Mindfulness: Understanding this Powerful Antidote to Stress

Mindfulness and Meditation are not one in the same. Where meditation aims to strip back the external noise and dive into the role of an observer to one’s own feelings, mindfulness aims to fill the mind; to be truly “Mind-Full”, with the realities of the present moment.

The purpose behind immersing the mind into the sights and sounds of the present is based upon the idea that most of our anxiety and stress exists in the past or the future. We feel stress when we direct our focus onto actions and decisions or traumas existing in our history and we feel anxious when we look towards the tasks or events that we must complete/attend in the future. It is incredibly rare that our stress, outside of direct conflict, lives in the present moment. When one feels in a state of mental and emotional dis-ease, as thoughts of the past or future arise, taking an intimate trip into the present is often the acute antidote needed to return to contentment.

Here are two simple Mindfulness practices that you can employ the next time you begin to feel your consciousness wander into the past or future:

5-4-3-2-1 

This exercise gives you a framework for bringing you right back into the present moment. When you begin to feel stressed, take a breath and soak in your surroundings.

What 5 things can you see?

What 4 things can you touch?

What 3 things can you hear?

What 2 things can you smell?

What 1 thing can you taste?

You can not accurately complete this exercise without conscious concentration. Conclude the exercise with a deep inhale and exhale and take the next right step in your day.

3-3-Sense

Similar to the 5-1 exercise, the 3-3-Sense approach utilises your breathing patterns and senses to put your mind where your body is.

To perform this exercise, you will perform a nasal inhale for three seconds, hold the breath for three seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth. While exhaling, direct your attention towards one of your senses at a time.

On the first slow exhale, you might think about what you can physically feel.

On the second exhale, you might think about what you can hear and so on, until all of your five senses have had their share of the present moment spotlight. Conclude the exercise with a deep inhale and exhale and take the next right step in your day.

As you strengthen your mindfulness practice, you will find that your default mode becomes one of present moment focus and not one that drifts into the muddy waters of the past or future. When you do feel symptoms of stress and anxiety begin to creep in, breathe out and beat the overwhelm one sense at a time.

Mindfulness is freely accessible at any time to anyone and is an incredibly powerful antidote to stress.