How to Be More Mindful and Boost Mental Health
Living in such unprecedented times has gravely impacted mental health. Constant involvement with social media, the fear of missing out and the media’s bombardment with negative news, all adds up and affects our mental health. In this, it is imperative to practise mindfulness. Detaching one’s mind from negative thoughts, even momentarily is crucial. But how does one do this? Today’s post entails a collaboration with Anam Ahmed who has featured in a previous blog on managing anxiety which has proved highly popular amongst readers.
So firstly what is Mindfulness exactly?
Mindfulness is a type of meditation that enables humans to remain aware of their surroundings, allowing them to focus on the present. This can be done in several ways, such as “guided imagery” and various other practices to relax the mind and body.
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” – Jon Kabat – Zinn
How being mindful can help with mental health
Practising mindfulness allows one to declutter their mind and maintain awareness of the present. In this, one learns how to take control of their thoughts, whilst also detaching themself from things out of their control. In today’s society, where everything is extremely fast-paced, mindfulness allows the slowing down of thoughts whilst also allowing for an increase in concentration levels and deeper insight into emotions.
A quote said by Ekhart Tolle comes to mind to summarise mindfulness: “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have
3 things to practice to ensure you are working on your mental health
1. Acceptance
This is something a significant amount of human beings struggle with, accepting that they are overthinking. Once a problem has been identified and accepted, it becomes much easier to deal with in an effective manner. Acceptance doesn’t make one weak but in fact requires a lot of strength. Knowing that you have an issue and actively decide to work on it, already shows you are working on your mental health.
2. Understand and anticipate your triggers
Whether it is a certain person or a certain situation that is causing you to feel the way you do. Once we establish what it is that is bothering us, we may choose to either communicate the issue or choose to ourselves totally from the situation.
3. Watch your thoughts regularly
This is definitely easier said than done, however, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Therefore it is essential to actively tell yourself to stop, reassure yourself that you will be okay when the negative thoughts get the best of you, by keeping a positive outlook. That’s what mindfulness allows you to do.
How to start being mindful
Start with something which may form part of your daily routine. For example when you have your morning coffee, focus on the taste and the temperature of the coffee. Focus on being in the present and channel your mind into the activity at hand, whether that is eating, brushing your teeth or even going for a walk. Focusing on your senses is a good way to do this.
1.Consistency and routine is the key
When feeling stress or worry we do need to limit worry time, but this can only be done if we are consistent in our efforts. Routine and structure is the key to enable us to boost productivity and happiness. This is because when we are keeping busy, we often have less time to worry about the things which are out of our control. In some cases though, it is understandable that we may need time out with ourselves to reconvene with our thoughts.
2.Breathing/Meditation
One of the key practises in which we can achieve a stronger mindful outlook is definitely through meditation. When you start initially, you may want to consider guided meditation and boxed breathing. The increased benefits of this is it allows oneself to calm yourself down and focus.
Meditation for beginners:
- Get comfortable in your space
- Set a time limit
- Focus on your breathing
- Notice when you get distracted
- Focus on your breath for two minutes
For information on meditation, you can also visit Mindful. If you need to actually start meditating but need something more step by step, Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer are excellent apps to use.
3. Journaling to express emotion and show gratitude
Journalling allows expression with no judgement. When you show gratitude and note down everything you are grateful for, it shows that you are aware of your blessings. This does not mean you need to be self-critical and feel guilty for the way you feel. But rather may result in a source of motivation to be better. Remember the key is to be self aware not critical. Just listing 3 things you’re grateful for at the end of the day can make a difference.
To summarise the blog, mindfulness is a practise that allows one to be focused in the present. It boosts your mental health by reducing stress levels. However, it is not something that improves overnight therefore those considering mindfulness must be patient and take slow steps.
We hope that you have taken something useful from this blog. If you haven’t already, you can check out the post Accepting and Overcoming Anxiety with Anam Ahmed.
If there are any topics you’d like us to cover, please do get in touch. We will see you on the next post.
The Regeneration