Meghan S.A lot has been made of mindfulness — focusing on the present moment and being aware and in-tune with your thoughts, feelings, and environment — and its potential benefits. There is a lot of evidence that suggests mindfulness practices, such as mindfulness meditation, can help improve your health and wellbeing. It may reduce the symptoms of certain mental health ailments, such as anxiety and depression, and may even help to relieve hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It can also help you to combat stress, which can compound in our personal and work lives as we approach and overcome significant obstacles. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, meditation can help improve your attention span, make it easier both to fall and to stay asleep, and can even help combat insomnia and level out your blood pressure. This is why developing a mindfulness routine, whereby you meditate on a daily or near-daily basis, can be so beneficial to your physical and mental health and wellbeing.
However, despite the benefits of mindfulness, it can still be difficult to dedicate all of the effort toward sticking with one of these routines. Personally, I can say that despite having tried a lot of mindfulness tips, and strategies, not all of them have truly resonated with or worked for me. It’s not for a lack of trying, nor is it because I don’t want them to work, but they simply haven’t been the ones for me. However, there is one mindfulness tip that does actually work for me, and that I have been able to stick to long-term, which I would love to share with you now.
The Mindful Pause
Sometimes, it can seem like days fly by at the speed of a jet — piercing through the clouds without pausing to take in the view — and we hardly recognize that our life is passing us by. It occurred to me that I didn’t love the feeling of losing my time. I didn’t enjoy the idea of embracing mundanity, of allowing my perception of time to speed up without taking a moment to recognize the beauty and importance of each present moment. Time is fleeting, but it does not have to feel even more so.
That is where the mindful pause comes in. There are times where it can pay to simply take a step back and realize your place in the present moment. A mindful pause helps just do that: it is an intentional pause that allows us to shift from making automatic, reflexive decisions, to making ones that take more deliberate, thoughtful decisions. Doing this helps you to slow down your perception of time and enjoy the present more thoroughly. If you set reminders for yourself, and stick to it (as I have), you can use mindful pauses to lengthen your days and enjoy moments longer. You can go from running on autopilot to taking manual control. This can help you to reduce stress, improve your overall concentration and creativity, and have a more intentional, mindful, and enjoyable daily experience.
Use What Works for You
While mindful pause is a great way for me to practice mindfulness on a daily basis, it may not be the same for you. There are other practices, like mindfulness meditation, mindful eating, mindful driving, and mindful workouts that you can try to see if they are the right methods for you. Whatever your preferences, I highly recommend finding a mindfulness routine that works for you. The benefits — both for your mental and physical health — are quite astounding, and you will be happy you have tools to fall back on when you need to alleviate stress. If you are interested in other lifestyle, wellness, or mindfulness topics, please make sure to check out our other blogs! We are always working on new articles to help you navigate everything from meditative practices to organizational mastery. Until next time!
