At one point or another, we all encounter difficult situations throughout our lifetime. The experiences we go through all seem to come together and can truly affect our overall wellbeing. So, when we are placed back into a similar environment or situation, what can we do about it? Perhaps this is where we discuss mindfulness.

What is mindfulness?

How do you be mindful?

Mindfulness is the awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations as they occur. This is an exercise that does not require any kind of equipment. All that is needed is your full participation and an open mind to take in the reality of what is happening right before your eyes.

Mindfulness has been proven to have a positive impact on individuals in several ways, such as:

¯Decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms

¯Improves memory, focus, and mental processing speed

¯Improved ability of adapting to stressful situations and managing emotions

¯Reduces rumination (repetition of going over the same thought or problem)

There are several different ways to conduct mindfulness. First, you can engage in mindfulness meditation. Find a comfortable place to sit where you feel relaxed. Make sure you are in a quiet and safe space. Close your eyes and begin to breathe in and breathe out, slowly but deeply. Once you are aware of your breathing, your focus will then begin to shift towards your thoughts. Pay attention to those thoughts while you maintain your steady breathing pattern. You will then focus on your breathing once more to complete the exercise. This can take a total of 5 to 10 minutes out of your day.

Mindfulness walks are beneficial to busy individuals who want to make mindfulness a priority. This can be done walking from your vehicle into work in the morning, on your lunch break, or even right before your child’s basketball game. When you begin to walk, notice the rhythm of your feet. Can you hear the sound of your feet walking through the snow? Or maybe you can hear the way your shoes click onto the sidewalk. What about smell? Do you smell the fresh cut grass or perhaps your favorite breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen? Let’s talk about what you are able to touch. Are you holding onto your cell phone or maybe your fresh morning coffee from Tim Horton’s? Focus on the physical element for a moment. Next, what do you taste? Is it your coffee? Or perhaps the mint from your toothpaste? Now, we move onto sight. What do you see while on your walk? Maybe a puppy being walked by its owner or children playing happily across the street. Overall, this exercise incorporates a grounding method by using the five senses.

Body scans are a great way to begin the mindfulness process, as you can do them while you are watching your favorite television show or even in your cubicle at work. You pay close attention to your physical sensations when you perform a body scan and spend approximately 15 seconds to 1 minute on each body part. To begin, start concentrating on the feeling in your toes. Slowly move up your body, as your feet would be next, followed by the feeling in your ankles. You may feel a slight sensation throughout those body parts, which is great. Keep moving up your body, as now you should be working towards your shins, calves, knees, thighs. Continue this same process through your hips, lower back/abdominal muscles.

If your hands are at your sides, then begin to include your fingertips here, going up your wrists, forearms, biceps, and shoulders while the same process is going on through your stomach, into the chest and heart. Feel the sensation go up your neck and into your head. You are finished.

Overall, mindfulness can be a great aspect to contribute to your everyday life. The process does not take a long time to complete and you have the ability to conduct it anywhere you go. When you commit to mindfulness exercises, you are reconnecting with your inner self. Over time, the exercises become effortless and relieve the stress going on in your life.