Mindfulness - what is it actually?

There is more and more talk about mindfulness in recent years. It is supposed to relax us and bring us down to earth. But what is it and how does it work? How fitting that I had to write an elaboration on the topic with a few classmates during my training. I would like to show you a few parts of it, in which I answer these questions.

What is it anyway? The attempt of a definition...

There are several different definitions of mindfulness. I have summarized two definitions for you:

1. Mindfulness can be defined as the ability to notice feelings, thoughts, emotions and the environment without judgment while motivating openness, curiosity and acceptance → it is perceiving things as they are!
2. A heightened form of paying attention to the sensations and actions of the present moment.

Personally, I think everyone has to eventually see for themselves what mindfulness means to them personally. But here's an idea of what it might be. Except that the definition itself doesn't say much at first either. Therefore we come to the next question...

But how am I "mindful"? Can I train mindfulness?

The best known method of mindfulness training and the method presented below is called MBSR - "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction" and translated means "stress management through mindfulness" and was developed by the American Kabat-Zinn.

The method of MBSR is composed of insights from behavioral medicine and meditation. Behavioral medicine builds on the bio-psycho-social understanding and thus sees the human being as a whole. Accordingly, it shows that physical (biological) symptoms - through the constant interaction of body, mind and spirit - are an expression of an imbalance in the psychological and social spheres of life.

In MBSR there are different elements of mindfulness training: the body scan, walking meditation, mindful movement exercises/yoga, sitting meditation, mindfulness in everyday life and reflection. However, I do not want to go into the individual basic elements here.

This all sounds relatively theoretical at first, so I would like to describe what mindfulness means to me in everyday life.

For me, being mindful means consciously perceiving a moment. I then consciously notice how I feel, how my body feels. I consciously perceive my environment in all its facets. I notice what I see, hear, taste, feel. I try to remain completely with myself and actually just perceive without interpreting. And also without judging. If I am feeling bad or stressed, I simply try to perceive that without directly wanting to change anything about it.

Before I yell at my child, I notice what is happening inside me. I notice that I am angry. I notice that I don't want to yell. I notice that I am losing control. And I draw my consequence. Maybe I take a few deep breaths or I count to 10 or I leave the room for a moment. That's an everyday example of me being mindful.

But what is mindfulness good for?

I think that this example has already made it quite clear what mindfulness can be good for. Through it I come to myself. I feel myself and perhaps understand my own reactions and feelings better again. I am more attentive to the moment again. I no longer live in the past or in the future. I live in the now and consciously perceive the moment. I enjoy everyday life or notice where I should perhaps change something.

The cover image comes from unsplash.com.