A journey to mindfulness

Mindfulness is a way of living life more intentionally and being present. It's a way to become more in-tune with yourself and the world around you. It also teaches us to appreciate life for what it is, not what it could be. The consistent practice of mindfulness can also be beneficial in soothing anxiety and overthinking as your present-focused mind worries less about the future and more about the here and now.

*Disclaimer: I am by no means a professional, I will just be sharing my own perspectives and experiences regarding mindfulness.

Over the past two years, I have been working on developing a more routine schedule with practicing mindfulness in order to live a more connected and present life.

My story begins at the start of the pandemic. Prior to COVID, I had never taken the time to study or practice subjects such as mindfulness, meditation, spirituality, and tarot. Being in isolation from most of society, other than working a few times a week, left me with a lot of time for reflection. Despite spending a few years working at bettering my mental and physical health, the pandemic led me to fall back into unhealthy habits and mindsets. I was in desperate need of a spark of energy to encourage me to get back into healthy routines.

A few months into the pandemic, I ended up buying a book about Chakras and the healing process of finding balance in them.

*For those who are unfamiliar with Chakras, simply put, they are seen as energy points in our bodies that when perfectly aligned, help us function at our highest level of being. When unbalanced, we experience negative side effects such as poor appetite, poor communication skills, low energy, mental health issues, etc.

From there, I began researching practices in mindfulness, meditation and yoga, as well as spirituality. Of course, there's always aspects of beliefs such as these that I take with a grain of salt, but for the most part, the idea of the simplicity of finding peace through balance was inspiring.

Getting into the routine of meditating and staying mindful was quite difficult at first. Some weeks I stayed consistent, other weeks I would miss nearly every day. Over time, and with more consistent practice, I have eventually reached a point where I can easily slip into a more mindful headspace. I have noticed that, compared to even a year ago, I deal with less overall anxiety, my moods are extremely stable, and I am a lot more optimistic and hopeful towards life.

With all of this being said, you may be wondering how exactly does one practice mindfulness? The easiest way I can explain this without the obvious answer of "being present", is by coming up with a few examples.

Example 1: When eating dinner, turn the tv off and just sit with your food (if you have a busy family, try a different meal where things are a bit quieter for you, even a snack). Take note of the work you put into preparing the food - if you ordered take out or are eating pre-packaged food, think about the hard work you put into earning the money to pay for it. Notice the different flavors, the utensils in your hand, what the weather is like outside, how the food makes you feel. Then notice how calm the quiet is while eating, how everything in life led you to this moment of sitting in a space that feels comfortable and familiar to you.

Example 2: When hanging out with loved ones, put your phone down and just sit back and observe for a few minutes. Take in the conversation, the people who are actually there, how being with them makes you feel. Who is leading the conversation? Who laughs the most? Does anyone go unheard? What's the atmosphere like?

Aside from the benefits of being more in-tune with yourself and the world around you, as mentioned in the beginning; mindfulness can train you to be more aware of our surroundings. It trains us to notice the small details, giving us gratitude towards the little things in life. In extreme cases, it can help us to be the first to notice when something is wrong or someone needs help, making our reaction times quicker.

It takes active practice over time in order to reach a level of perception where it doesn't take much thought, for a while you will have to force yourself to be present. But once you develop more of a skill in it, mindfulness can help create so many positive changes in your mindsets and behaviors.

For anyone interested in a mindfulness approach to life, I hope this article can help lead you in the right direction.