What Happened When I Made Mindfulness a Priority
Becoming mindful is learning self-regulation of attention and accepting the present moment without judgement.
Sometimes, just BEING, is exactly what you need to do and should be doing. With time and a conscious effort, I stopped multitasking, I changed how I write my to-do list which changed expectations of my day and being present and fully in the moment became a priority.
The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkley defines mindfulness as “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment.”
Research says, mindfulness can boost the immune system, increase positive emotions, fosters compassion, reduces aggression and behavior problems in schools, and can reduce the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, says, “we can change our relationship with our emotions and with the actuality of things in ways that are healing.”
By making just a few changes and reframing my intentions from doing to simply being.
What happened when I made mindfulness a priority?
I felt more relaxed more often. There was less pressure in the present moment.
Always being on the go and doing is physically and mentally exhausting. The more present I became and mindful with what I was doing, the more energy I had.
I became more connected with the people around me and strengthen relationships.
MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE A PART OF MULTITASKING.
I accomplished more and was more effective at doing the things I wanted to do.
My actions were more in alignment with my priorities.
Mindfulness is awareness for the present moment without judgement which helped me heal my relationship with my body.
I expanded my awareness of the present moment.
Being mindful during an activity I developed a greater connection and awareness of my body which increased the enjoyment of the activity and decreased risk of injury.
I developed a meaningful appreciation for the little details in life that are often missed.
My heart and mind are more aware of the feelings associated with the moment and the memories being made.
Time suddenly stopped feeling like it was always zooming by.
I’m acutely aware of my thoughts and my focus is entirely based on what I am experiencing at that moment in time.
Mindfulness takes me from subconsciously doing to a state of being.
Mindfulness was [and is] an integral part of recovering from an eating disorder.
Developing mindfulness isn’t easy. There are times when the bombardment of all that is going on in life makes mindfulness feel impossible. Mindfulness takes time, a lot of patience, self-kindness and a conscious effort, but it’s worth it.
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Do you always have a long to-do list? DO YOU LIVE WITH A GO GO GO MINDSET?
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I also made mindfulness number one about 7 years ago. It feels very good. Its like you cant get bored, afraid.. When this state becomes your predominant way of experiencing, the whole sence of identity changes. If you get asked Who do you feel yourself to be? You dont find any answer.. like youre nobody inside.. only sort of alert space that looks at the world…without history. Exquisite 🙂 but like you said… its not easy. Either you need to be determined…or motivated…or you just love this state more than anything. This way it can be done 🙂
I’ve been trying to work on that. Trying to juggle a ton of things at the same time is exhausting and I’ve been tring to focus solely on one thing at a time.
One of my intentions every month is to start the day with silence and 10 minutes of meditation, along with other helpful practices I’ve built up over the last few years. I don’t get to everything I’d like to do each morning, but the things I’m able to do are so helpful in growing my ability to be mindful throughout the day.
Slowing down and focusing on the moment is so important. I’m guilty sometimes of not being very mindful but I’ve been trying lately to focus more on it.
I love the multitasking part! It is the number one way to make someone not feel like a priority.
Practicing mindfulness is something I need to get better at! I am constantly thinking of what I need to do next. I am guilty of doing it even when I exercise!
This is something I definitely need to focus on more!
I know it’s cliche to say but I’ve really been trying to work on this recently. Thanks for the outline. I find having a smashed mobile phone has help me, too!
Lorna x
I have been working on mindfullness. It is a constant struggle but when I do I am happiest!
Yes, I have long to-do lists and every day feeling like I have so much to do and so little time. I know that I would need more mindfulness added to my workflow.
A great reminder to soak in everything that life has to offer. Let’s take our lIves off autopilot and be mindful of the beauty around us.
This is so interesting. I really need to do this.
Love this! On days when I am intentionally being mindful those days always seem to be better. The stress level lowers. It is a great feeling. And life is so much sweeter!
I have a flirting relationship with mindfulness and meditation. I pay attention to it occasionally for a few days, then forget about it. When I’m reminded, I do realize how beneficial it is. I even perceive that it lowers my heart rate. This is a great article — a good reminder about the benefits of mindfulness.
I have a flirting relationship with mindfulness and meditation. I pay attention to it occasionally for a few days, then forget about it. When I’m reminded, I do realize how beneficial it is. I even perceive that it lowers my heart rate. This is a great article — a good reminder about the benefits of mindfulness.
So important to feel connected to the moment – thanks for sharing!
Love this! I’ve been trying to focus on being more mindful in my life as well. Makes such a difference!
I absolutely have a go go go mindset! My church has been talking about rest lately and I find that these two things are very intertwined!
I always am on the go and thinking of what I ‘need’ to do next. I have def been trying to tone that back this summer. Thank you for sharing this important topic.
Mindfulness is so important these days. In our busy lives it is so helpful to slow down and be present when we can. Thank you for sharing!
Great post! This is something that I definitely need to work on.. I feel like I’m constantly trying to juggle a million things and always thinking about what I have to do next instead of just embracing the moment
Such a great practice to work on. I think we could all afford to be a little more mindful each and every day!
Another wonderful post. Stopping and being in the moment and aware does make such a great difference in life.
Such an important topic that needs to be talked about more often! Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
I know I would really benefit from adding some of these concepts into my life