#1 Therapy Tool That Will Improve Your Life

Mindfulness is:

a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

All of us already are mindful to some degree. Exercising your ability to be mindful allows for it to naturally occur more often in order to harness its benefits in your life and in your relationships.

Mindfulness is evidence based and has a long history of positive benefits for those who choose to practice it.

  • Decreased stress

  • Emotion regulation

  • Increased attention and focus

  • Lessened anxiety

  • Decreased depression

  • Increased self-compassion

  • Improved general health

  • Better relationship satisfaction

  • Overall quality of life

Many people do not know that such a powerful tool exists. Those that do, often feel it "isn't for them" or its an unattainable goal. When I practice in session with a client, they often report that the experience of engaging in the exercise is "relaxing" or "easy" but, when I check in the next week to see if they were able to try it on their own, they say they "forgot" or "didn't need to" because they felt fine.

I cannot stress this enough.

DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU FEEL BAD TO USE THIS.

MINDFULNESS IS A SKILL.

Practice when things are good so you will be ready when something comes up.

This stuff is all scientific fact! If we have a way to get all of those benefits, why not give it a try?

Well... because its hard to get started. Allowing our minds to relax and notice what is going on around us can be a bit uncomfortable at first. We are constantly surrounded by noise, people, phones, TV, ads, worrying, thinking, thinking, and more thinking!

We know we should do it and then as soon as it's time to start we thinking of ALL the other things that are more important.

In psychology world, this is called resistance.

Overcoming Resistance

The first step to overcoming resistance to mindfulness is noticing that it is there. Ask yourself,

  • What feelings are present? Anxiety? Fear? Irritability?

  • Where do I notice these feelings in my body? Tension? Fidgeting?

  • What are my thoughts about engaging in this exercise?

Just be aware of the feelings, sensations, and thoughts. Do not try to change them or do not put yourself down because of them. The exercise is simple, notice how you feel with curiosity and compassion.

That's it! Starting with simply noticing the resistance is progress toward making mindfulness part of your lifestyle.

Conclusion

If you are engaging in therapy or if you want to be, but aren't ready to take the steps to start, try this. Your therapist, will likely recommend some version of a mindfulness practice to you anyway and it will help you get closer to the results your looking for.

Whether you are a client of mine or not, I encourage you to subscribe and follow along to get more information on this FREE amazing tool and tips on how to use practically use mindfulness to improve your life.



Jaclyn MatthewsComment