We talked about the key to mindfulness last week. Living each day in the present and learning to balance thinking about the past and planning for the future.
Adding mindfulness to your day in small increments through banal activities can be very beneficial for your health. You need not take any fancy yoga & meditation classes or spend thousands of dollars on retreats; you can turn mundane tasks into mindful ones.
When we practice mindfulness, our health improves. Stress is lowered or eradicated. We focus on the here and now keeping anxiety and worry at bay. We’re happier and less depressed.
Rerouting our thinking about being mindful will help to heal what ails us and help us lead more fulfilling lives. The greatest health benefits you can experience thanks to mindfulness are:
Decreased stress and psychological distress in adults and employees;
Enhanced mental health and functioning;
Increased emotion regulation and self-control;
Decreased anxiety, depression, worry, and rumination;
Reduced incidence of problem drinking and symptoms associated with problem drinking;
Enhanced academic achievement in students, because of improved ability to focus and improved attention;
Improved social and relational skills;
Reduction in aggression and problem behaviors in children;
Reduced symptoms of burnout in employees;
A decrease in turnover and turnover intentions at work;
Enhanced job performance;
Increased ability to cope with bullying;
Enhanced resilience in children.
If you want some further tips on how you can include mindfulness in your daily activities you can read my article Your Mindfulness Routine doesn’t have to be fancy or over-involved.
You may also consider constructing a Mindfulness Practice as prescribed by Dr. Amit Sood, the chair of the Mayo Mind Body Initiative. He provides the following mindfulness schedule as a template:
Monday: Gratitude – Find things to be thankful for throughout your day, and include them in your loving kindness meditation or a gratitude journal;
Tuesday: Compassion – Set an intention to decrease any pain or suffering in others you encounter throughout your day;
Wednesday: Acceptance – Accept yourself as you are and others as they are; appreciate yourself and other people without trying to change them;
Thursday: Meaning and Purpose – Think about your ultimate purpose in life, and where and how you find meaning;
Friday: Forgiveness – Forgive yourself first, then extend your forgiveness to others for any past transgressions;
Saturday: Celebration – Take a day to celebrate all the joy in your life and the lives of others;
Sunday: Reflection – Reflect on your week, your month, your year, or whatever period of time makes sense to you at the moment. You can accomplish this through meditation, prayer, or simple awareness.
Mindfulness has infinite benefits and long term effects on the mind, body and spirit. The more we practice awareness and being present the better we can be agents of change in the world.