Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity and without judgement
Mindfulness is about being aware, being accepting, and being kind to yourself and others as you navigate your way through life. You could say that living mindfully is learning to value ‘being’ as much as you value ‘’doing’’.
The first is learning to focus attention on one thing, and being able to bring the attention back when the mind gets distracted. The second part is about the attitude you bring to paying attention – being open, non-judging, and curious about what you are focusing on.
Why Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a helpful life skill that can be learned by anyone at any age. It is based on being aware of your breathing and your body.
Mindfulness can be practised in several different ways, depending on your needs at the time. It helps us appreciate good things in our daily life, as well as helping us cope with the difficulties.
“A Man once told Buddha, I want happiness.” Buddha replied, “First, remove ‘I’ that’s ego. The remove ‘want’; that’s desire. And now all you are left with is Happiness.”
Understanding Mindfulness
“The highest art of living an ordinary life in an extraordinary manner” Tibetan Proverb
Mindfulness is one way to develop an awareness of ourselves as individuals. We do this by taking time to refocus, breathe and evaluate our current needs. Mindfulness is about bringing awareness to the present moment you are in. It can be practiced informally through sitting quietly and meditating and breathing, or through more formal mindfulness routines that focus on being aware of certain aspects of your body or environment.
Be present and withhold judgement
There are two main reasons most of us feel stressed: we spend too little time living in the present moment, and too much energy wanting to change it. In order to cultivate inner peace, we need to work on these elements.
These are two of the basic principles of mindfulness.
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Be Present
Bring your attention to what you’re doing right now……… You might give this a go when your reading. As you do, you’ll probably notice your mind naturally wants to wander away from the content of your book. Momentarily stop what you’re doing and say to yourself, ‘I’m reading, ‘Then bring your attention back with a greater sense of awareness to stay in the moment.
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Withhold judgement
Once you are present to an experience, become aware of the thoughts accompanying that experience. It’s likely that you’ll notice judgements such as: The traffic is terrible. I’m tired. The weekend was too short. I need a holiday. I’m bored.
As best you can, withhold any judgement for a moment or two and see how it changes the way you feel. Forgive the situation if you need to – allow it to just be.
You’ll discover a great sense of calm when you lean to be with things as they are.
Even small changes make a difference for example, Block out thirty minutes to get away from your usual workspace to eat lunch or go for a walk. Switch off your email at a set time each night. Keep at least a few hours of each weekend FREE.
Uncomplicated your life
We are often our own worst enemies when it comes to keeping things simple, and we make life more complex than it really needs to be. We respond to other people’s needs more readily than taking care of our own, we say ‘YES’ when we really mean ‘No’ and we sometimes get swept up in other people’s dramas. Much of the difficulty we perceive in life is actually just played inside our own minds.
How to alleviate some of the complexity
- Do what’s right for you
- Be Honest
- Disconnect from the drama
- ‘Underthink’ it
We all accumulate material possessions that we don’t really need and that don’t make us happier anyway.
Live Simply
How to simplify your living environment
Make it Beautiful
No matter how small or unattractive your current living environment is, there are things you can do to make it more appealing. Start tidying part of the space before considering other changes that will give it an aesthetic life.
Clean out your cupboards
Begin with one cupboard in one room. Take everything out, and before putting in back, ask yourself, Have I used it in the past twelve months? How likely am I to use it in the next twelve months?
Make five piles – One pile is for things you want to keep; one for things to sell; one to donate; one to throw away and one for things you need to relocate.
Don’t Re-clutter
Once you’ve tidied your space, keep it de-cluttered by aiming to discard one item every new possession you bring into your home.
“Do what you can. Where you are. With what you have.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Dream * Believe * Achieve
By Tony Burns
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