Mindfulness is something you may have seen in the devotional section of bookstores, as part of a yoga DVD, or in various health and wellbeing stores. You may already know that there are different aspects of mindfulness, including meditation. What you may not know are the benefits of mindfulness in your life. Before you think there is too much involved and not enough reward for that involvement, consider these three benefits of mindfulness in your life.
Reducing Anxiety and Stress
There are several techniques in mindfulness that can help with anxiety and the reduction of stress. Breathing techniques, meditation, and mind mapping are just three of these methods. The key point to remember with each of these methods is that they benefit you by helping you refocus and reduce the triggers in your life. They help you sort out the issues that you would normally stress out over and eventually have anxiety over. Mindfulness also helps you cope with future issues to avoid an immediate reaction and increase your anxiety regarding the situation.
Body Acceptance
Body acceptance is something you may not think of when you think of mindfulness. The truth is, body acceptance can play a great deal in your stress and anxiety and how you view the world around you. Over the course of using meditation and other techniques, you may find what is triggering your body related issues. This can include your weight loss obstacles and unhealthy options that you are moving towards during triggered issues that cause stress. Once you begin working with mindfulness techniques you will start to see a better appreciation for yourself, your body journey, and where you are in the moment.
Life Acceptance
Sometimes we just aren’t happy with our lives. We aren’t happy with different aspects that we feel we can’t change and must simply deal with. This can lead to depression and other issues including body issues. Mindfulness can help you find gratitude for various things in your life, find issues and people in your life that are toxic, and find ways to keep what works and get rid of what doesn’t with grace and acceptance. This can lead us to life acceptance and accepting the events that happen for what they are at that moment.
These benefits are just a starting point for mindfulness in your life. There are other benefits that will start to reveal themselves to you as you become deeper and more involved in the process.
Try this amazing exercise to develop your awareness and start to slow down.
- Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position. Breathe through your nose, and notice how the air is slightly cooler going in and slightly warmer going out.
- Place one hand over our heart and one hand over your belly. Feel your heart beating. Thank your heart for being there for you all day every day, pumping your blood, and keeping you alive.
- Feel your belly, noticing the rise on the inhale and the fall on the exhale.
- Thank your belly for digesting all the food you eat.
- Sit silently with your eyes closed, and allow yourself to be with yourself.
- When you feel ready, take a deep inhale and exhale, open your eyes, rise, and move back into your day.
