Mindfulness is a big “buzz word” these days. It can be synonymous with meditation but in therapy it means so much more.
What is mindfulness
The definition I work with in therapy is the awareness of your thoughts, feelings, sensations, actions, experiences and surroundings, without judgement. Judgement is the key piece in all of this, because judgement puts us in our heads.
Think about this:
What is depression? Depression is related to the thoughts that bind us to our pasts. All of the “would have” “should have” “could have” thoughts and moments.
What is anxiety? Anxiety is related to the thoughts that are focused on our future worries, doubts, and unknowns. We get focused on how to control the uncontrollable.
The thoughts that take us to the past, leading to feelings of depression, and the thoughts that take us to the future, leading to feelings of anxiety, are extremely uncomfortable. Our safest place to be is in the present. The here and now. Focusing our attention on what we are doing now.
Think about a time when you felt really happy and/or content. I imagine that this was a time when you were being in the moment and mindful. For example, singing your favorite song out loud. If you are in the moment, you are feeling the music and enjoying knowing the words. If you are really focused on the words of the song and you are belting it out, it is impossible to be anywhere else in our minds.
Think about times, conversely, when you felt bad. Where were your thoughts? Think of the things you have thought that have kept you from doing things that were healthy for you. Many people will not go to the gym because of the fears, or people will not let themselves meet or relate to new people because of pre-judgements of themselves or others.
Next time your find your mind wondering, bring yourself back to the present with focusing on your breathing. Mindfulness is a practice. Our brain works on a “use it or lose it” principal. If we do not practice being in the present, regularly, we lose the ability to do so.
So….Practice, Practice, PRACTICE!
