In more detail, mindfulness is about:
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Being present and paying attention to our surroundings - enabling greater focus and productivity.
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Detaching from past and future thoughts - reducing obsessive worrying and overthinking, which can cause anxiety and depression.
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Observing our senses, thoughts, and emotions without judgment – helping us cultivate peace, acceptance and clarity.
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Developing self-awareness – being more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and emotions and the things that trigger them.
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Choosing our response to situations – helping us to make better choices.
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Becoming more thoughtful, compassionate, and empathetic – to ourselves and those around us.
Mindfulness is innate – we were born with the ability to practice it. If leading a high-paced life on autopilot has made you less mindful, the good news is you can still cultivate it.
Living mindfully means living deliberately, paying attention to what is happening around you and inside you at any given moment. It’s essential to be aware of our thoughts and actions, and bringing non-judgmental awareness to them is vital, no matter what they may be like.
One way to practise mindfulness is through meditation, but there are many other ways, like going for a walk with your full attention on your surroundings or taking the time to eat slowly and methodically.
Developing the ability to live more mindfully can help you:
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Replace unconscious and rushed habits or reactions with more conscious and thoughtful responses and reactions.
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Relax physically as you become more aware of your body and what it’s trying to tell you.
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Reduce stress and anxiety as you stop worrying about the future and reliving the past.
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Promote peaceful and harmonious relationships as you develop empathy and compassion.
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Increase productivity and performance at work and home as you learn to focus on what matters.
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Enhance focus and concentration as you clear the mind chatter.
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Cultivate self-confidence and resilience as you begin to understand your emotions.
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Identify unhealthy thinking patterns and replace them with more positive ones.
Each day we have countless opportunities to practise mindfulness.