Mindfulness Over Mindlessness
You don't need superpowers, you need to pause.
How many hours do we spend going through life mindlessly?
There is this idea out there that mindfulness can only be achieved through meditation. While meditation is an amazing way to bring yourself back into the present state, there are other ways to do it.
Mindlessness
Overwhelmed and fast-paced has been the stylish way to live.
I spoke about this in my story about ‘’The Sweetness of Doing Nothing’’. How we wear our busyness as a badge of honour.
How society has made it normal for us to juggle 5 things at once, always thinking about the next thing.
Being busy does not define your success.
When we go through life mindlessly, we lose focus on what's important.
Being mindlessly busy is a way of avoiding things that are not working. Relationships, business, yourself! We tell ourselves we are too busy to look at the problem. We will worry about it later.
But sometimes, later is too late!
How many times have people ignored their relationship problems, and thrown themselves into work, hoping the problem will go away? To one day wake up and their partner is no longer there.
How many times could these relationships have been saved if more mindfulness was involved? Mindful of themselves, their partner’s needs, and their current situation.
Distraction
We are so used to constant distraction, that even when we have two minutes to spare when we are in line in the grocery store, we have our phones in our hands scrolling through social media or texts and emails.
Now that I am on my phone a lot more creating content, I find myself automatically picking the phone up every 2 minutes, mindlessly going into apps that I have no need for.
Sitting down to watch a TV show with my partner, before I know it the phone is back in my hand.
I hate it.
Mindfulness
We have a choice in how we spend our time. We can interrupt these mindless acts.
I have made the conscious decision to stop myself when I mindlessly pick up the phone for no reason only out of habit.
This is being mindful. Bringing awareness to your present moment and noticing the mindless acts.
Mindfulness is the ability to be present where you are without reacting or feeling overwhelmed.
You are a powerful being. Your power is your CHOICE.
You have the power to stop yourself. To take a deep breath. To settle your nervous system.
Mindfulness is not just stilling the mind but it is slowing your whole body down. Bringing your nervous system into a state of calm.
Being busy all the time wreaks havoc on our nervous system. To have that constant adrenaline running through our bodies is not good for us. These high levels of cortisol and lack of ease will eventually turn into DISEASE in the body.
Intuition
Taking time to be mindful is not only beneficial for our mind and body, it helps us connect to our higher power.
It is very difficult to connect with our intuition when we are mindlessly running through life.
When was the last time you took some time to be still and connect to yourself and your higher power?
The Universe, God, Angels, whatever your idea of spirituality, it is always there, connecting with us. We just need to quiet our minds so we can hear and be open to the messages.
How to be mindful
Mindfulness can be achieved anywhere.
At your desk at work, on a walk, in the car, cooking dinner. Anywhere, anytime.
Mindfulness is natural and is in all the moments we don’t pay attention to.
Drinking your coffee and savouring the smell and taste
When you are in that flow state
Smelling the flowers in your garden
Noticing your surroundings out on a walk
When you do these things, you are being mindful.
When you find yourself getting overwhelmed and life is flying by a million miles an hour, when you notice this, you are being mindful.
When you make the decision to slow down, you are being mindful.
What I want you to take away from this is next time anxiety, overwhelm, fear, and stress creep their ugly heads up, pause, and remember to tune into your 5 senses.
What can I feel
What can I see
What can I smell
What can I hear
What can I taste
Remember you are POWERFUL, you have CONTROL.
I have made the choice that every time I drink my morning coffee, I will be mindful when drinking it. No distraction, no phone, no thinking of the day ahead, or yesterday’s drama.
Just me fully in the present.
Corey ❤