Through life’s large and small challenges, it’s helpful to find an anchor to keep you grounded. A mindfulness practice can offer just that.
In honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re highlighting the ways mindfulness can help transform your mental health.
“Mindfulness is something you can incorporate into your daily routine, and it can make a huge difference in reducing your stress,” says Jami Blachowski, a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with ThedaCare Behavioral Health.
Defining Mindfulness
Mindfulness is essentially a practice of keeping your awareness in the moment. It calls for accepting your experience without judgment or expectation.
A mindfulness practice can help you step back from the barrage of thoughts inside your mind. The goal is to better understand your thought patterns and what’s happening in the moment.
“The great thing about practicing mindfulness is that it can be done anywhere. You don’t need to go to the gym or get a prescription,” Blachowski says. “It also pairs well with and supports other medical treatments or counseling that you may be receiving.”
How it Works
Mindfulness helps you become aware of your emotions and how you respond to them. This can help you override the “autopilot” that carries you through parts of your day.
Through mindfulness, you can better notice and stay ahead of unhealthy mental habits. Paying attention to your thoughts and your body’s signals allows you to more easily identify the lead-up to anxiety, depression and harmful stress. It also offers a way to help manage problems rather than avoid them.
“Mindfulness is a way to tune out the noise in our heads — especially the thoughts that create judgment, shame, urgency and stress,” Blachowski says.
A mindfulness practice can improve physical and mental health alike. Physical health benefits can lead to improvements in sleep, immune system response, diabetes control and blood pressure. From a mental health perspective, people can help better manage anxiety, depression, stress and anger problems, to name just a few.
5 Mindfulness Practices to Try
If you’re a mindfulness novice, here are five common practices you can consider.
1. Breathing
“This method involves concentrating on your breathing,” Blachowski says. “It sounds simple, but it does wonders in bringing your awareness to the present.”
Feel your body inhale and exhale, and count the time between your breaths. You can engage in mindful breathing anywhere you happen to be. Allow whatever you feel in both your body and mind while maintaining attention to your breath. Simply observe any emotion or sensation and return to your breathing. Need help starting? Try box breathing or the 4-7-8 technique.
2. Walking
Also called “walking meditation,” this mindfulness method can help bring your attention back to the present moment through focusing on your steps and the sensations in your body. You can engage in this practice while walking outdoors or even traversing around your home or office.
“Focus on the sensations in your muscles as you stand and shift your balance from foot to foot,” Blachowski says. “Keep your attention on the sensations in your body. If you lose your focus, bring your awareness back to walking, attuning to the muscles in your feet as you move your body.”
3. Listening
Sometimes called active listening, this practice improves mindfulness through paying attention to sounds and interactions with others. That could be listening attentively to a conversation you’re having or tuning in to the environment around you.
“When you’re talking with a coworker or a family member, pay attention to their words and body language when they speak,” Blachowski says. “If you’re alone, focus on the sounds around you: the hum of the fridge indoors or the wind rustling in the trees outdoors.”
4. Sitting
Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor, your hands in your lap, and your back straight. Breathe through your nose and pay attention to your breath as it moves in and out. If thoughts creep in or you become distracted, simply acknowledge the experience and turn your mind back to your breath.
“Sitting meditation can be challenging at first for people who are used to being on the go, but after some practice, it will come more naturally,” Blachowski says. “Sometimes a guided meditation can help tame ‘monkey mind’ as well. Many free apps are available.”
5. Body scan
This method can be especially helpful for winding down in the evening or just before you fall asleep. A body scan can help you become aware of areas of tightness and relax those muscles to release tension.
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms up, and your legs extended. Start with the top of your head and tune in to any emotions, thoughts or sensations connected with each section of your body, Blachowski says. Continue down slowly through each body part.
Simply Start
“Your practice doesn’t have to be formal or look any certain way,” Blachowski says. “Studies show that even five to 15 minutes of daily mindfulness meditation can help reduce stress.”
The key is to practice regularly and pay attention to your patterns. If you do better with some guidance, you can connect to plenty of helpful apps or instructional videos on YouTube.
“Most of us know that we need to keep our body moving for optimal health,” Blachowski says. “Give the same consideration to your psyche, and think of mindfulness as an investment in both your mental and physical well-being.”
