How often do you on the mental autopilot? Most of the time people are doing what’s called “mind wandering.” They are not present in the current situation or the task at hand; they are looking into their own thoughts. This means that people’s attention is absorbed in their wandering minds and they are not really present in their own lives.
An average person can be in autopilot state 47% of the time; research shows that. The more our minds wander, the less happy we are. One way to help manage this mind-wandering state is by practising mindfulness into our lives.
You must have listened about “mindfulness” from your friends, on Facebook, or while Googling about the stress, depression, yoga, and meditation. It has become a real buzzword. The faster we begin to realize that investing in our health means taking care of our mental health too, the quicker we can get control over our lives and clear our minds.
So what is mindfulness?
Do you know what mindfulness actually is? It is a form of meditation. It’s about concentrating on the present moment rather than letting it drift into the worries of past and future. Mindfulness allows you to view the situation from a distance without letting the hard emotions clouding your view.
So how exactly does mindfulness help? Let’s look at the top reasons to practice mindfulness in your life, how it can benefit your mental health.
Mindfulness helps with depression
Depression can be dangerous, and may even lead to substance addictions in some cases. When oeople use different drugs to fight depression, there may be a of becoming a drug addict. Eventually in really extreme cases, they may even have to go to drug detox centre to get help with drug addiction. But do you know that mindfulness can be helpful in treating depression or anxiety? It is more effective and long-lasting than expensive drugs, without any side effects. Mindfulness therapy allows you to concentrate on the present moment; it encourages nonjudgmental thinking. A study from Behaviour Research and Therapy found that mindfulness therapy can help in treating individuals suffering from depression successfully.
It can change your brain and improve your health
Take out few minutes each day from your busy schedule and do mindfulness mediation. It can reduce stress, depression, and other mental illness. Stress quickens your breathing and heart rate and increases your blood pressure. Mindfulness helps you to minimize its effects on your body.
It links with spirituality
Growing a spiritual awareness is beneficial for our psychological well-being. Spirituality is the search for truth, and practicing mindfulness is what enables us to access the truth fleetingly.
It manages your anger
Anger is a normal emotion. Everyone feels angry from time to time. But some people find hard to manage their anger. Mindfulness can help them manage these feelings.
It enhances your confidence and self-esteem
Many people have negative thoughts about themselves hovering in their minds. Like ‘I’m stupid!’ , ‘I’m not good enough!’, etc. Mindfulness helps you question these thoughts whether ‘Is it right?’, or ‘Is it helpful?’. When you are mindful of your feelings and thoughts, you can start to trust yourself and start valuing how amazing you are! Always remember that we are all perfectly imperfect.
It increases your memory
Memory loss or feeling difficulty in focusing is the biggest side effect of mental illness. Practising mindfulness can be helpful in improving a person’s memory so they could quickly focus on the things.
Have you tried practising mindfulness and experienced any of the above benefits? Or perhaps you are thinking about practising mindfulness and would like to get started? If so do have a read of this beginner’s guide to mindfulness. You may also find this post on Sophrology interesting too.