Help with practicing mindfulness

Mindfulness isn’t just for yoga class

It may sound like a New Age trend, but mindfulness is an ancient Eastern practice that simply means paying attention in a particular way. Mindfulness can go a long way to helping manage stress by strengthening your focus, honing your ability to stay tuned into the present moment, and giving you easier access to your relaxation response.

Learn more about mindfulness here, or call us at 800-236-3231 for a free consultation.

Understand what being mindful means

Mindfulness is a practical way to notice thoughts, physical sensations, sights, sounds, smells, and anything else we might not normally notice. It might be described as choosing and learning to control where we focus our attention.

The actual skill involved is simple, but because it requires our minds to behave so differently than they normally do, mindfulness takes a lot of practice.

This typically starts with routine, everyday things: your environment, your day-to-day tasks, and so forth. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can start to use mindfulness to work through negative thoughts, stress responses, and anxiety too.

A Guide to Mindfulness [PDF] explores the concept of mindfulness in more detail and offers breathing exercises and other approaches to practicing it in your daily life.

Shut off your autopilot

Have you ever gotten home from your daily commute and realized you didn’t remember anything about the drive, you were so absorbed in your thoughts? Have you caught yourself lost in thought while washing dishes, doing yardwork, or folding laundry?

These are classic “autopilot” scenarios. In this mode, you’re likely more prone to having your “buttons pressed”: events, thoughts, feelings, and sensations around you (of which you may be only dimly aware) can trigger old habits of thinking that are often unhelpful and may lead to worsening mood. With practice, we can break out of these mental ruts:

  • During a routine daily activity, tune into each of your senses, one at a time: make a note of what you see, hear, smell, and feel around you.
  • Take “mindful walks”: leisurely strolls dedicated to simply observing the world around you. Notice your breathing, your movement, and the activity in your environment.
  • Practice mindful breathing. Sit quietly and focus on the rhythm and sound of your breath. When your attention wanders, simply notice it and return to your breath.

Get creative

Find more methods for reducing stress and increasing mindfulness from these websites and organizations.

  • HelpGuide.org provides relaxation techniques including deep breathing, meditations, and visualization exercises.
  • Mindful.org outlines the basics of mindfulness, offers guided audio meditations, and explores the science of mindfulness, all in friendly, easy-to-understand way.
  • HEADSPACE (headspace.com)
  • Dr. Andrew Weil (drweil.com) provides a wealth of resources for mindfulness and managing stress, including breathing exercises, meditations, and more.