Much recent attention has been given to the practice of Mindfulness. However, this practice is far from new. Essentially, mindfulness is about living more of your life in the present moment. It is about being awake to your life as you are living it, instead of spending excessive amounts of time in the future or past.
Many people get caught up in regrets and ruminations about the past. Although it can be helpful to reflect on the past, it is often detrimental to spend too much time there. If you spend most of your time reflecting and regretting the past, you are likely to feel sad and depressed. Alternatively, people are also prone to spending a great deal of time in future-oriented thinking. You may spend time planning, strategizing or worrying about what may lie ahead. Although some future planning and thinking is important, too much of it can have a negative impact on your well-being. People who are overly future-oriented tend to suffer from excessive anxiety.
There are real benefits to living more of your life in the present moment. The key to getting there is the use of your breath. It is your breath that can anchor you in the here and now. Sound like a good idea? I will elaborate more on mindfulness and how you can use it to improve your life in posts to come…
Alisa Robinson, Ph.D. 