When you hear the word mindfulness, what do you think of?
Mindfulness can mean different things to different people, but at its root it’s a mental state achieved by focusing your awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
Mindfulness is a therapeutic technique that connects your mind and body, which is an integration that’s vital for achieving whole person health. There are many benefits of practising mindfulness, which is why it’s a core part of the Bluearth approach and something we incorporate into our sessions.
Read on to discover five key benefits of mindfulness.
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Reducing stress and anxiety
Practicing mindfulness by paying attention to the present moment allows you to control racing, repetitive and non-productive thoughts that occupy your mind.
For example, say you don’t get an immediate response to an important email. You might think about all the possible things that could have gone wrong and why you haven’t received a reply. Changing your reaction from self-created worries to simply recognising a desire for a response and the arising concern, allows you to get back to what you were doing and prevent an unnecessary escalation of the situation. Mindfulness allows you to self-regulate, seeing things for what they are instead of what they could be.
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Increases satisfaction and happiness
As humans, it’s natural for us to want certain things, whether material or experiential, and when we don’t have these things it can leave us feeling unsatisfied. Being mindful allows you to focus on and appreciate what you do have, instead of what you don’t. This awareness and feeling of gratitude can help you feel renewed and more at peace with your life.
On a similar note, without being mindful you may react to negative thoughts and feelings instead of managing them in a positive way. Practicing mindfulness helps you to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, and to understand and manage them with a clearer, calmer mind.
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Allows you to have a deeper understanding of who you are
Mindful movement (moving purposefully and intentionally) is at the heart of the Bluearth approach. This practice allows you to tap into how you feel physically and emotionally, giving you a deeper understanding of who you are.
Observing and reflecting on yourself can help boost your confidence and self-esteem, and allow you to begin connecting and making bonds with others.
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Helps you build stronger relationships
Another benefit of mindfulness is that it can help enhance your relationships. In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get distracted when interacting with your family and friends and, in turn, take them and their time for granted. Recognising the importance of these relationships and ensuring you are being present when your loved ones are around, will allow you to give them more attention and thus build stronger relationships.
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Optimises child development
Mindfulness is important for anyone at any age but, for children, mindfulness can provide the tools they need to build confidence, cope with stress, and navigate uncomfortable or challenging situations.
Teaching mindfulness to children can also help them shape three critical skills that are developed in early childhood—paying attention and remembering information, shifting back and forth between tasks and behaving appropriately with others.
As you can see, mindfulness is much more than sitting in silence for a few minutes a day—it’s about being present and recognising your feelings, so you can have a better connection with yourself and with others. It’s also an incredible tool for developing children, which is why it’s a central tenet of the Bluearth approach.