Meditation for mindfulness

We hear lots about mindfulness these days and how beneficial it is to our health, but what on earth does it mean?

According to the dictionary, mindfulness is “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.” You might already be practising mindfulness through your hobbies, anything such as exercise, yoga, gardening, knitting or fishing could be helping you achieve the mental state that benefits your overall wellbeing.

It could be a bit overwhelming to ask you to take up gardening in order to find your inner self, especially if you don’t have a garden, so we’ve decided to tell you about meditation as this is something that everyone can do!

• Meditation can make you more patient in this very much instant world where lots of us are guilty of not having enough patience.
• First and foremost you need to pick a time to try meditation when you won’t be worried about running late for something or missing out on an important call.
• If you’re using a meditation app on your phone, turn off all other notifications so that you don’t get side-tracked.
• Lock pets away so that they can’t burst in and disrupt your new mindfulness hobby.
• Some people like to set their alarm early to meditate before starting their day. This way, you can use meditation to be thankful and then set new goals for each day!
• Over time, meditation could help in relieving anxiety and reducing stress levels, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Remember that it is healthy to have some stress in your life and don’t try to get into a mindset where you are unfeeling. Our bodies are built to respond to psychological stress and physical stress, such as financial worries or eating too much sugar. We need a healthy dose of both to keep everything functioning well!
• While meditation isn’t necessarily a cure, there’s no harm in trying the technique to deal with your mental health and wellbeing. Download an app or get in touch with a professional and see if it changes your life.