Living a mindful life can be difficult to do. Mindfulness is defined as a “moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.” It is characterized mainly by paying close attention to ideas and feelings with an impartial attitude. It involves no judging as to whether your ideas or feelings are right or wrong.
Living a mindful life requires intense bodily and spiritual practices in the form of prayer and meditation. In reality, these two are mental training practices for your body and soul. They involve focusing your mind on deep perceptions like emotions, thoughts, and sensations. Prayer and meditation practices involve mental imagery, intimidation, reverence, muscle and body relaxation, in addition to avoiding mental distractions.
Benefits of Living a Mindful Life
Is there anything worthwhile that comes with being more mindful? By being mindful, you end up reducing stress, anxiety, and fury. It is also a positive step towards greater discipline and self-control. Mindfulness cheers you up by helping keep depression and the negative feelings in check.
If you have health issues, being more mindful can help. It helps treat several health conditions like compulsive and addictive tendencies. Moreover, it is effective in pain management, boosting immunity, and probably weight loss. If you have trouble falling asleep, it treats insomnia and improves your quality of sleep.
Finally, mindfulness creates a clearer memory and more focused thinking at work. It increases your sense of well-being, confidence, and emotional resilience. Staying mindful enables you to live with increased peace and tranquillity.
Who Are Mindful People?
If you are a beginner trying to find your way to a mindful life, there are several common characteristics of mindful people.
Mindful people have a simple ego. They tend not to take things personally, as they don’t expect people to treat them as they deserve, but as people have learned to treat others.
If they are hurt by someone, mindful people have the habit of thinking the best of others and not following assumptions. This is because many people behave naturally based on their instincts, not minding the reactions of mindful people.
They have a high sense of humor and social intelligence. Despite the fact that they are smart enough to judge people based on their background or level of education, they approach them according to their mood at that particular moment. In addition, a remarkable feature of people living a mindful life is their cool internal milieu.
How to Achieve a Mindful Life
Becoming more mindful isn’t easy at first, but if you’re ready for the challenge, read on for ways you can incorporate mindfulness into your life:
1. Make Time for Yourself and Practice Meditation.
Learn to deduct some time out of your busy life for meditation and prayers. Set a specific time you’ll devote to this task and set an alarm. When the time comes, remember to stick to it and don’t put it off.
Practicing your prayers and meditation sessions regularly, especially in the early morning and late before bedtime, can be a great option.
2. Stay Positive.
Try to keep up and stay optimistic by joining some positive, outgoing colleagues.
Along with trying to stay positive, ignore negativity. Don’t listen when others try to hold you back or bring you down. Keep your heart spotless, free of hate, envy, and revenge.
3. Remember the Upsides to Life.
Life is hard. There’s really no way around it. But no matter how life gets difficult or complicated, it’s best to try to embrace its bright side.
4. Reward Yourself.
Give yourself a treat for every good deed you do. It could be as simple as taking yourself out for lunch, going for a peaceful walk, or catching up on a TV show.
5. Live Simply.
Seems simple, right? But there’s more to it. Live faithfully, content, and satisfied. Overcome your past wrongdoings. Live simply, give much, expect little, and always smile.
6. Read Mindful Reads.
A bit of homework is involved as you become more mindful. Read about the philosophy and psychology of human behavior. Or just dive into a deep reflection on the meaning of life.
The book The Journey Within: Exploring the Path of Bhakti, A Contemporary Guide to Yoga Ancient Wisdom by Radhanath Swami, is an excellent option if you are looking for a start.
Final Thoughts
Taking the steps to become more mindful can help you lead a more fulfilling life. Following these steps and understanding the benefits of living a mindful life can put you on the right track.
What ways do you live a more mindful life? Is the journey easy or difficult? Share with us in the comments!
