What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness and mindful awareness has received a lot of media attention over the last several years and for good reason. Mindful awareness is an excellent tool for reducing anxiety and worry, as well as dispelling oncoming anxiety attacks . Mindfulness can be practiced wherever you are, making it a convenient way to bring some welcome relief from anxiety.

Mindfulness is a non-judgmental moment-to-moment focus on what’s going on with you in the present moment. It’s no more complex than paying attention to what you’re doing, thinking and feeling right now. By embracing the present moment, you have less energy to devote to scaring yourself with possible—but not probable—negative events. You also interrupt the ongoing train of worrying thoughts that robs us of immediacy.

How do I start becoming mindful?

Mindfulness starts by drawing our attention inward to our bodies and focusing our minds on the present moment. Consider that as you read this article, you’re in an environment that may be noisy or dead silent. You may feel hungry or tired, maybe energized and alert. You probably have a lot on your mind. Mindfulness as a practice asks us to draw our attention down to only what’s within our immediate environment, even down to our breathing.

Breathing is in fact one of the centers of mindfulness. Pay attention to drawing in your breath, then exhaling it. By being aware of our breathing in and breathing out, we begin to anchor ourselves in the present. Next, consider how your body feels. Are your muscles tight and bunched up? Got butterflies in your stomach? Are you fatigued? As you continue to pay attention to your breathing, focus on letting the tension flow out of your body. You don’t have to do anything more complicated than staying in the present moment.

By narrowing our focus to the present moment, we can dispel our anxiety. Many people live with far more anxiety than they have to because they imagine scenarios that involve things they can’t control. We often make ourselves a nervous wreck by living in a state of anticipatory dread. When we change our focus to the here and now, we take energy away from anxiety and use it to calm and soothe ourselves.
If you’re living with anxiety, there’s help for you. Damaris Aragon, ARNP, BC provides a full spectrum of mental health care to people in Spokane, Washington, and surrounding areas. She focuses on providing personalized, compassionate care that adheres to current evidence-based standards. Reach out to Damaris through her contact page or calling 509-342-6592.