How to Practice Mindfulness

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Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. It’s about intentionally and gently directing attention to your experience of the present moment. The goal is to deliberately observe your thoughts, feelings, and sensations, rather than react to them.

 

As humans, we tend to grasp what feels good and attempt to escape or suppress uncomfortable experiences. The problem is that when we push against undesirable experiences, they often push back. Harder. When we are mindful, we turn off autopilot and start to see our thoughts for what they are: temporary mental events that can sometimes be inaccurate and unhelpful.

 

Mindfulness has numerous benefits including:

 

  • Increased ability to cope with stress
  • Improved concentration and creativity
  • Greater energy and enthusiasm
  • Better work performance
  • Improved self esteem
  • Reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain
  • Improved immune system

 

Here are four ways you can practice mindfulness:

 

  • Walk Mindfully

Take a leisurely walk, and pay attention to the movement of your body and the sights and sounds of your surroundings. Even everyday activities like walking, eating, washing dishes, and showering can be done mindfully. Any present-moment experience is an opportunity to practice cultivating mindfulness. The key is to bring a non-critical attitude to the process: observe what you’re doing, feeling, thinking, and sensing, one moment at a time.

 

  • Observe your thoughts

Become aware of your thoughts and non-judgmentally observe them as they come and go like they are clouds passing in the sky. Practicing mindful awareness helps us face uncomfortable experiences with acceptance, rather than feeling the need to “fix” things right away. This is different from passive resignation or “giving in” to suffering. It’s about making a conscious choice to allow mental and emotional space for difficult experiences. We can still strive for change and self-improvement, but starting from a place of mindful acceptance can empower us to effectively tackle challenges that come our way.

 

  • Breathe

Focus your attention on your breath, the inhale and exhale. If your mind wanders, that’s OK. Just gently bring your attention back to your breath without judgment. The breath is a useful vehicle for practicing mindfulness, since it’s always with you and always happening in the present moment. Bringing kind-hearted awareness to the breath for even a few minutes each day can help anchor you in the present.

 

 

  • Complete the Mindfulness module on the Thrive UT app

 

Thrive UT is a free phone app that strives to enhance the well being all of UT students. Download Thrive UT and check out the module for Mindfulness to learn more about ways to integrate mindfulness in your daily life.

Check out our discussion board and interactive activity on mindfulness!