Achieving Mindfulness In A Stressful Situation

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives” – Annie Dillard

The only way to have control over our thoughts is by being mindful. What is mindfulness? and Why is it that important?

The definition of mindfulness is best explained by being “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us”. (Mindful, 2020)

It is way of having “control over our thoughts” and determine the unhelpful ones from the helpful.

It is about knowing where you are at this point in time, without the reflection of past events or the anticipation of the future.

It is being in the NOW.

Don’t let your mind take you to unwanted trips, stay focused and present.

The key point to achieve inner peace, is by accepting and not resisting. You can start by accepting the situation as it is, embracing whatever life has to offer.

Life can bring happy moments and sunshine, but it can also bring problems and difficulties. It is definitely not easy to manage, therefore, accept what has happened and recognise that you really cannot change what is happening. Once you accept, you can respond to it in an objective manner. Acceptance brings a state of calm where you can rest without necessarily needing things to be different.

How can you embrace the situation? Below are some steps that can help you achieve mindfulness:

1. Write down the experience/situation that you are not accepting. By stating the problem and expressing your feelings you are acknowledging it. Allow your emotions to flow- this is called externalising and let things out.
2. Notice which part of your body feels tense. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and imagine that when you inhale, that breath is healing the area of tightness and when you exhale you are exhaling the stress/pain out of your system. Repeat until you heal that area. It works 😉
3. Moving to acceptance: try to accept the small and the big changes that happened and are happening. See the situations for what they are and adapt to them. Ask yourself what do you need to do to increase your acceptance? What aspects of the situation do you have control over? What can you do to solve the problem? Where can you use your energy to be more productive? How can you shift the situation to your benefit? When you have your answers act upon them. They will lead you to the right path.
4. If you cannot solve an issue or dissolve a problem right now, then accept that you cannot do so, and trust when it happens then the universe will support you and help you deal with it.

Start planning the change, and always remember,

“The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.” – Spencer Johnson.

You can choose to focus on either the past or the present moment, but always check that how you act and react on now is right for your inner self.

So, what do you choose in the Now 😉 to do?