How much do we know about Mindfulness?

Nowadays mindfulness is directly associated with meditation practices as it aims to free the mind from thoughts that overwhelm us with uncertainties and anxiety. It is a practice that aspires to live in the present, making every action meaningful, but if this is the case, why don’t we practice it more seriously? Why is it not common everywhere and in companies?

The main obstacle that the practice has is the preconception that people have about meditation. Let's be honest, if someone visualizes the activity they will think of a Buddhist monk sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, thinking of nothing and saying "ooommm". It is common, mainly because of what is seen on television, but mindfulness is something more.

It is a practice where one has control over their thoughts.

The usual phrase that one hears is to inhale deeply and exhale, lowering our heart rate, entering a state of stability and passivity where external forces do not control us.

It aims to prepare us against the thoughts that come so they don’t become our worries and we can focus on the present, fighting anxiety that consists in the worry of hypothetical situations of a future we can’t control.

So, what stops us from practicing it?

One thing that hinders us is our impatience, which tends to be the worst enemy. We never have time for anything and the thought that we have time to "do nothing" makes us anxious (curious fact, most of these people assign at least one or two hours to watch television series that do not contribute to our life).

The second problem consists of not being able to see exactly its benefits at an early stage, making meditation not a frequent habit. Many say that they begin to meditate, they do it one or two days and then they forget for months. The inconsistency stops its development, failing to measure the increase in focus and calm in a clear way makes people not value the practice.

Third, people still have the television image where meditating refers to sitting for hours without thinking about anything, when in reality one can practice mindfulness in an instant, freeing the mind from thought and anxiety, but this requires practice.

You have to go against myths in order to practice mindfulness.

The association of not thinking about anything is constant, when in reality it consists of having control. They call it peace and tranquility, when in reality it is to have a dominion over the mind. They think that it is not feeling anything, when what matters is to live the moment feeling what happens to us but knowing that each thing is a passing moment and living in fullness can create a better future.

We can’t limit this practice because it can empower our every day, and starting our morning with a brief meditation can change our perspective of our day, taking a focus on the things that matter to us and what want to achieve.

M + EI = P

If we create the habit of mindfulness and develop our Emotional Intelligence, we will be able to live our life with plenitude. Having peace of mind living each emotion that happen to us in an assertive way will help us not to live in the past, thinking about the things we missed to achieve, nor with anxiety, worrying about a future that could happen because of things we actually have done.

Stress, anxiety and depression are often generated by the ghosts of our past that hunts in our mind. Giving us the opportunity to empty it, understand why we are feeling as we do when new thoughts come, can help us enjoy our day and generate strong bonds with the people around us.

Its benefits are enormous, but if I can leave you with one last impression it would be that a habitual practice will allow you to fully focus on the tasks you face, allowing you to enter a state of fluidity, guaranteeing greater success and motivation, contributing a positive impact in your environment

Giving mindfulness a try will help you get freedom and progress. Currently there are many APPs that can help you with tracking and guiding your activities to achieve your first stage of adaptation. And you? Have you given the opportunity to mindfulness for more than a week?