Mindfulness: Powerful Awareness You’re Not Aware of

Is mindfulness overhyped?

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Well-being is defined as the state of being happy, healthy or comfortable. It’s such a nice term. Do you know what’s even nicer? It’s knowing how to improve your well-being through mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a method or practice of improving your well-being by telling you to slow down and focus on the present moment you’re in. It encourages you to accept everything at the moment without judgement and hesitation. It involves acceptance of your feelings, sensations, thoughts, and the environment around you without determining if they’re right or wrong. Your thoughts sync with what you perceive moment-by-moment. You live in the now without rewinding the past and fast-forwarding into the future.

Isn’t mindfulness the same as meditation? Is there even a difference?

Mindfulness and meditation are often used interchangeably and even in combination (mindfulness meditation). This adds to a lot of confusion. Mindfulness is about being aware. You’re consciously mindful and paying close attention to your feelings, thoughts, movements, and behaviour. You also notice the effect you have on the people, things, and surrounding environment.

When we think of meditation, we think of someone clearing their mind (or emptying it) and is formally seated in a meditation posture. During meditation, your focus is geared inward to optimise your concentration, peace, calmness, and emotional balance. There are numerous types of meditation, like visualisation, mantra-based, breath-awareness, loving-kindness, and guided meditations.
Mindfulness can be practised anytime, anywhere, and practically applied to any situation or thing. On the other hand, meditation is usually designated for a specific time and place.
Mindfulness is predominantly an awareness of your outer self, while meditation is mostly focusing on your inner self. The practices of mindfulness and meditation do overlap. Think of them as complementing each other, both with the same goal of calming your chaotic mind. Some would even argue that mindfulness is a form of meditation. In this article, we will treat mindfulness as a separate practice.

Where did the term mindfulness come from?

The term mindfulness is said to have originated from the Sanskrit term smrti and Pali counterpart sati. A set of terms that translated commonly as bare attention. It’s derived from Buddhist traditions and is based on Tibetan and Zen meditation practices. You can imagine how far back these disciplines started. That’s how early mindfulness might have started.
Western awareness of mindfulness came into realisation during the 1970s when psychiatrists and psychologists figured out its therapeutic applications for depression, stress, and anxiety. Even drug addicts were given a glimpse of the positive effects of mindfulness.
It was in part through the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School that a secular form or practice of mindfulness became mainstream and the centre of attention for those interested in its benefits. In 1979, he formulated his MBSR program (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) which inspired and attracted numerous followers and advocates. After understanding his mindfulness methods, hundreds of research studies have documented the positive mental and physical benefits of mindfulness.

What are some of the significant research studies on mindfulness?

Mindfulness is good for your brain and immune health. A 2003 research study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that mindfulness may produce demonstrable positive effects on your immune and brain function. The scientists measured brain electrical activities and protein (antibody) levels in the blood after a period of practising mindfulness. In response to the administration of the influenza vaccine, they observed increased protein levels compared to the control group. They also recorded increased left-sided brain electrical activity simultaneous with the rise in protein levels. Both results correlate with a stronger immune system.
Mindfulness can fight depression and reduce stress. A 2010 study that appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry concluded that mindfulness (specifically MBCT or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) has the same level of protection from depression relapse as long-term maintenance antidepressant medications. Mindful people also made less use of avoidance coping to reduce stress. Avoidance coping is a negative way of dealing with a problem (called stressor) by escaping it and may include social withdrawal.
Mindful people focus better. A 2011 scientific study discovered that mindfulness can screen out distracting or unwanted information. This study, which was published in Brain Research Bulletin journal, demonstrated that the brain electrical activity after mindfulness training improved the ability of the volunteers to focus and minimise the effects of distractions.
Mindfulness can help fight obesity. Being aware you’re obese doesn’t reduce your weight. Let’s get that out of the way first. Mindful people practice mindful eating. This involves slowly tasting your food, recognising your hunger and fullness levels, and being more accepting of healthy food choices. There’s a whole subculture of mindfulness for fighting obesity, and it’s called MB-EAT (Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training).
Mindful people view themselves more positively. A positive image of oneself can certainly go a long way in several aspects of one’s life. A 2017 study suggests that mindful people are happier because they have a positive view of themselves and have a better idea of who they are. Remember that mindfulness involves awareness and acceptance without judgement.

