Mindfulness is a process that results in a mental condition that is characterized by nonjudgmental awareness of the experiences one is facing and can include thoughts, sensations, bodily states, as well as the environment. Mindfulness allows a person to distance themselves from their feelings and thoughts without viewing them as either good or bad. This article examines how mindfulness plays a crucial role in reducing anxiety.
How Mindfulness Work
Mindfulness helps in counteracting rumination and worrying by centering your attention on the present. Worrying about the future and pondering about the past are considered maladaptive thinking processes. While it’s essential to learn from the past to plan for the future, thinking about the present makes it possible for you to avoid anxiety and depression. In these instances, mindfulness becomes instrumental in allowing you to focus on the moment and avoid spending a lot of time outside the present. Professionals from any anxiety treatment center will guide you on how mindfulness works and how best to leverage this approach in reducing depression and anxiety.
Research has demonstrated that mindfulness is essential in helping a person to react to stress with awareness of what is happening around them at the present moment. By being aware of their mental and physical state, it becomes possible for one to effectively react to difficult situations.
Mindfulness Practices
When you focus on the present experiences, then the activities that one partakes in become mindful. For instance, you can gobble down your food mindlessly or you can partake in mindful eating by taking the time to look, smell, and experience the different flavored ingredients used in preparing it. Unsurprisingly, eating mindfully is often satisfying and enjoyable compared to eating mindlessly. Furthermore, you’ll also discover that eating mindfully will program your mind to consume less food.
Extensively, various practices incorporate mindfulness training like zen, yoga, and tai chi. Because all these activities utilize different styles, you’ll need to choose one that best suits your needs. After some periods of practizing mindfulness, you’ll notice that you are less depressed and that you are happier than before.
Focusing on Breath
Another way to be mindful is to focus on your breath for some minutes. Feel the movement of your chest as you breathe deeply and feel that sensation of the air as it enters and leaves your nose. After your mind has wandered a bit, you can shift your attention to the breath once more.
Once these activities do not produce the desired outcome, you need to remember that the benefits of mindfulness require consistent practice. While some activities can help relieve stress and anxiety after a single session, some of the benefits associated with mindfulness activities can be realized after weeks or even months. And like any other skill, you’ll need to keep practicing mindfulness once you begin experiencing its benefits.
Final Word
There are different ways to practice mindfulness. While the benefits of some mindfulness activities can be immediate, there are instances when it could take some time to realize these benefits. In such cases, you’ll require patience and consistency in your quest to reduce anxiety and depression.