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Mindfulness

This document discusses mindfulness, defining it as paying attention purposefully to the present moment without judgment. It explains that mindfulness can help reduce stress and promote clearer thinking by encouraging focus on the present rather than worries about the past or future. The document outlines some of the benefits of mindfulness like reduced stress and depression as well as improved concentration and memory. It concludes by suggesting simple mindfulness techniques for people to try like counting sounds or fully experiencing eating a raisin to focus on the present moment.

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67 views2 pages

Mindfulness

This document discusses mindfulness, defining it as paying attention purposefully to the present moment without judgment. It explains that mindfulness can help reduce stress and promote clearer thinking by encouraging focus on the present rather than worries about the past or future. The document outlines some of the benefits of mindfulness like reduced stress and depression as well as improved concentration and memory. It concludes by suggesting simple mindfulness techniques for people to try like counting sounds or fully experiencing eating a raisin to focus on the present moment.

Uploaded by

Юлия юлия
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mindfulness’ is a word we hear a lot these days, but what exactly does it

mean? Find out what it is, what the benefits of mindfulness are and how
you can start to practise it. Have you ever driven somewhere and realised
when you arrived that you couldn’t really remember anything about the
journey? Or have you ever eaten a whole packet of biscuits when you were
planning to only have one? Or have you stayed up much later than you
planned, or even all night, watching ‘just one more’ episode of a TV series?
All of these are examples of mindlessness. When we live this way, we are
not fully awake and not fully living our lives.

What exactly is mindfulness?


When we are mindful, we are more conscious of our thoughts, our actions
and what is happening around us. We might notice a beautiful sunset or
really listen carefully to what a friend is saying, rather than planning what
we’re going to say next. We are also more aware of our own feelings and
our thoughts. Jon Kabat Zinn, who has done a lot to make mindfulness
popular, says mindfulness is: ‘Paying attention, on purpose, in the present
moment, and without judging.’
So we are consciously deciding what to pay attention to, we are not
worrying about the past or planning for the future and we are not trying to
control or stop our thoughts or feelings – we’re just noticing them.

Why is mindfulness so popular now?


For most people life is getting busier and busier. Technology means that
we always have something to do and there isn’t much opportunity to just
‘be’. People are often doing two or three things at the same time: texting
while watching TV, or even looking at their phone while walking along the
pavement. People are working longer hours and bringing work home. All
this can make us stressed, and mindfulness can be a way of reducing this
stress.
What are the benefits of mindfulness?
Research shows that mindfulness reduces stress and depression. It can
help you to concentrate, have a better memory and to think more clearly. It
can also help people to manage pain better and to improve their sleep, and
it can even help you lose weight because you won’t eat that whole packet
of biscuits without thinking!

How to become more mindful


Mindfulness Day is celebrated on 12 September, so maybe that would be a
good day to try a few mindfulness techniques and see if they make a
difference. But, of course, you can try these on any day of the year.
A very simple technique that you could try right now is to close your eyes
for a couple of minutes and count how many sounds you can hear. This will
help to focus you on what is happening right now.
Another technique is to focus on a piece of food, typically a raisin. Instead
of eating it without thinking, slow down. Look carefully at it and notice how it
feels in your fingers. Smell it. Then put it on your tongue and taste it. Only
then start to eat it slowly, noticing how it feels and how it tastes.
Both of these techniques force you to slow down and focus on the present
moment, and there are plenty of other ideas you can find online if you want
to try mindfulness for yourself.

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