Mindfulness

What is mindfulness and why does it feel SOOOO difficult to practice??

At its core, mindfulness is simply paying attention, on purpose, without judgement. There are many nuances, techniques, strategies, and so forth that can be used for this, but there’s a tendency to unnecessarily overcomplicate it (as we humans tend to do with many things!) when it really has the potential to be quite simple and effective.

Mindfulness does not need to look like sitting cross legged on the floor in a meditation pose for minutes or hours (what?!?) while trying to clear your mind of all thoughts (again, what?!?). Anything we can do, we can learn to do mindfully or with a nonjudgemental presence in the moment.

But why though? Well, let’s look at this. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to be effective at increasing awareness of thoughts and emotions, improving emotional regulation, staying focused on the here and now, relieving stress, improving sleep, and sooooo many more benefits.

Should we practice mindfulness all the time?? No! In fact, for some people it can be especially important to be very intentional about when and how often you practice mindfulness. As with most everything in life, moderation is key and too much of a good thing can become more harmful than helpful. In other words, it isn’t helpful for us to be acutely aware or present all of the time. We need to disconnect sometimes, to avoid, to escape, to not be present in the moment- and that’s okay too.

If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness and how you might be able to incorporate it into your life, let’s talk!