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To me, mindfulness always sounded a bit new age-y. I always thought it had a to do with spirituality, people in natural fabric clothes and sandals, sitting cross-legged on the floor meditating for hours surrounded by singing bowls and incense.

For a while I have been reading quite a lot of books and in some of the books 'normal people' said they were being more mindful and pacticed meditation. This caught my interest, so I started reading more books on these subjects. One of these books was a nice, down-to-earth perspective on meditation, with explanations of the background and research.

Information overload

We live in a world full of distractions. Loads of information are poured over us through various mediums; TV, radio, billboards, people. And besides that, many of us even tank a lot more information via our smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers. Sometimes we just need to take a break and give our brain some rest, so we take a pause. But what do we do during our breaks? We check our messages, doomscroll, go for a walk with music or an audiobook. A lot of people even keep scrolling on their phone during eating. Yes, these were the things I also frequently did (and sometimes still do). But reading these books about how your brain works, did give me some new insights, which I will share with you below.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness means consciously focussing your attention on what they call, the here and now. Don't think about what has happened earlier that day, don't think about what is ahead. Keep your attention to the thing you are doing and only that and use your full attention for this.

Countless times I quickly downed a cup of coffee so I could continue what I was doing. With mindfulness you keep your full focus on drinking your coffee. First you smell the aroma. Try closing your eyes first, and experience you will even smell it better then. Feel the warmth of the coffee cup on your fingers. Taste the bitterness of the coffee on your tongue. Feel the coffee continue its way into your intestines. It's really funny how a simple thing as drinking a coffee can calm you down.

You can practice mindfulness with many things you do. Just keep focussed on the activity and the things your senses are experiencing. You can do it while walking. No earplugs, no phone. Just you and your senses. Smell the air, feel the sun on your skin or the rain if it's raining. Follow your breating pattern. Listen to the sounds around you. Because you're paying attention to that, you aren't thinking that you still need to get graceries, you have another meeting and you need to to the dentist later that day. It really gives your mind some rest.

But there are many other things you can do mindful. Showering, eating, cycling and even when lying down or sitting...

Meditation

And that last thing, that is what you can call meditation. The thing I found a bit weird at first is actually sitting still, not thinking about things. And I can tell you one thing in advance; you aren't going to succeed in that. At least, the chance you do are very, very small. I've been trying a couple forms of meditation. I've tried guiding podcasts and even an app, but I just couldn't stand the whispering voices of the narrators telling me what to do.
But you actually don't have to do anything special. You just have to try and don't think about anything. You don't even need to lay down or sit with your legs crossed. For me it works when I just sit comfortably, close my eyes and focus on my breath. I set a timer on my phone for a couple of minutes and just sit and breathe. When I first tried it I was so amazed how many times I could think about things while I planned not to think about things. It's just impossible. But it also shouldn't be the goal. When you think about something, notice it, let it go and put your focus back on your breath. Just as long as the next though appears. That's just your mind. That is what it does. It is possible that you get better at it. You might be able to keep your thoughts away for a longer time.

My experiences

I've experienced how mindfulness has made me appreciate things more. Just a simple coffee or an icecream taste way better when you eat or drink it mindfully. Despite the fact that I learned this, I still do a lot of things without mindfullness. But I do think it is good to do it a couple of times a day. Just to give yourself a break from a hectic day and stop the overload of information just for a few minutes. Give your brain some rest. I also don't meditate a lot and often just five minutes, but because it's only 5 minites I can perfectly do it a short break without being disturbed. I do would like to try some longer sessions sometime, so maybe I will one day. It shouldn't be that hard I think.

Share your experiences

I wonder which of you are also practicing mindfulness and or meditation or if you have ever tried it. I would like to hear about your personal experiencens. Please let me know in the comments.

Friendlymoose

I'm an amateur photographer with a love for indoor gardening, craft beer, and cycling. As the owner of the Cycling Community and the creator of the Topcomment initiative, I focus on fostering engagement and bringing like-minded people together. Check out my projects below!

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