This week we share a guest article from Ana Farr! Enjoy ;-)
Let me take a wild guess, you’re tired right now. And all that you’ve done the entire day is sit at work and finish up your daily tasks. But, you’re tired and you don’t know why.
Believe me. I’ve been there.
So how can you get energized and live in the moment - when things seem so draining and monotonous?
Well, I can give you a few tips on how you can wake up fresh, accomplish a lot more during the day, and have fun without procrastinating.
And complete all of these things without getting tired
Let’s dive in.
For starters, we need to know about this thing called “mindfulness”. And by that I mean almost all the factors it has.
Let’s get started.
What is mindfulness?
It is that state of mind that makes you aware of all the things that are happening in your precise moment. Being aware of all the things that are happening around you, your thoughts, emotions, and the environment.
Mindfulness is achieved in a systematic way through meditation.
In fact, mindfulness does not have any known origin.
Why?
Many scholars believe that it shouldn’t be reduced to any particular religion such as Buddhism, Hinduism, or Jainism.
Hold on a second, if mindfulness is nothing but meditation, shouldn’t all its benefits be the same?
Not necessarily.
Why is that?
Honestly, there’s a difference between the two.
Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to the present moment, while meditation is the act of giving your attention to only one thing.
Though they are different they are interrelated.
It is said that you can achieve mindfulness primarily through meditation or yoga.
As we’ve covered earlier - mindfulness helps us in being aware of our surroundings and have a positive outlook on things. When we look at meditation, it is clear that meditation focuses on how to be “in tune” or “in sync” with your body and find mental peace and harmony.
Though they may seem almost identical in nature, they are not really the same thing.
So what are the benefits of mindfulness?
Next, let’s talk about all the benefits of following this practice.
~Higher brain function.
~Increased immune system function.
~Lowers blood pressure.
~Lowers heart rate.
~Reduces depressive symptoms.
~Reduces stress.
To be honest, the list goes on. For now, let’s focus on these first.
Now,
Imagine this, the entire day goes by peacefully, you’ve been able to finish all your work and you still have time for yourself. How does that make you feel?
Let me guess, happy? Amazing?
Now, would you like me to tell you how to achieve that ultimate peace?
This isn’t one of those blog posts where they tell people to eat good food and exercise regularly. Eating healthy food and drinking beverages as matcha and green tea does help too. But in this post, we will cover a few simple and effective mindful exercises.
So what are some exercises to achieve mindfulness and how they can change your body?
~ Waking up early
Primarily, this help in fixing a routine for you, where you can get a lot of things done in your day and feel as though you still have a lot of time left on your hands.
Also, waking up early makes sure that you end up having breakfast, which leads to having a healthier lifestyle.
Admittedly, “morning people” tend to have lower depressive symptoms when compared to those who are night owls.
Why? Those who wake up early eventually set a routine for themselves to make sure that they have time to do all the things that they need to do. Thereby, reducing the “rush” that they create for themselves.
Another thing that waking up early gives you more time to exercise. As mentioned above, waking up early can give you more time to do things in a proper way.
It is also said that those who wake up early tend to have a better quality of sleep. This is possible due to the fact that those who sleep early also go to bed early. And if they go to bed early and at the same time get the necessary rest that their body requires based on how their internal body clock has been set.
Ahh, peace. You finally get that “quiet time” that you crave so much throughout the day. When you wake up early, there aren’t a lot of people who are awake; therefore there is less noise and commotion. Throughout the day we constantly complain that we aren’t getting any peace and quiet because of multiple reasons like - work, constant conversations, traffic etc. But when you wake up early in the morning, you’ll probably get all the peace and quiet that you really crave.
~ Stand, stretch and get moving
The simple truth is sitting gives way to unhealthy habits and even obesity.
How?
Naturally, if you sit for long durations of time, you will end up not having any physical activity and this may lead to you developing cardiovascular diseases, cancer or gaining weight.
Also, stretching and walking around can help you feel energized and fresh as well. It can be used as a break more or less, to help you rejuvenate and get back to work.
~Take a music break
In a nutshell, music is a healer. Listening to music is said to benefit you in many ways
Music makes you happier - the brain releases dopamine when you’re listening to music.
Reduces stress - listening to music when you’re stressed reduces the stress hormone - cortisol. Which results in you reducing your stress levels.
Reduces the symptoms of depression - it’s not only music that plays a role here, but also the type of music that you listen to that ends up having an effect on your symptoms. Meditation and classical music keep you calm and focused, while techno and metal tend to increase aggression levels.
~Notice your thoughts
Stop having negative thoughts as soon as you wake up in the morning. It’s not going to do you any good at all.
It’s rather sad, that all your creative, innovative, and positive time is going down the drain if you simply let those negative thoughts enter your mind.
Noticed that? Then you’ve already taken the first step towards eliminating them from your life.
The first step is observation - if you realize that you’re having a negative thought, stop it right there.
I know it’s not easy, but you’ve got to do it if you want to be more mindful.
Step two includes - looking at those thoughts from a third person’s perspective, try to detach yourself from those thoughts.
Doing so only helps you take control over your emotions and not the other way around.
~Take a digital break
Just imagine, you take a break from work, but away from your phone.
Now, let me guess, you feel weird, restless of sorts.
Well, that’s because you rely on using your phone or your laptop or any electrical device to get your mind off things.
And that’s where you’re wrong. Sorry, but it’s true.
If you would like to be mindful, you’ll need to step away from technology for at least 10 minutes 2-3 times a day. Or maybe just once will do too.
But you need a digital detox. It’s necessary.
Some of the benefits of a digital detox include -
Being able to stay productive.
To sleep! You need that shit.
Simply because it’s a challenge, and you should really give it a try and see how things work for you.
These are some exercises that will help you become more mindful. Of course, you wish we can write more on it and share it with you.
Let’s recap.
We understood the need for us to be mindful, the difference between mindfulness and meditation, the benefits of mindfulness, and the exercises that you can do to become more mindful.
To sum it up, I hope you stay mindful and have a wonderful and energetic day! (:
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