Benefits of mindfulness
Posted on September 07, 2016 by Anastasia Krasnoshtein, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
What is Mindfulness and why everyone talk about it
Mindfulness has lately been a “hot” thing in the Western world. Doctors, counselors and teachers advise their clients and students to practice mindfulness through meditation, simple observation and breath. Israeli doctors take courses on mindfulness and claim it improves their patient’s condition. So what is mindfulness and how it can assist you in your goals attainment?
In simple words, mindfulness is a state of mind that subjectively feels like clarity, focus and relaxation at the same time. When someone is being mindful, he is aware of the surroundings, activities around him while being focused on the internal sensations and thoughts. Through mindfulness one learns to control her reactions to the external stimuli of any kind, which results in a sense of relaxation, improved self-awareness, fewer negative emotions and better focus at work.
How can one practice mindfulness?
Eastern wisdom traditions include following mindfulness practices: sitting and walking meditation, tai-chi, haiku, martial arts as awakening to the nature of reality.
Many ordinary activities can lead to moment-to-moment awareness if practiced with full attention and presence. One can experience mindfulness while journaling, singing, dancing or walking. Prayer is also a form of mindfulness activity. Coach can help you to learn how to make those daily activities serve the purpose of mind observation and full awareness.
Since the concept of mindfulness arrived in the west in the 1970’s these benefits have been substantiated by several clinical studies. As a result, mindfulness had been recommended as a complimentary method in treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among others.
The aim of mindfulness is to help individuals do the following:
• recognize and control negative, habitual reactions
• reduce anxiety
• increase productivity at work
• respond more effectively to situations
• enhance creativity
• feel more balanced at work and at home
Thinking man
Let the numbers speak
According to the Mental Health Foundation, studies looking at the effectiveness of MBSR have reported the following benefits:
• 70% reduction in anxiety
• increase in disease-fighting antibodies
• better quality of sleep
• fewer negative feelings, including tension, anger and depression
• improvements in physical conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and psoriasis.
Mindfulness training takes forms of:
open monitoring meditation
walking
yoga
self-observation exercises
breathing exercises
martial arts
