Mindfulness: Easy ways to change your life today

A word so popular in pop culture today, we’ve heard it used in every industry from the expected health and wellness sector, to even the surprising finance sector but what does it even mean? 

Originally coined at the beginning of the 20th century, mindfulness first came into public awareness through the British magistrate T. W Rhys Davids during his time in Sri Lanka. Serving as a translation of the Buddhist term ‘Sati” which literally translates to “memory” or “retention” but is more commonly thought of as “remember to observe” 

Today, though we think of the term mindfulness as being synonymous with awareness, being present in the here and now but in today’s busy and fast-paced world full of distractions both digitally and irl it’s easy to get swept up into thoughts about the past or future. So how does being mindful affect and help you and how can you cultivate it? 

Mindfulness vs health and well-being

It may not seem like it but mindfulness can have a big impact on your overall mental and physical health and well-being. As seen in many studies, bringing mindfulness practices into your everyday life can create a huge improvement in physical health, with many studies showcasing improvements in:

• Better quality of sleep

• Lower risk of heart disease

• A stronger immune system

• Lowered heart rate

• Better gut health

• Lower cortisol levels

These can all lead to you feeling overall more positive about your life, leading to a general increase in quality of life, but the benefits don't stop there. Arguably the best benefits of mindfulness might be attributed to the mental improvement many people see in their day-to-day lives such as: 

• Lowered anxiety

• Lowered levels of depression

• Increase in focus and awareness

• A feeling of calm and peace 

• A stronger ability to handle stressful situations 

Understanding just how important and impactful bringing mindfulness into your can be is the first step, now that you’ve got the goods, this is how you work to bring that wonderful awareness into your life.

• Guided meditation (especially great before bed or first thing in the morning)

• Yoga 

• Journaling

• Grounding practices 

• Breathing exercises 

Ultimately mindfulness practices aim to improve your day to functioning by helping you to create a deeper connection with yourself and your body, allowing you to make choices that more align with who you are and help you live a more meaningful life which in turn helps you to be a better human to those around you. 

It’s also beneficial to check if your area offers any of these classes for free as many cities have programs or teachers willing to coach yoga or meditation classes for free and doing it with the community will only help you strengthen your bond with others as well as yourself. 

If you do try any of these, let us know how they impacted your life, and until next time

By: Sineade Williams