Mindfulness and Success, how to manage busy lifestyles

In a modern world where we have so much on the go and very little time to take in the environment and just enjoy ourselves, finding ways to keep mental strain at bay is becoming increasingly difficult. It's then almost ironic that we have managed to rediscover old-world solutions for new world problems.

Developed from an ancient Buddhist technique, Mindfulness essentially means being aware of your present psychological state. There are several ways in which to practice these techniques, each of which may have important benefits for mental growth depending on the individual.

According to various researchers in this field, mindfulness can benefit people in several ways from decreased anxiety to an ability to disengage from harmful thought patterns for improved mental health. We take a closer look at these benefits, offering insight into how one can manage a busy lifestyle.

Reducing Stress

Mindfulness is essentially a meditation technique that teaches people to be fully aware of both themselves and their surroundings and to, even when not practising, consistently be mindful of everything they do.

According to an extensive list of studies and meta-analyses, mindfulness cannot cure mental disorders, but what it can do is improve cognitive function and help to reduce stress levels. After specifically studying the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, researchers concluded that mindfulness practice is effective in altering mental patterns caused by various clinical issues.

Reducing anxiety

In separate study cases. Mindfulness has also seen progress in reducing anxiety or rumination. In 2008, 20 participants who were beginners in mindfulness meditation were asked to attend a 10-day retreat of intensive mediation.

When analysing the effects and compared to other practices it was shown that all participants had experienced higher acceptance of self-awareness and a decrease in overly negative thoughts. It was also shown that they were able to recognise when their mind would lead them down depressive thought patterns.

Meditators also experienced an increase in memory function and a sustained concentration level when performing daily tasks from work to home.

Affective emotional control

One of the more difficult aspects of life is dealing with our emotional reactivity when it comes to stressful situations. Emotions often cause us to act in irrational and sometimes harmful ways. A 2007 study conducted with a collection of experienced to beginner practitioners showed that mindful meditation helps people learn when to emotionally disengage from a volatile situation.

This helps people focus more on cognitive tasks, allowing them to block out daily distractions thanks to increased self-awareness. Sufferers of ADD and ADHD have also reported having seen an increase in focus and are able to collect their thoughts more efficiently and effectively.

Improves relationship management

Recent studies have been conducted between couples who practice mindfulness meditation and those that don't. The findings showed that partners who are more effective at being mindful have a better opportunity to affect and predict relationship satisfaction.

These include being able to better predict and avoid stressful situations that can lead to conflict, better communication between partners, and an increase in being able to effectively deal with relationship stress.

Mindfulness practice was associated with the ability to express oneself constructively and effectively throughout multiple social interactions predicting better overall outcomes in social circles and within the family.

Other benefits of mindfulness

Beyond one's mental health, mindfulness meditation has a variety of other benefits including an enhanced self-image, a better understanding of morality, increased intuition, and the ability to regulate and manage fear.

There is also evidence of health benefits which include an increased immune function thanks to lowered stress levels, a reduction of psychological trauma caused by PTSD, and an overall improvement in one's well being.

Essentially, mindfulness has the potential to create a working and effective relationship between therapists and patients allowing them to develop a more wholesale approach to mental health. The field of psychology, in particular, could benefit from increased research into these meditation models and work to find ways to adapt them to modern practices to better understand the effect of this ancient yet powerful practice.

Developing mindfulness - starting at the basics

Understanding what you can achieve and doing it are two different things. But starting along the journey towards being mindful is nowhere near as difficult as one may think. You can start practising mindfulness in several ways.

First and foremost is meditation. Taking 5 minutes out of each day to simply sit quietly and follow your breathing goes a long way in making you feel more conscious and connected to the rest of your day. Be methodical and try to cut your focus down to one thing at a time, devoting as much attention as you can before moving on to the next situation.

Beyond that, you will need to focus on ways in which you can slow things down, start focusing on your diet, develop a good exercise routine, and spend a little more time outdoors and in nature.

Read our previous article here: https://www.hamiltons.co.za/news/five-must-see-natural-wonders-when-exploring-the-garden-route/

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