There has been a lot of publicity about mindfulness and its benefits, but what does it actually mean?
To be mindful is to be aware of your environment in the present moment. Sounds confusing, but once the concept of being mindful is understood, it can lead to a useful aid in your road to recovery. Often people do not consider the here and now as there are many anxieties which take over, worrying about the future and thinking over past events. It is a difficult thing to realise we can change neither, all we have is the moment right now, it’s brief and fleeting. There is a need to be realistic, sometimes we do have to plan something for the future, such as appointments. Sometimes the past can pop up and we get caught up in remembering – this can be a pleasant thing if the memory is of a happy event, often it can be a cycle of pain, regret and anxiety. Mindfulness allows us some space to have a few moments in the here and now without all the anxiety of the future or the past.
Some behaviours have become automatic over the years, such as brushing your teeth, do you consider which hand you use to brush your teeth? Mindfulness is another behaviour which could become automatic if used often enough. Like learning how to brush your teeth, it just takes a little bit of input. It is also an excellent way to help with anxiety, particularly if used every day at a regular time for a consistent amount of time. For example, if you decide to do five minutes of mindfulness while walking somewhere, or you decide to have five minutes of mindfulness before you start your day.
The first example of mindfulness will be sitting in a chair. Set aside five minutes where you can have the space to be quiet or alone. Sit in the chair and either close your eyes or fix on a particular spot. To be mindful is to take notice of your surroundings, to begin feel the chair supporting you as you sit, feel your feet resting on the floor, notice how you feel sitting in the chair, then start to feel each part of your body from your head downwards, feel how your shoulders are resting against the chair, your back, your hips, your buttocks, your thighs, now your lower legs, your ankles and your feet. Rest your hands on your legs, notice how that feels – what material you are resting on.
It is possible once you begin this, thoughts will crowd in, such as this is silly, I feel really stupid, or I haven’t time for this. The tip for mindfulness is not to fight against those thoughts, notice you have had the thought and let it pass, don’t act on it. For instance, I notice the thought I feel really silly sitting here, but don’t get up and move, just let the thought pass and go back to noticing how you’re sitting. The more often you do this, the less thoughts will intrude and you can have five minutes peace and relaxation.
Mindfulness can also be carried out whilst walking, it’s the same concept. Take five minutes to notice your surroundings: Feel your feet as they go onto the pavement, notice how your arms move as you walk. Ask yourself what can you hear, do you notice the traffic or are there birds singing? Consider what you can see, is the sun shining, or is it raining – can you feel the drops of rain as they fall on you? It is warm or cold, how does that feel on your skin? Are your hands cold or are they really hot? Notice the thoughts intruding – I feel silly, I’m just walking to the shops, it’s pointless, etc. But again, do not act on them, just notice them and let them go returning to noticing your surroundings.
Mindfulness is learning how to use our senses again, focussing on what you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Talking some time out from our lives to reconnect with ourselves and give ourselves a little space to just be.
