Focus On This Moment. Right Here. Right Now.

Mindfulness: we hear that word a lot and we see social media posts about it constantly. What is mindfulness? The American Psychological Association defines mindfulness as the “awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings”. That seems incredibly broad, so let me specify it for you: mindfulness is your ability to be present with yourself in any given moment. It is your ability to focus on the here and now, rather than on the past or the future. Practicing mindfulness or being mindful allows you to slow down, to be with your thoughts and your emotions, and to process those thoughts and emotions in a compassionate and non-judgmental way. Mindfulness is a practice in which you get to call the shots and reclaim space for yourself. It is also a practice in which you can practice acceptance; notice what you are feeling and how you came to feel this way, accept it, and allow those feelings and emotions to pass rather than get yourself wrapped up in them. Allowing yourself grace is such a gift, and being mindful or practicing mindfulness can help with that.

Now, why am I even bothering to write about this? As I previously mentioned, talk of mindfulness is everywhere so we know all about it right? Not often enough do we see or hear about benefits of mindfulness practices outside of “creating a sense of calm”, and as much as I love that phrase and as true as it is, there are many other benefits of practicing mindfulness that tend to get either overlooked or forgotten altogether. Mayo Clinic lists multiple physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness practices, some of which include: reducing stress, anxiety, and depression; improving sleep & immune health; and improving attention. Engaging in mindfulness practices also allows us to tune into our senses & slow down, decrease mental background noise, increase self-awareness, and improve cognitive functioning, which includes memory, focus, processing speed, and the ability to manage our emotions. With regular practice of mindfulness exercises, we can learn to be more at peace with our choices and learn to sit with, understand, and move forward from difficult situations or feelings that we experience. Mindfulness provides us a time to reflect and increase self-awareness.

There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. One of the most simple ways to be mindful is to simply pay attention. In our very fast-paced world where we get sucked into social media and texting conversations, we tend to overlook aspects of life that may be important or beautiful. When we take time to pay attention to our surroundings and how our mind and body feel in those moments, we are practicing being mindful…remember, mindfulness is about this moment right here, right now. Next time stop scrolling through Instagram or TikTok and pay attention to your surroundings: what do you hear, see, smell? Be mindful and intentional. Another common mindfulness practice is yoga. Yoga combines bringing awareness to one’s body, mind, and soul in a practice to help ground you into a state of calm & self-awareness. Yoga can be done anywhere at any time and does not require extensive, previous knowledge of poses. Something like a mountain pose, where you stand with your feet rooted into the ground and you stand tall through your legs and open your chest with your arms at your sides, palms facing forward, can be a very helpful way to decrease stress and allow yourself to feel vulnerable in a given moment; experience and accept that feeling, and let it pass without judgment.

There are so many more mindfulness practices available to you, but I would like to share two that can be added to your coping skill toolbox. The first are grounding techniques, which are healthy forms of distraction that allow you to focus on how your body feels, rather than hyper-fixating on anxious thoughts. Some simpler grounding exercises include listening to your surroundings such as hearing nature sounds or listening to music, holding or touching something like a stress ball or putting your hands under cold water, breathing deeply to feel the rise and fall of your abdomen as you inhale and exhale. These strategies engage one of more of your five senses to help you focus on the moment rather than the anxiety provoking situation or thought. Another common, but slightly more challenging, grounding technique is the 5 senses technique, also known as the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. For this, you will follow the following steps:

Focus your attention on 5 things you hear, 4 things you see, 3 things you can touch from where you’re sitting, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

Try to focus on things you normally would not focus on, like the hum of the refrigerator or the color of the throw pillows on the couch. The second mindfulness technique that I believe is important to have in your coping skill arsenal is called guided meditation. A guided meditation is a mindfulness practice led by an instructor and incorporates sound and visualization to help you connect with your mind and body. This type of practice helps facilitate compassion and self-love. Guided meditations typically encourage you to focus on your breathing, sensations in your body, or your ability to identify and process emotions. One of my favorite scripts to use is called ‘boat on a river’. Below you will find the script for this practice. You can read it to yourself or have someone read it aloud so you can focus on the words, the images that come to your mind, and the feelings or moods that come up for you while you are engaging in the practice.

Find a comfortable seated position with your eyes closed. I’d like you to imagine you are standing at the edge of a river. You can feel the rocks or sand under your feet, the warmth of the sun on your skin, you can hear the leaves on the trees blowing in the breeze, and the water moving calmly in front of you. As you look down the river, you notice a boat floating towards you. As the boat comes closer, you notice that it’s empty. The boat stops in front of you… at this time, I’d like you to place your worries, fears, anger, sadness, and frustrations into the boat. As the boat starts to float away, is there anything you are still holding onto that you wish you had placed in the boat? Is there anything you placed in the boat that you wish you could take back? As you watch the boat float out of sight, I’d like you to come back to the edge of the river; notice your surroundings, notice how you’re feeling both physically and emotionally. I’d now like you to take this moment to reflect on the people in your life, the events that have led you to this moment, the happiness that fills your heart. Take a moment to express gratitude to one or two people or things in your life that bring you joy. Recognize that feelings come and go, and we have the chance to let them float away when they no longer serve us. When you are comfortable and ready, you may open your eyes.

This practice cultivates a sense of self-compassion. Far too often are we bogged down by stressful situations that lead to intense emotions or reactions to stimuli. By engaging in guided meditation practices, you can allow yourself to let some of those feelings float away and not have them weigh you down.

My hope is that now you have some additional coping and calming techniques that you can add to your ever-growing toolbox of skills to utilize when you need them. Remember: mindfulness is a practice, no one is perfect at it, and you can learn a lot about yourself and how you respond to certain situations when you sit with your feelings and explore them a little deeper.