Guest Post: Benefits of Mindfulness in Stressful times by Katja Feil
Nowadays, Mindfulness is for some people just another buzzword, but what does it actually mean and why mindfulness is an important factor in your own happiness and health? This is what I will share with you today, as well as some actionable tips on incorporating small mindful habits into your everyday life.
Let’s get started with the basics:
Being more mindful means, staying in the present moment and it helps you to recognise the condition of happiness and that happiness is already present in your life. But it’s also known for reducing stress and anxiety in uncertain times.
Most people are forgetful. They don’t live in the present moment, because their mind is caught in their worries, their fears, their anger, and their regrets. They do not recognise that their mind is wandering off. That state of being is called forgetfulness — you are there but you are not there. You are caught in the past or the future. That is forgetfulness.
The opposite of forgetfulness is mindfulness. Mindfulness is when you are truly there in the present moment, while your mind and body become one.
How to establish mindfulness in everyday life?
Some of you might think, that becoming more mindful means you have to meditate or practice it with a lot of effort for hours every day.
It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be much more practical, like small things you can do daily.
When it comes to your everyday life, awareness is the key. Awareness and the continuous practice of being in the present moment can be your secret ingredient to achieving a more mindful and – as a result – a more peaceful state of mind. Even if you weren’t born a mindful person, you can work on this by honoring yourself and trying to become a more mindful person throughout your day.
But how do you bring more awareness into your daily life? You can do it with different tools and technics. Go for a walk, remind yourself to stay present, meditate, do one thing at a time, appreciate small things, create something, exercise, focus on your breath, or do yoga.
Why mindfulness helps you dealing with stress and anxiety?
Research has shown that mindfulness can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Mindfulness, which means being in the present moment, can teach you how to respond to stress and how to deal with unexpected situations. Being aware of what is happening in such situations, what emotions are triggered, and how you respond.
Mindfulness helps you to connect with yourself, with your body, with your emotions and your feelings. Instead of just acting on autopilot you know you have a choice on how to react. You can make a conscious decision about the outcome of the situation.
Meditation & Mindfulness
Meditation is a powerful tool, especially when it comes to mindfulness and the reduction of stress and anxiety. If you practice meditation it can lead a more present mind while doing it, as well as it can help you to come back to that present mind throughout the day.
There are many different techniques, the easiest way to get started with meditation is to connect with your breath. To focus on your breath you need to be in the present moment, your mind, body, and breath become one. When you do that, the mental discourse will stop. You don’t think anymore. You don’t have to make an effort to stop your thinking; you bring your attention to your breath and the mental discourse just stops. That is the miracle of the practice. You don’t think of the past anymore. You don’t think of the future. You don’t think of your projects, because you are focusing your attention, your mindfulness, on your breath. And when you forget that you were doing mediation and have wandered off into thoughts, just observe that as well. Then let it go and come back to your breath.
Make practicing mindfulness a habit
Mindfulness is not only a skill to learn, but it’s also a habit one can form. Did you know, if you stick to something for at least 21 days in a row you formed a new habit? Just try it yourself.
Five tips to establish a new habit:
- Think about your goals. Be as specific as possible. What goals do you want to achieve with your new habit?
- Get clear about your Why’s. Why do you want to reach a specific goal and how would your life be different?
- Commit to the goal and to the steps you need to take to reach your goal. This is very important. A goal without a strategy is useless. Again, be as precise as possible. What do you have to do? When do you want to do it and where? If necessary set a daily alarm to remind yourself.
- Social commitment. Share your goal with others to hold you accountable.
- Track your progress. This is an important step to establish a new habit and helps you to stay motivated.
To support you in this undertaking, I created a 21-Day Habit Tracker for you! Download free Habit Tracker
By making mindfulness a habit, you will learn to appreciate your health and life more. And you will notice that you actually have a choice. You can’t change a situation, but you can always change how you react to it.
You want to learn more about mindfulness and how to establish mindful habits into your everyday life? Discover the benefits of mindfulness in-depth and how to become more mindful in Stressful Times in my free 5-Day Online-Course. Sign Up for Free
About Katja
Katja is a Sydney based certified Health Coach and Yoga Teacher. With a background in the corporate world, her work as a health coach is focused on working with office workers to improve their overall health and fitness and help them to lose some weight. Katja founded her coaching business in 2018 to combine her knowledge and experience from the IT environment with her passion for coaching and a healthy lifestyle. In her opinion, it is always a mixture of nutrition, movement, work-life balance, and a healthy mind.
The post Guest Post: Benefits of mindfulness in stressful times by Katja Feil appeared first on Health Coach Kirsty.
