Modern life is chaotic. Every day we are pulled in a different direction. Our domestic chores, responsibilities, official engagements, juggling of our relationships, and our family and social life pull us in different directions. As a result, we are unable to focus on one thing at a time. Rather, the pressure to multi-task is so huge that we try to pack in as much as possible in one single day.
The result is that our minds are perpetually racing. With so many thoughts running through our Mind, we become forgetful. Do you have trouble recalling what exactly you opened your refrigerator for or at times forgetting why you had walked into that room? These are signs you have a lot of things going on in your mind and you aren’t being mindful.
What is Mindful Living?
Amidst all this din, some of us have heard of the concept of Mindful Living – a concept presented by different religion, sages, masters, gurus and now, life coaches, in different ways, for our emotional and physical wellbeing.
So, what is Mindful Living? Mindful Living is simply a way of life where you withdraw your attention from myriad things that you are into, the different thoughts racing in the mind, and focusing your awareness and attention to the present.
The present could be anything – from a simple exercise of holding your cup of tea and sipping it, to writing your piece for the newspaper, to folding your clothes and putting them in the closet. The idea of Mindful living is to do each of this act by being fully present in the now because the present moment is all that we will ever have.
Mindful Living encourages us to not get drifted in the swift, swirling current of our racing thoughts, because we are neither our mind nor our thoughts.
Mindful Living is a simple concept of completely accepting ‘what is’ in the present moment, instead of judging, analysing, discussing, arguing, thinking and negotiating.
Why should we live Mindfully?
Those who live mindfully Act, and not React. Very often somebody else’s actions trigger us, and we react to the words or action of others. How often our best friend, husband, boss or colleague tend to inadvertently stick needles into our wounds. These triggered moments are very painful, and we React…often mindlessly. One thing leads to the other and it is the start of a downward emotional spiral.
When you live Mindfully, in such a situation, you would simply recognise that you have been triggered. You may observe – silently – that your pulse is racing, your heart is beginning to pound, your solar plexus is contracting, and you are spitting out words you may regret later.
A mindful person recognises the “trigger”, accepts all that is happening to his mind and body, and calmly chooses his action. When you consciously choose your action, it is called acting, rather than reacting.
In this way, Mindfulness help you make fewer errors. This is because it makes you pause, and helps you process the trigger better. When you pause this way, you may sometimes find that more than the unkind words of your friend, these are old unhealed memories that have got activated, or your reaction is simply an old habit that you have formed over the years by reacting to any unkind word/s.
When you Live Mindfully, you become calmer, and you put stressful events into perspective and build resilience so you’re less overwhelmed by them in the future.
Now that we know the importance of Mindfulness in our everyday life, it’s important that we learn to live Mindfully. The first step is to be Intentional about it. You can start by practicing Mindful Eating. Often, we scroll through the phone while we eat, or we reach for food for emotional comfort. But mindless eating is common. It contributes to a host of problems, like overeating and consuming too much sugar.
Practice becoming more mindful about how you fuel your body. Resist the urge to multi-task while you eat. When you eat, be present with your food. Pay attention to each bite that you are taking. Chew your food slowly and savor the taste.
You can also practice becoming Mindful in your Interactions. Practice giving undivided attention to your children, partner, friend, colleague or boss while interacting with them. Mindfulness in interaction is about being fully present in the moment during your conversations. It is about observing the person and what he is saying in a non-judgmental way.
So rather than scroll through your phone while you’re with someone, give them your undivided attention. And instead of crafting your rebuttal while they’re sharing their opinion, seek to really hear their message.
Mindfulness takes practice and effort. No one is good at it when they first start. Your mind is likely to wander repeatedly.
But, with practice and patience, you’ll get better. And eventually, you’ll recognise that you’re living a more mindful life and you’ll be free to enjoy benefits, like decreased stress, better mental health, better relationships, and greater overall happiness.
Try it from today. It is worth your effort.
The main/featured image on top by Pixabay has been used for illustrative purpose only.
Very helpful.