In this world of constant hustle, we need to slow down to appreciate the varying threads of life, be it our relationships or our surroundings. Instead of genuinely enjoying the wonders of nature, we’ve become slaves of the system. We choose to work long hours rather than spend time with our families and friends.
All these factors have contributed to our deteriorating mental health while being a source of constant stress in our lives. During times like these, one has to adopt mindfulness to lead a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
This article takes you through the benefits of mindfulness meditation and the importance of being present in the moment. We’ve also covered some techniques around how to do mindfulness meditation. Along with how you can integrate mindfulness into your lives and thus improve the quality of your life.
Benefits Of Mindfulness Meditation
One of the most significant benefits of mindfulness and meditation practices is an improved state of well-being that contributes to a fulfilling life. Studies in recent years suggest that mindfulness techniques also help deal with mental health challenges such as depression, substance abuse, eating and anxiety disorders, and so forth.
Being mindful allows us to be present in the moment rather than allowing our minds to drift away to work-related tasks that preoccupy most of us. It’ll enable us to savour our milestones and help us become fully aware and present in day to day activities. All in all, mindfulness extends a positive impact on our social relationships and thus leads to an elevated state of well-being.
Thus, indulging in the simple act of focusing on the present rather than the regrets of the past or future ambitions triggers a chain of positive stimuli that impact your overall state of wellbeing. By gaining control of the present, you’ll also be able to forge more profound and meaningful connections with yourself and your loved ones.
In addition to positively impacting our mental health, mindfulness also improves our physical well-being. A meditative and calm state of mind helps relieve stress, lowers blood pressure, helps reduce the risk of heart diseases, initiates deep sleep, and helps in gastrointestinal digestive activities.
Some Mindfulness Techniques For You To Follow
As you may have already guessed, there’s no right or wrong way to indulge in mindfulness meditation. However, the goal remains the same- to achieve a state of awareness and focused relaxation. And doing so by consciously paying attention to the presence of thoughts and sensations. This also allows you to be grateful for all the good in your life rather than stressing about the lack.
Basic Mindfulness Meditation
To indulge in this, all you need to do is put aside everything you’re doing and sit quietly in a space devoid of any external distractions. You need to close your eyes, focus on your natural breathing, and observe as you become a witness to your fleeting thoughts without being involved. This activity will boost your mood and will substantially help in reducing your stress levels. This is one of the best kinds of mindfulness meditation. There are also guided mindfulness mediation for stress and anxiety that will help you achieve the same goals.
a. Body Sensations
When you’re in a state of calm, be mindful of every subtle body sensation such as an itch, a tingling sensation or a twitch and let them pass. Indulge in this activity for every part of your body, starting from your head, down to your toes and be more aware and mindful of your body.
b. Sensory Mindfulness
Proceed on to being more aware of visuals, sounds smells and tastes that you can notice. Take a moment to indulge in these sensations, focus on how you felt while experiencing them and then let go. This will help you be more grateful and appreciative of your surroundings.
c. Emotions
Be mindful of all the various emotions you’ve experienced throughout the day, including the negative emotions. Accept and acknowledge the presence of such emotions while spending a moment or two reflecting upon them. Let these emotions pass and try and remain in a neutral and relaxed state of breathing.
d. Urge Surfing
Think about all the cravings you’ve had during the day; these can be addictive substances or even a sudden urge of eating something sweet, an impulsive buy, and so forth. Spend a moment or two reflecting on these cravings before allowing them to pass.
This activity will help you remain more aware of your surroundings while also helping you be more relaxed and neutral in stressful situations.
Getting Started With Mindfulness Meditation
Indulging in mindfulness meditation will stimulate a state of relaxation and well-being that’s valuable in reducing stress levels and improving your overall health.
Here are some techniques that you can indulge in to integrate mindfulness meditation into your daily routine.
1. Be Mindful
Make sure to remove external disturbances from your meditative space. This is critical if you’re looking to experience mindful meditation at its finest. Your challenge is not to latch onto a particular idea, emotion, or sensation or to get caught in thinking about the past or the future. Instead, take a moment to experience these emotions and then let them go while remaining calm.
2. Be Patient
At first, meditation may seem to be a futile activity, but if you stick at it for long enough, you’ll experience all the various benefits that this activity brings to all aspects of your life, from social relationships to your overall well-being.
Final thoughts
Being aware and practising mindfulness of our surroundings is of utmost importance in today’s times. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, we often miss out on taking time to be grateful. Getting started with mindfulness meditation techniques will help you establish a sense of awareness that will eventually reduce stress and improve well being.
Artisans is one such resource that helps you be more mindful of your surroundings. It also provides you with engaging leathercrafting DIY resources. These resources are sure to keep you meditatively occupied for hours on end. With a plethora of resources like DIY articles, instructive articles, and Artisans craft kits, Artisans provides you with all the resources to unleash your creativity.
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