Weekly Topic Saturdays #03: Mindfulness: A Skill That's Learned (part 1)

Welcome to Weekly Topic Saturdays!

Hello all, I pray that your week was filled with joy and love. Welcome back to those who have been with me here at A Golden Dream. For my first-timers, a great big hello there, if you haven't already please check out my previous posts when you get a chance.

In the meantime, I want to shine some light on my viewers, and the people that have commented on my previous posts, I thank you greatly. Please don't hesitate to join the conversation, there are no right or wrong answers or questions. I'm not proclaiming to know everything, I am simply just discussing and picking topics on things that I personally have gone through and that I know would help someone.

Inhale...Exhale...Center Your Mind!.

Our Lives Are Shaped By Our Mind...For We Become What We Think!

What Is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, and thoughts.

It wasn't until this year that I began to practice mindfulness. Quite frankly I stumbled upon it trying to practice self-care. I was on the internet browsing ways to practice, “putting yourself first,” and I ran into mindfulness. I was intrigued and through my digging, I found some common things that one should practice to become more mindful.

"Meditation is the practice of training your mind for everyday mindfulness. You learn to strengthen your mind as you become more familiar with yourself. Mindfulness is a mindset; Meditation is the training to achieve it."

-Gustavo Razzetti

Once I got into the practice of mindfulness, it prepared me to focus on one thing..... God. I believe that's the first step in trying to devote yourself to Christ, thinking of him always.

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

Colossians 3:2

Mindfulness Has Benefits:

• Decreases anxiety

• Lowers high blood pressure

• Reduces depression/ nervousness

• Improves immune system

• Improves self-esteem

• Improves sleep

What Are Some Examples of Practicing Mindfulness:

1. Live In The Moment: Living in the moment means not worrying about the next thing, not worrying about what you're doing tomorrow, or how many errands you have to run after work. STOP! Think only about the present. Slow down and focus on what you're doing at that given time. The bible says, “let tomorrow take care of itself.”

a. Pause in Between Moments of Each Task. Taking a mini-break to reflect on what you just accomplished, can result in a fresh start into your next new task at hand.

2. Slow Down: We live in a world where everything is instant. By slowing down what’s going on around you, you will both appreciate what you're doing, and will also enhance the end result of it in the process.

Here Are Some Things That Worked For Me:

a. Eating Mindfully. It's easy for me to eat right in front of the tv and get wrapped up in what I'm watching but I encourage you to sit in silence and watch what you're eating and pay attention to your body ingesting your food.

b. Walk Mindfully. Take a stroll around your neighborhood and observe your environment, plants, trees, flowers, and even insects. Doing this will allow you to become one with nature and your surroundings.

3. Travel and Disturb Your Routine. It's so easy to get into the habit of doing something repeatedly, and at times, you might not even realize it. Break out of your monotonous routine every once in a while and do something for you.

4. Get Lost In What You Love. Schedule some time to draw, or write, design, play music, or whatever you like to do. Just do IT! Be intentional about it and lose yourself in it.

5. Meditation or Devotion to God. This is one I'm trying to master. Always putting God first in everything I do, from waking up in the morning, talking to God, saying my prayers before I eat, and saying my prayers before bedtime. It's a continuous habit to put God first.

6. Grounding Yourself. This one is new to me. I tried it and it was helpful. There are so many examples of grounding. The few that worked for me were:

a. Placing My Bare Feet in Grass. Walking barefoot outside on cement or dirt helped me to connect to the earth that surrounds me. Messy, I know but try it. Let loose!

b. Visual Imagery. Visualizing a peaceful place to go to can be quite helpful, especially on those stressful days. I do this ALL the time. I really love going to the beach, and sometimes if I really focus I can visualize the sand on my feet and hear the water crashing against the surface floor.

c. Tapping Into Your Senses: Your 5 senses can be another grounding technique. This really can be something that works well for someone who experiences anxiety attacks. If you or someone is having an anxiety attack, help them or yourself by listing Five things you can see, Four things you can touch, Three things you can hear, Two things you can smell, and One thing they can taste.

i. Nostalgia: Nostalgia is another form of visual imagery and it ties into tapping in your senses, but I think it deserves its own bullet point. When experiencing nostalgia certain things such as the taste, feel, smell, sound, or sight of something can trigger a memory from your past. Many people reminisce about happy moments from childhood or funny random moments from their life. These memories are an example of practicing mindfulness.

7. Focus On Your Breathing: Taking 5 minutes of your day to practice slow and steady breathing can help you find your center balance. Have you ever stopped and placed your hand over your heart and felt your heartbeat. Try practicing on your breathing first thing when you wake up or before you go to bed. It may feel weird the first time but give it a try. A great way to focus on your breathing, find your center balance, and practice mindfulness all at the same time is by doing yoga. Yoga is not only great for breathing but has many great health benefits as well.

Questions To Consider:

1. How can you practice mindfulness in your everyday life?

2. Are you mindful of your environment?

3. Are you mindful of your body and how it operates? Pain? Strain? Discomfort?

4. Are you mindful of the company you keep? Not everyone deserves your time!

5. Are you mindful of other people outside of yourself?

6. Would you try any of the following tips from above?

7. Do you or have you considered practicing yoga?

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With Love, I hope that from today’s post, you can take away some valuable information about the skill of Mindfulness. Remember that being mindful of your mental, physical, and emotional health is so important. As human beings we all process a lot of information and emotions in the run of a day, that’s why it’s so essential to take a little bit of time out of your schedule to take care of yourself. I'm giving you permission to take care of you, you’ve been doing everything for everyone else, so just take some time out for yourself and be mindful of you.

~Just Breathe...A Golden Dream~

Amen.