Google mindfulness and it will say, " the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something "
Being conscious? But I am conscious all the time, bro. You throw a ball at me, I'll catch it with lightning speed. I don't need mindfulness. I am mindful already.
But, are you?
Imagine these situations and ask yourself if you have ever found yourself in any of them.
Sad because you lost some money. Depressed because your 'significant' other left you. Anxious because you think you aren't good enough for a job or for a person. Hurt because someone said something that hurt your ego.
Most of us have been in some or all of these situations. While all of us may have faced the same situations, our responses to these situations might have been completely different. Some of us respond according to what the brain thinks our response should be, while others analyze, reflect and then act. This is where mindfulness comes into play.
Muir Beach
What?
Simply put, mindfulness in everyday life is being aware of the possible reactions you could have to a given situation enabling you to choose the least destructive (or rather the most constructive) one. It is the ability to sit back and reflect on how your actions will impact you (and in some cases, others). A deeper form of mindfulness could be practiced just sitting in your room, eyes closed ( or open) and just being aware of the breath. INHALE. EXHALE. INHALE. EXHALE. Every breath you "experience" this way makes you mindful of the most important activity in your life: Life itself. You see cars passing by on a road, people talking to each other, birds flying in the sky and what not. How often do you experience life happening to you first hand? This awareness of just things happening, energy flowing through you, through everything is mindfulness indeed.
Why?
In Danish, the word pyt is analogous to Don't Worry About It in English. It has emerged to be a very popular word among the Danes, who by the way, are considered the happiest people on the planet. See a correlation here? We tend to take everything seriously, way too seriously than we should. Girlfriend/Boyfriend broke up? Life's fucked. Failed a course? Life is fucked. Didn't get the plane seat I really wanted? Life's fucked. Didn't get enough likes on Instagram? Life's fucked. The stress levels amongst the current generation is one of the highest ever on record. We are traveling through a black space at like 70,000 miles per hour circling a ball of fire. Think about how miraculous our existence even is. And yet here we are, sitting in our dark rooms sad because of one person or burning with anger because of one incident. It's okay, my friend. Don't worry about it. Nothing in the world, absolutely nothing is worth stressing your beautiful self. A little mindfulness and a small smile is all you need.
How?
Here is the big one. How do you practice mindfulness? Well, as a starter, make up a hypothetical situation and think of how you would respond to it. For example, for the third time in this post, let's assume your sig other left you (Thinking it might have happened to me? Yes, it did and I wish I knew this then). What would be the obvious response? SADNESS. HEARTBREAK. STRESS. ANXIETY. MORE ANXIETY. DEPRESSION. DRUGS (Maybe?). Now think of an alternative response. You tell yourself. It's okay. You loved them. You still do. Maybe, you will, always. So what if you are not together? Love is universal and so deep it could be found anywhere. Friends, families, strangers, animals, your own self.. you name it. Cherish the times spent and move on. See? As easy as it sounds in theory, it's not that easy in real life, I know. But our reality is dictated by our thoughts. If we think in a positive direction, our actions tend to follow. This awareness of reacting after reflecting can be applied to all other situations in life. Got fined? It's okay. Could be worse. Got fired? It's okay. Could be worse. Got in an accident? It's okay. Could be worse. Mindfulness is not rocket science. It just requires you to think on the brighter side because the present becomes the past and the past soon becomes non-existent, so only the present while it is present matters.
Keep pushing through. Pyt. Don't Worry About It. It's a long life. Keep smiling.
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