We hear all the time that working on our mindfulness is beneficial for our overall mental health, but what does that actually mean? Let’s dissect the word Mindfulness for starters…
Mind: the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
Fulness: the state of being filled to capacity.
Based off of this, you can assume Mindfulness means to be completely filled by the awareness and feelings of your experiences.
With our daily lives being constantly filled with decisions, information overload (thanks to the internet), other people’s opinions, work, hobbies, etc., it’s hard to get in a state of mind to fully indulge in the present moment. Trust me, I get it. Life with a baby has proven to be quite the challenge when it comes to re-centering myself. Until the day I started to see the world the way my 7 month old does.
My daughter is a bit of an Earthy soul. Whenever she is upset, going for a walk, or sitting in the grass, always seems to cheer her up. Usually when we go sit in the grass, she’s sitting in my lap, so I can’t really see what’s taking place on her face. The other day when she was upset, we went and sat in the front yard to brighten her mood. She can sit up by herself now, so this time I decided to sit across from her. I watched as she picked up a single blade of grass and started to examine it. She’d hold it up and move it from side to side as though she was noticing the way the suns rays would reflect differently depending on the angle. Then she put it between her fingers admiring its velvety softness. As I watched, I couldn’t help but become focused on her amazement of something as simple as a blade of grass. We sat as her admiration flowed from grass, to a fallen leaf, to the breeze blowing through the tree’s. Before I knew it, an hour had passed. an hour of barely any words being spoken, an hour of no social media scrolling, an hour of not checking emails or responding to texts, an hour of pure joy and being completely engulfed in the moment. To this day, that is one of my favorite moments of my life. When we went back inside, I felt so good and at peace. It’s no wonder that mindfulness is related to reducing stress!
You see, what my daughter was doing naturally is something that most of us take for granted. Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment.
It’s easy to see why mindfulness is being associated with reduced stress and improved happiness, and why it is one of the key factors in our Wellness Program, 8 Weeks to Wellness.
Mindful Seeing is actually a mindfulness technique. Here’s how it goes…
Step 1: find a space outdoors or at a window where there are sights to be seen.
Step 2: look at everything there is to see. Avoid labeling and categorizing what you see outside the window; instead of thinking “bird” or “stop sign,” try to notice the colors, the patterns, or the textures;
Step 3: pay attention to the movement of the grass or leaves in the breeze. Notice the many different shapes present in this small segment of the world you can see. Try to see the world outside the window from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with these sights; such as a baby.
Step 4: be observant, but not critical. Be aware, but not fixated;
Step 5: if you become distracted, gently pull your mind away from those thoughts and notice a color or shape again to put you back in the right frame of mind.
Do this exercise for 5-10 minutes each day. Take note on how your levels of gratitude and happiness increase, while your stress levels decrease.
Here’s a fun game we like to play to help teach our family about mindfulness, The Mindfulness Game
Written By: Portia Davenport, Certified Wellness Coach