Get Ahold of Yourself
Today Five Things Friday explores five types of mindfulness to help cultivate greater presence and clarity within.
When the world feels like an up-side-down, complicated, chaotic mess mindfulness can keep you grounded, calm and steady through even the worst of it. When you slow down and notice what is happening “in the moment,” you can observe what is happening within and around you without feeling overwhelmed or casting judgement on yourself.
There are so many benefits of incorporating mindfulness practices into your daily life. In addition to maintaining a sense of calm, it can improve your relationships, help you manage stress, improve your physical health, lead to greater self-awareness, improve ability to focus and can even promote empathy and compassion.
Mindfulness manifests in various forms. Here are five simple types of mindfulness to help you cultivate awareness of your present moment.
body scan mindfulness involves directing attention to different parts of the body, noticing sensations without judgment. I prefer to lay on my back on the ground for this one. I like to start by focussing on my forehead and systemically working my way down to my toes, focussing on one body part at a time. You can start anywhere you like and work your thoughts across the map of your body. Notice what each part of your body is feeling- acknowledge any places of pain, tension or stress. Take a few deep breaths and imagine the pain or stress decreasing a little with each exhalation. This practice enhances body awareness and can help ground you in the physical realm.
Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash breath awareness mindfulness focuses on the natural rhythm of inhalation and exhalation. Gently returning your attention to your breath when your mind wanders can cultivate concentration and a sense of calm. Sit or lay down and feel every breath without trying to manipulate your breathing pattern. If your mind wanders, center it back on your breathing. Notice if you are breathing fast or slow, deep or shallow. Paying attention to your breathing can help you be more present and aware.
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash Sensory mindfulness expands awareness to include the five senses, encouraging observation of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile experiences with openness and curiosity. This can deepen appreciation for the richness of daily life, and invite a mindset of gratitude. There is so much beauty in our ordinary everyday surroundings to be experienced, and too often we simply aren’t paying attention to realize it.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash thought mindfulness encourages observing thoughts as mental events, detached from emotional reactions. Give yourself space and silence. Pay attention to the thoughts that surface. Don’t judge yourself for your thoughts and don’t try to suppress your thoughts. Allow yourself to sit with them and examine them. Be curious about where they came from while knowing that who you are is not the sum of your thoughts. This allows you to have compassion on yourself and to recognize thought patterns and develop a less reactive relationship with your internal narrative. Thought mindfulness can lead you to a healthier perspective.
Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash emotional mindfulness involves acknowledging and accepting the presence of emotions without suppressing them or clinging to them or judging yourself because of them. Find a quiet place where your body feels comfortable and supported. Pay attention to the emotions that rise up in you and accept that they will come and go. Do not judge yourself for your emotions. Just notice them. Then move one. This can help cultivate emotional regulation and can foster a compassionate understanding of one's internal landscape.
Photo by Jesse Bowser on Unsplash Mindfulness can help us navigate the complexities of the human experience with greater presence and clarity. We’re living in a time of so many loud voices viciously shouting their competing opinions at each other, a time of widespread disinformation, a time when once-dependable rugs are being pulled out from under us, a time when there are so many uncertainties about our future. All of this has a tendency to ignite and elevate anxieties, unleashing chaos within.
When we live as unregulated, unhinged people allowing our unregulated unhinged world to yank us around on it’s barbed chain, our anxieties become elevated and our emotional states swing back and forth in nauseating fluctuations. Ironically, our own state of being can end up contributing to the broad chaos of the times we’re in by submitting to and participating in that chaos if we don’t live mindfully.
Stepping outside of the disordered knot of pandemonium and into a state of mindfulness and regulation on a regular basis has perhaps never been more important.
We will be no good for the world if we internally mirror its madness. The world is always going to be fluctuating in and out of chaos, and this is largely out of our control. Sometimes one of the best things we can do to help right side the world is to get ahold of ourselves, to live more mindfully and meaningfully in the midst of it all.
Photo by Levi XU on Unsplash
