Let’s stop making mindfulness something that it isn’t. It’s not a magic button that you push in your mind and all your problems dissolve! It’s not the great cure-all! Mindfulness is something we all have within ourselves, it’s just whether we choose to use it.
Simply put, mindfulness is a way of being aware of what’s going on around you and learning to not be judgemental of yourself, situations or people. It is the opposite of being distracted, yet you can be mindful of being distracted. It is the opposite of being on autopilot, yet after enough practice it becomes automatic.
The more you become aware of yourself, how you feel, how you want to be around others the more it will become natural. As you become increasingly aware of yourself, you learn to take life and your surroundings more fully and even the most mundane activities can become rich, full of texture and volume, and we can experience them anew each time we encounter them.
Try to stay open to life and its challenges. See each day as a new beginning and the chance to learn new things. Meet new people with an open heart and try not to judge.
Every time we experience true openness and get past the anxiety of not knowing, our nervous systems relax—and that relaxation is deeply nourishing for the parts of us that remain young and afraid.
Mindfulness is not about becoming a better business person, a more focused worker, a more efficient human being, or even an enlightened person. Mindfulness is about becoming more intimate with yourself, more aware of your direct experience in a more alive way.
If however, you use mindfulness in your everyday experiences it can lead to you being more productive at work, more ease at finding intimacy with others, and developing new relationships.
No two people are the same. We move through life at our own pace and down our path. Each experience we have is unique to us and the way we handle is also unique.
Part of our path requires us to find for ourselves what it is we need to keep opening to it. Mindfulness helps us develop that sensitivity, in learning little by little how to truly live in the moment.
The more we use mindfulness the more we become in touch with ourselves and find out what is it we need, desire, or want out of our lives.
However, we can’t do this alone; we need others on our journey. We need to feel our connections and connect with others to know ourselves. We also need the guidance of others who are further along the path.
This is where I come in. I am here to help you on your individual journey and set you on the road to finding your inner peaceful self.
Feel free to contact me and together we can find a better you.
Jimi D Katsis Bristol-based consultant psychotherapist specialising in recovery from anxiety, trauma, and depression.