Getting Started With Mindfulness for Beginners
There could be different things that come to mind when thinking about what mindfulness is and means. The truth is that mindfulness is going to look different for many people. There is not one size fits all when it comes to incorporating mindfulness into everyday life. This article will discuss more in depth about the definition of mindfulness and different ways to incorporate it into small intentional efforts. This article will aim to reduce daunting feelings when it comes to utilizing mindfulness in your everyday life schedule. If you like what you read today, please reach out to us at Inward Counseling to get you started with your own therapy. This article is not a replacement for individual therapy or counseling. Our therapists may incorporate mindfulness practices in sessions with clients.
1.) Mindfulness in the little things
Mindfulness can be as simple as appreciating a good meal. Taking the time to identify the taste of food, texture of it, and aroma. All of these things create an experience for a person that is focused on the present moment. Essentially mindfulness is being aware of the here and now. If you are taking the time to pay attention to the joyful moments in life you are practicing mindfulness. The next time that you are enjoying something, now you might be more mindful about why and how you are enjoying it.
2.) Mindfulness is paying attention and responding
Mindfulness also involves paying attention to your reaction to experiences. What are you noticing in your body in reaction to an experience? What does your body need as a response to your experience? Guided mindfulness exercises provided in counseling can help you to ground yourself and identify these things. When we get into states of anxiety it is hard to pay attention to what is going on in your body or you may feel overwhelmed with what is going on in your body. Mindfulness helps to slow down, practice patience, and regulate the nervous system. Intentional mindfulness exercises that your therapist might use can include progressive muscle relaxation. This exercise works to focus on different parts of the body and makes intentional efforts to relax muscles in the body that have tension.
3.) Getting started and continuing mindfulness practice:
Getting started with mindfulness practices that work is more simple in some respects then keeping up with it. When you find a mindfulness practice that works for you, it is important to take intentional small steps to ensure that it is being maintained in everyday life. Marking in a planner and scheduling out time during the day for mindfulness breaks is one example of how to integrate this. Another example might look as simple as eating a meal by yourself and giving yourself some quiet time during the day. Once you are able to find your rhythm, maintain that so continue to get benefits out of practicing it.
4.) Specific Practices:
Understanding that mindfulness is more than just specific interventions might be comforting to some but frustrating as well. Here are some brief examples of how to use mindfulness practices:
Intentional breathing: A type of breath work that could be helpful in integrating mindfulness includes breathing in for 4 seconds, holding 4 seconds, and exhaling for 6 seconds. Exhaling out for a longer time releases tension in the body.
Work with a therapist on progressive muscle relaxation mindfulness. This practice would be focusing on different muscles in the body to attend to and release tension in. You might be surprised how much tension you are holding in your body.
Work on making intentional efforts to be with yourself in journaling. Journaling is a way to practice mindfulness because you are putting attention on how you are feeling within the here and now.
As you can see, there are many different ways to integrate mindfulness. I hope that this was helpful to you today and consider reaching out to us to schedule an appointment to get started with therapy.