Stress and anxiety affect our health and wellbeing in so many ways, both mentally and physically. Stress management is more important than ever as our world continues to experience turmoil in various forms. One of the ways we can reduce stress and anxiety is through practicing mindfulness.
What Is Mindfulness?
Simply put, mindfulness is about paying attention and living in the moment. It’s taking the time to stop and smell the roses. Mindfulness can mean different things to each person. In fact, you don’t have to do anything specific or do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. The purpose of practicing mindfulness is to cut out all of the noise and distractions in the world around us and focus on something else instead.
In the Bible, Philippians 4:6-8 tells us how to do this! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
Mindfulness doesn’t mean that you bury your head in the sand and ignore your problems. That won’t make the stress and anxiety go away, and prolonging it can make it worse. It might look like turning off the news and social media when you feel anxious and choosing to pray, meditate, or think of the blessings in your life.
Mindfulness Is Easy
Practicing mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to do any specific meditation techniques if you don’t want to. You can start by doing something easy and simple. Mindful eating is a good example. Rather than snacking on an entire bag of potato chips while you watch tv or scroll on your social media, try this instead. Get out a plate or a bowl and arrange your food on it. If you are eating pizza, arrange a slice or two on your plate and add a side salad. Sit down at the table and put your phone away. Use a knife and fork if you want to. Focus on the food itself. What does it look like? Does it smell good? How does it taste? Savor each bite and pay attention to how your body reacts to the food. This is a great way to unwind, but you will also get more out of your meal. It will also help you to avoid overindulgence.
Mindfulness For Anxiety
A popular technique for anxiety is a grounding technique. An example of this is the 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique for anxiety. It works like this:
- Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. Look around you and count five things you see and focus on them for a moment. Then move on to the next step.
- Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. Touch your hair, a pillow, a pet, feel the grass under your feet. Feel the sensations and focus on those for a moment, then move on to the next step.
- Acknowledge THREE things you hear. Focus on the things you can hear outside of your body, not the racing thoughts in your mind. You might hear a clock ticking, your refrigerator humming, your cat snoring. You can even listen to your breathing or your stomach growling if you are hungry! Then move to the next step.
- Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. If you are in a room that doesn’t have anything pleasant to smell, you could walk to another room and smell something comforting. An example would be your clean sheets on your bed, the lotion or soap in your bathroom that smells so good. Then you are ready for the last step.
- Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste. You don’t necessarily have to eat something. Maybe you just had coffee or a mint or brushed your teeth. Can you taste anything?
This exercise aims to take your focus off of the anxious thoughts you are having and help you focus on all of the things around you. It’s another version of practicing mindfulness.
The Benefits To Practicing Mindfulness
There are many benefits to practicing mindfulness. The most obvious benefit is that it can help reduce stress. One of the reasons we experience stress is that we are always in a hurry and are often pulled into too many directions. For instance, we are often overwhelmed by too much information and demands on our time. Practicing mindfulness allows you to tune out the noise and give your overwhelmed mind a break.
Practicing mindfulness can also improve your memory and your ability to focus. You may experience better moods and less depression. Mindfulness can stop ruminating thoughts in their tracks. Since ruminating is often associated with unhappiness and negative thoughts, practicing mindfulness can help you focus on much more pleasant thoughts.
Do you want to improve relationships with your loved ones? Try practicing mindfulness! It teaches you to appreciate and focus on the good in people. With your improved mood and ability to chase away your anxious thoughts, you can be more present when with your loved ones. They will notice it, too!
You Can Practice Mindfulness Anywhere, Anytime
In conclusion, the hardest part is to remember to practice mindfulness consistently. Create one or two habits that you can do daily. For example, start your day by really focusing on your morning cup of coffee. Savoring the sounds of nature as you walk your dog outside is another way to practice mindfulness. There are many simple ways you can practice mindfulness throughout your day. Have fun exploring those different options, and watch how much it can free your mind!