Have you been hearing more about mindfulness these days?
If you follow me on social media, then you hear me talk about the benefits of mindfulness all the time. And I can imagine that when you’re not hearing about it from me, then you’re hearing about it elsewhere, especially more so these days.
And I think that can actually be a really good thing. Because living through whats to be known as “the covid era,” I feel that ppl need mindfulness in their lives more than ever to help sustain a sense of sanity at the very least with the amount of craziness going on nowadays.
What I find interesting though is given how beneficial mindfulness is, still some ppl fail to keep up with a mindfulness practice or feel like mindfulness isn’t for them.
And I think this is largely due to some of the misconceptions out there about mindfulness…
Some ppl have this idea about what they think mindfulness is & a lot of it is just false information.
I’m going to share with you what some of those misconceptions look like so that you can be more aware of what that is for yourself and if you like, you can then share what you’ve learned with others.
Cancel These Mindfulness Misconceptions
A major reason why some ppl may feel that mindfulness “doesn’t work,” can really be because they have the wrong idea to what it actually is.
For example, mindfulness is not to relax. Ppl can feel relaxed and may experience relief from tension more quickly, but it’s not about becoming relaxed. Relaxation is more of a byproduct.
It’s also NOT a religion. Although it has its roots from Buddhism, mindfulness is not religious. Anybody can practice mindfulness anywhere, anytime.
Some ppl think mindfulness is a way to change thoughts or to stop thoughts, & when they attempt to practice & realize the thoughts are still very much prevalent, they think they’re doing it wrong or that they are incapable…and that’s not true. Because what mindfulness does is, it helps you become more aware of your thoughts.
Mindfulness ALSO isn’t difficult. It’s also not easy.
What stands in the way of someone cultivating a mindfulness practice for themselves is really themselves.
A lot of us are very busy and preoccupied in our thoughts and because of that, that’s why many of us just have a very hard time focusing in on this present moment or connecting to it.
“The key is to get out of your head & into your body.”
One more thing that we should all understand is that mindfulness isn’t just about being present & being careless about the future. It’s rather a way to create a balance between the present moment, the past, and the future.
5 KEY Components To Mindfulness
So now that you are more aware of what mindfulness isn’t, here are 5 key components to what mindfulness IS & what you need to know to become more mindful so that you can fully live in the present moment with ease, calm, and a sense of happiness.
5 KEY core components of mindfulness—-
1. Attention:
Paying attention is the foundation to what mindfulness is about. It’s tuning into life and really noticing what is occurring within and around you in the present moment. It’s attending to (a thought, a body sensation, emotions, feelings) whatever is happening right here, right now.
2. Open Awareness:
Open awareness is increased awareness to everything, even outside of this moment. It’s noticing your judgements, your limiting beliefs, ideas, what you label as “good” or “bad” and then it’s being aware enough to decide whether to hold on or let go of any of those ideas, beliefs, judgements, thoughts, etc…
3. Acceptance:
Acceptance is simply accepting your current experience as it is. Rather than fighting the experience or trying to change it, this is all about allowing oneself to experience the moment fully; feeling whatever happens without attempting to alter it. It’s about accepting the emotions that arise and experiencing it all the way through until it goes away.
4. No Identification:
Non identification or detachment is when you understand that you are not your emotions/thoughts. You can experience emotions/thoughts, but you do not become identified with the emotion/thought. If you struggle here, a good way to approach future thoughts/emotions can be through reframing— so instead of saying “I am sad,” you can say, “I’m experiencing sadness.” When you identify with emotions/thoughts, you take them all seriously, and then start to believe everything you think and feel. But the truth is, just because it feels real to you doesn’t mean it actually is…
5. Choice:
And choice is when you decide not to let an emotion/thought take over. This is about distancing yourself; creating space between an impulse and an action. So when you experience an emotion/thought, before reacting, you choose how to respond to it.
Understanding what mindfulness is & what it isn’t can make a big difference in how someone shows up for themselves or whether or not they even try. Mindfulness can be very beneficial in our lives, we just have to know the truth of what we are getting into first.
Thank you for reading my friend. Hope you have a beautiful & blessed day.
Namaste.
Victor Padilla
