What Is Mindfulness And How To Be More Mindful
Mindfulness – you may have heard this word quite a bit recently. In a culture where we’re always go-go-GO, the idea of *gasp* slowing down and taking a break is unheard of.
What IS mindfulness?
Merriam-Webster defines it as “the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis; also : such a state of awareness.”
In other words, keeping your mind on THIS present moment – focusing on the task at hand, and trying not to let the mind wander too much. Should the mind wander, limit judgement and acknowledge the thought, then release it. Seems impossible, right? As Audrey Hepburn said, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!”
Why practice mindfulness?
Another question may spring to mind – why should someone practice mindfulness? As mindfulness has grown in popularity, so has the research behind it. Studies have reported that being more mindful in every day activities may include multiple benefits, such as mental improvements, mood improvements, stress reduction, and more! Take a look at this study byUCLA for more benefits and the research behind it.
Mindfulness and menstruation:
Wearing a menstrual cup? You may already be practicing mindfulness without realizing it. The act of inserting a menstrual cup, emptying a menstrual cup, caring for yourself when wearing a menstrual cup all force you to be present in the moment – more mindful of your body and what you’re placing inside of yourself.
Can being more mindful be a positive thing when wearing menstrual cups? Possibly! There’s currently no research behind it, but many women report feeling more in touch with themselves and body aware when using menstrual cups. Add an element of mindfulness, and you may become even more aware of your body and how you’re feeling. You may become more in touch with the subtle things you do throughout the day that impact your mood. Do you find yourself thinking negatively when you’re menstruating? What’s spurring the negativity? Are you frequently passing judgment on yourself and your thoughts? Mindfulness may help!
How can you be more mindful?
There’s many small activities you can incorporate into your every day life to be more mindful. Meditation is often one of the more well known ones, but what if you can’t sit still, find your mind frequently wandering, or the idea of meditation doesn’t appeal to you? Instead, here’s a few ideas:
- Savoring every bite of your meal, eating slowly, chewing with intention.
- Feeling the keyboard beneath your fingers, acknowledge every movement of your mouse.
- Limit distractions while working on a project, try to keep your thoughts on the task at hand.
- Turn off the autopilot when driving and really focus on where you’re going.
What other mindful ideas can you think of? Let us know in the comments below or join the discussion on Facebook!
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