How do you practice mindfulness?

There’s a tremendous amount of research accumulating yearly with regards to mindfulness. Mindfulness is practised, adapted, and applied in different settings and situations. It has branched out to different training programs and institutions. At the most basic level, you can practice mindfulness with these simple steps:

SIT. Find a safe, calm, and quiet place to go to. Make sure you’re in a comfortable and stable position. A seated position is preferred over a standing one.
SET A TIME LIMIT. If you’re just getting started, 10 to 15 minutes of mindfulness will do. Set a time limit using the alarm clock on your cell phone or watch, so you don’t get distracted checking on the time.
BREATHE. Focus on your breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly. This will be your anchor point.
WHEN YOUR MIND WANDERS AND YOU REALISE IT, RETURN. Your mind will wander away from your breathing and may even go on autopilot. This is the tricky part. Once you’ve noticed that your mind has wandered (after 10 seconds or 2 minutes), simply return your focus on your breathing.
DON’T THINK OR JUDGE. Show kindness to your wandering mind. Relax. It’s a fact that your mind will wander. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. No judgements are needed, and you shouldn’t obsess over the things you had thought about when your mind was wandering. Judgement may also be perceived as thinking and lead to wandering.

A wandering mind isn’t something you should be frustrated about. It’s part of being human. Being able to realise that your mind has wandered and gone back to breathing, that’s the part that improves your health and well-being. The more you engage in this mind exercise, the more easily and consciously you will be able to return to the present moment you’re in. No autopilot, no wandering around. Your breathing serves as your anchor point, something to go back to. As time passes by, you’ll notice that your mind tends to wander a lot less. Also, you will be able to use different points to go back to like any one of your senses, what you’re feeling, anything happening in your immediate surroundings, as long as they’re in the moment you’re presently in.

Mindfulness is quite natural once you notice it’s existence. Unfortunately, there’s so much information bombarding our brains about mindfulness that it gets frustrating even to get started. Remember, make it simple by following the steps enumerated.

Research has indicated that a daily mindfulness practice of 30-45 minutes can offer benefits that include:

If you’re just starting, try breaking the session into two separate 10 to 15-minute periods.

Mindfulness in a variety of settings and countries

Mindfulness has been documented to improve and help kids manage their emotions, possess self-control, and pay close attention. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? You’ll be happy to know that one of the mindfulness programs called Pause, Breathe, Smile (PBS) is taught locally in some schools in New Zealand by well-trained educators. More information regarding this programme will be available in our upcoming article on mindfulness for kids.
In 2018, Australia’s first mindfulness curriculum was launched. This was the result of a collaboration between mindfulness experts, psychologists, and educators. It was spearheaded by the team responsible for the mindfulness meditation app Smiling Mind. Mindfulness training programs for individuals are also available in New Zealand and Australia.
Similar training programs have also established their roots in other countries like the US and UK. In February 2019, up to 370 schools in the UK have participated in one of the largest mindfulness trials in the world. Other countries in the Western hemisphere are slowly beginning to realise the positive effects of mindfulness.
Another use of mindfulness is in the realm of sports. Mindfulness-based sports programs are utilising mindfulness techniques to give them an additional edge in performance over their competition. The US military has also expressed their interest as to how they use mindfulness to their advantage. They use mindfulness to help soldiers have resilience and deal with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Even medical students use mindfulness to increase compassion towards their patients and decrease depression and burnout.

Mindfulness can be used as a tool to increase your awareness of the things happening around you, leading to more productivity with less anxiety and stress. Use it regularly to prevent a wandering mind, achieve a happy life, and improve your well-being. Start with the basic steps first (sit, set a time limit, breathe, when your mind wanders, simply return, don’t think, rinse and repeat). Trying to comprehend all the benefits and techniques of mindfulness at the same time will make it appear as overhyped and useless. Get advanced courses or learn more applications of mindfulness once you’ve mastered the basic steps.

We will have more available information and practical tips on how to practice mindfulness at home, in the workplace and for your kids in upcoming articles.