Mindfulness is simply defined as being in the here and now, and paying attention to what's happening around you using all your 6 senses. You may often find yourself dwelling on issues from the past or stressing over what lies ahead in the future.
It's important to realise that having a negative thinking pattern can be very stressful. This can cause mental disorders like anxiety and depression. One simple thing you can do to live mindfully is to take note of what's going on around you at the moment. Using your senses, focus on the people and things that surround you. For instance, have a look and observe the people around you. What are they doing? Do you know any of them? Is there anyone that looks familiar to you? Remember to notice the scent and the sound in your surroundings as well. What are you hearing? Take the time to observe the fragrance of the freshly cut grass or the sweet scent of your coffee. Living a more mindful life is often all it takes to make you feel happier and content.
Benefits of Practicing Basic Meditation for Stress Management
There are plenty of known benefits of meditation for stress management. Meditation is a powerful tool to help you experience relief from stress. In the medical practice, meditation and other mindfulness coaching techniques are accepted as an alternative treatment for different kinds of stress-related ailments, such as anxiety and depression.
Stress is one of the leading causes of a lot of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, cancer and other major physical and mental health problems. It's important to understand that you need to give yourself a break from time to time, or whenever you need one. Proper stress management is an important part in keeping both your mind and body in great shape. One of the many types of relaxation techniques that are proven effective to help reduce stress is meditation. Meditating on a regular basis can also help reduce your chances of suffering from stress-related illnesses. It can be a great way to help you maintain a healthier way of living also.
Why am I Depressed?
If you believe that you're experiencing mild depression, keep in mind that you're not alone. Major Depressive Disorder or Depression is considered as one of the most common mental disorders today. In fact, it has been found that almost one hundred twenty one million people around the world are struggling with clinical depression. Furthermore, reports show that the number of people diagnosed with clinical depression increases by approximately 20 % each year.
It's natural to look for answers, and ask "why am I depressed?". You might think that there's no explanation for you to feel depressed. Nevertheless, it's important to be aware that clinical depression can affect any individual, regardless of age, gender or status.
There are lots of successful individuals who have come out in the open and talked about their battle with clinical depression. Rather than spending so much time dwelling on your unhelpful thoughts and feelings, it's better to concentrate on identifying ways to help you feel better instead. Depression can be treated. As long as you continue finding ways to help you get better, you will overcome depression.
How Do You Handle Stressful Situations?
During a job interview, one of the most commonly asked questions is about how well you're able to deal with stress. This is because the way you handle anxiety and stress strongly affects your productivity at work. It affects your capability not only to finish your task, but your capability to deal and work with the people around you. This is significant, as it can have an impact on the performance of your group. Having the ability to realise how well you manage anxiety and stress can greatly improve how you tackle your everyday tasks. One thing you can do to to help you gain a better understand about how well you deal with stress is to learn mindfulness.
Mindfulness involves taking note of what's happening within and around you in the present moment. It has to do with being mindful, and being able to accept your thoughts and sensations. When you're being mindful, you'll be able to step back and carefully think about the best way to respond to a stressful situation. This allows you to have a more favorable response, and to be able to handle anxiety and stress in the proper way.
Practicing mindfulness meditation can be an excellent way to improve your mindfulness skills. There are lots of self-help books or online posts that you can find out there, to help you learn the basics of meditation. However, the best way to learn how to meditate is to find an experienced mindfulness coach to guide you. Mindfulness training exercises can be easily learned when you have an experienced guide to help you.