analyze, and figure things out, That’s its job. It means that if left to its own devices, the mind will constantly seek out new stimuli, new things to think about, and new ways to check out from reality. But is it really how you wish to live your life? If not, then you need to learn how to be Mindful to value the essence of what this existence has to offer to you.

To live mindfully is to live in the moment and reawaken oneself to the present, rather than abiding in the past or anticipating the future. To be mindful is to observe and label thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the body in an objective manner. Mindfulness can therefore be a tool to avoid self-criticism and judgment while identifying and managing difficult emotions.

Therefore, mindfulness is simply a position of functional, open awareness of the present. This state is described as observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad.

Mindfulness Incorporates Two Main Elements:

• Awareness is the knowledge and ability to focus attention on one’s inner processes and experiences, such as the experience of the present moment.
• Acceptance is the ability to observe and accept—rather than judge or avoid—those streams of thought.

In simple words, you are conscious about what you are feeling right now, you are aware of what is going on inside you at the moment and you accept your emotions for what they are, you do not fight or critique them and after gracefully acknowledging your reality you move forward.

How Does Being Mindful Benefit You?

According to American Psychological Association (APA), there are many empirically supported benefits of mindfulness which are as followed;

1. Reduced rumination
2. Stress reduction
3. Boosts to working memory
4. Helps in focusing
5. Reduced emotional reactivity
6. More cognitive flexibility
7. Relationship satisfaction

Some Other Observed Benefits are:

1. Slow brain aging
2. Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression
3. Increased sense of well-being
4. Helpful in pain management
5. Helpful in improving the quality of life of those with chronic conditions
6. Improving symptoms of sleep disorder

Wrapping Up

Even though the word Mindful may seem contradictory to its meaning, but it is a way to empty the mind and not fill it. For some people, mindfulness is chiefly a way to augment health or performance. For others, mindfulness is an instrument for self-exploration.  And for yet others, mindfulness is part of a spiritual path, a way to awaken insight into the human condition and freedom from pain and suffering. Regardless of the motivation, mindfulness can have long-lasting positive effects on you and your life.

So, what will it be, Mind Full or Mindful?