Defining Mindfulness
In recent years, mindfulness has been a go-to term for mental health practitioners and
advocates. But what is it? There are many definitions of mindfulness floating around on the
internet. Something I like to say to my clients is that simply put, engaging in mindfulness helps you get out of your head and into your environment. We often get caught up in our own thoughts and even thoughts about our thoughts. It is easy to get overwhelmed by our lives, and we often fall into that tunnel vision we love so much. When we are in “tunnel vision mode” we tend to have a more negative bias towards our stressors, and may often neglect to acknowledge the neutrals and positives in our lives. This tunnel vision makes it difficult to see the bigger picture and gives more power to the stressors in our lives.
The first time I practiced mindfulness was in an acting class I took during my undergraduate
studies. We learned about the term “presence” and what it meant to be “present.” When we are completely present, we are fully engaged with our surroundings and emotions, and show up as our true selves. For the purpose of this article, mindfulness is when you are fully engaged in and aware of your surroundings and what you are doing. It is an intentional practice where you learn to center yourself and see reality in a way that is unclouded by emotions or stressors. Instead, you are able to acknowledge those emotions and understand that they may be influencing your decisions and worldview. Your activities are purposeful, and you are able to slow things down and immerse yourself in the actions you are taking.
Most importantly, mindfulness is a practice. It takes time, patience, and energy to learn about and experience mindfulness. Solidifying your knowledge through experiential learning is crucial to any mindfulness practice. While it may take time and effort, ultimately, the end result is the greatest reward.
Potential Benefits of Mindfulness
There are many potential benefits of mindfulness. The benefits that you experience will be
individualized based on your mindfulness practice, progress, frequency, and any pre-existing
health conditions.
1. Increased awareness. When we engage with our environment, we are doing some form
of reality testing. Reality testing is not meant to invalidate your emotions or experiences,
but to make them more digestible. This increased awareness can lead to other benefits.
For example, if you are able to fully engage in your environment, maybe you notice that
your room has gotten very messy. There is a direct correlation between your mental
health and your environment. It is possible that your messy room is contributing to
feelings of being overwhelmed or unmotivated. Something as trivial as keeping your
space clean can strengthen your resilience and decrease stress levels.
2. Increased resilience and emotional intelligence. When we are able to more accurately
see the world around us, our struggles tend to be more manageable. Practicing
mindfulness can help you become more proactive as opposed to reactive.
3. Stress reduction, improved sleep, and improved physical and mental health.
When should I try mindfulness?
Anyone can begin their mindfulness practice at any time. It may be helpful to engage in
mindfulness if you: have high levels of stress; find yourself becoming overwhelmed
frequently/easily; are struggling with your mental health; want to incorporate healthy habits into your routine; are acclimating to new environments; or if you are interested in becoming more mindful. There is no right or wrong time to get started on your healing journey!
Disclaimer and Cultural Awareness
Mindfulness has become much more westernized as it has gained social popularity. It may be helpful to do personal research related to the origins of mindfulness and incorporate it into your life with respect to the cultures and religions that shared it with us. This post is being written by a mental health practitioner who has done academic research about mindfulness but has also been heavily informed by a westernized worldview.
This post was written by Shannon France, MS, MHC-LP, and published by Mandevilla Mental Health Counseling, PLLC