Many of us, most of us perhaps, live our lives on automatic pilot, not really fully aware of what we’re doing. By following old habitual thinking and led by our conditioned tendencies, our responses can be unhelpful and undesirable. This is true in all areas of our lives. Mindfulness is about being fully present, paying attention and increasing awareness. Practising mindfulness is about learning to remain present and engaged, becoming aware of our thoughts, feelings and sensations and therefore improving our sense of wellbeing.
In my inbox recently, I noticed an email from Action for Happiness with this month’s calendar entitled Mindful March. ‘Want more moments of calm and clarity?’ it asks. It is suggested that if we remember to pause and live mindfully, it will help us get more out of life and cope better in difficult times. Each day in March there are great ideas of how we can be more mindful. We could choose to engage with each daily suggestion, dip in and out when we feel inclined or simply choose a handful that really resonate with us.
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I’m immediately drawn to day 27, which says Appreciate nature around you, wherever you are. I’m currently gazing out of my window at the greenery in my garden, the blue sky above and the sunshine catching the tops of the trees.
There are some that I put into practice regularly, such as:
Stop. Breathe. Notice. Repeat regularly.
Mentally scan your body and notice what it’s feeling.
What about you? Do you do these things? Are there others that resonate with you? In which situations could you be more mindful?
I’m not so good at eating and drinking mindfully, so I think days 8 & 11 are the ones I’ll focus on. Which 2 or 3 do you think you could focus on? Remember, being mindful isn’t about emptying our head of thoughts, as that’s not possible. It’s about acknowledging our thoughts but then turning our attention to and fully engaging with all of our senses.
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