Mindfulness; being present, not perfect

During COVID I have a never ending sense of restlessness, as I am sure many experienced. I felt like there was nothing to do, no one to talk to, and my anxiety felt never-ending. I felt like my family and friends were finding peace through a variety of outlets; religion, media, creation. It felt like I had tried everything and nothing was helping. One day I got up and went through all of my books. While doing this, I found a particular book “Good Morning, I Love You” by Shauna Shapiro. I fondly remembered how my grandmother, who was always very spiritual, told me I was “too stressed all the time” and gave me this book for Christmas. I knew the book was about mindfulness but didn't know much about it. I felt a little silly and decided that I may as well give it a try - It ended up changing a lot of my life. 

When people think of mindfulness, they typically think of meditation every morning and every night, they think of discipline. This is what I thought mindfulness was and why it wouldn't work for me. I have never been great with routine. However, as I turned the pages of this book, I discovered that mindfulness wasn't what I had thought it was at all. Mindfulness is about being aware of your thoughts, appreciating positive moments, and responding to challenges more intentionally. It's about the NOW. While this seemed much more realistic for me, I had sudden anxiety. How was I expected to be calm all the time? How would I be able to keep my mind clear? Luckily, I was completely off base with that too. My book taught me that having anxious thoughts or not feeling calm was ok. It wasn't necessarily about stopping those thoughts, it was about being aware of them, and looking at them thoughtfully so I can be more intentional with my actions. When we center intention, we become less consumed by what is going on around us and more present with our authentic selves.

After this I realized that I could actually try this out. I started with meditation in my free time, or just finding seconds of silence. Anytime I felt that restless feeling, I tried my best to stop for a second, sit down, and be present with my thoughts. When I meditated I didn't stop my thoughts from coming in. I created a relationship with my mind that prioritized understanding and compassion rather than fear and control. I looked at them as though I was standing inside my brain, watching them pass by, as my feelings of anxiety slowly went away. At first I was awful at it. I struggle to sit still, to not furrow my browns harshly in thoughts, but eventually as I practiced it became easier. With COVID, I had the gift of a lot of free time. This allowed me the space to develop and prioritize a routine and a practice. With this, it then became part of my everyday life. I still struggle with routine, and I am by no means meditating every morning and night, but meditation will never look the same for everyone. The point is to take a step back from a moment or feeling, look at it, understand it, and move forward calmly. 

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So I invite you to practice a little mindfulness with me. It will only take a few short minutes. 

Lie down or sit down comfortably

Slowly move your mental attention down through your body

Start at the very top of your head 

And as slow as you possibly can, feel the sensation of your body from head to toe 

Notice you breathing as you pass through you chest 

Your knees 

Shins 

Through you feet and all the way to the top of your toes

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This practice is the very first taste of mindfulness that I had, and may also be yours. A lot of mindfulness can feel uncomfortable or silly at first. In fact you might even be thinking “this whole thing is a load of crap and won’t actually help me” (which is exactly what I felt). However, after thousands of years of practice laced through the generations of humanity, meditation is scientifically proven to have psychological benefits. According to the American Psychological Association and UMass Memorial Health, intentional meditation and mindfulness are proven to reduce anxiety and improve cognitive, immune, cardio-vascular functioning. Meditation is so beneficial, we have created a branch of psychology based upon meditative concepts. Positive psychology, a branch which centers itself on concepts such as mindfulness, strengths-based interventions, and gratitude, works to improve well-being by improving coping mechanisms. This is incredibly helpful for individuals experiencing anxiety or difficulty in functioning in day-to-day life. 

If you want to learn more about mindfulness and how to practice it, here are some tools to look into: 

• “Good Morning, I Love You” by Shauna Shapiro

• The American Psychological Association has great resources around mindfulness. Here’s a great place to start: https://www.apa.org/search?osQuery=mindfulness 

• Here’s a guided mindfulness meditation practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDkmiAT32k8 

• Mindful is a great website with more information on mindfulness: https://www.mindful.org/category/meditation-practices/ 

I hope that after reading this, you consider mindfulness in your day-to-day life. Being in the present moment and practicing a state of peace can make a real difference in everyday life. With that it’s also important to know that Mindfulness is a practice, not something a person needs to master! So go on in the world and be mindful!