Mindfulness refers to the art of noticing the present reality. It is bringing your mind back to your body to get in touch with the present and knowing what’s going on around you. Introspection is often the biggest obstacle.
Rather than fighting and changing the way you feel, you can find more peace by accepting it. Mindfulness will empower you to take control of your feelings and reactions to experience life more fully.
Being Mindful in Body and Thought
Being mindful is the art of knowing what is happening in your body and mind at a given moment. It is also being able to experience your present reality without altering it in any way.
Many people complain about their physique, weight, flexibility, looks, and other physical attributes instead of appreciating their bodies. Even if your body has not changed at all, you have the opportunity to learn to take care of it and appreciate its complexities.
The art of mindfulness emphasizes bringing your body to the ‘here and now.’ Mindful practices help you love and appreciate your body, including:
- Reflection
- Gentle touch
- Self-awareness
- Self-love
Being mindful of your brain means training it to be more integrated with your body and less distracted to improve focus. Mindfulness will help you overcome withdrawal, denial, avoidance, and other depressive tendencies, and enhance your positive thinking.
What does mindfulness do to your brain?
- Reduce stress–mindfulness shrinks the grey matter in your amygdala, the part of your brain responsible for stress.
- Enhance creativity-mindfulness can enlarge the grey matter in your brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for things like controlling your emotions, planning, and problem-solving. The practice increases brain activity and boosts creativity.
- Boost memory—mindfulness helps thicken the hippocampus, an area in your brain for memory and learning.
Being Mindful in the Environment
Environmental mindfulness is an approach to human connection with the natural world that increases sustainability. Not only does it enhance your bond with nature, but it also makes you rethink how your activities affect the ecosystem.
Our daily habits genuinely add up for the good or detriment of the environment. You need to reflect on what you’re doing to that end. By adopting an environmentally friendly lifestyle, you’re directly maintaining and improving your environment.
If you’d like to be cautious about the environment, keep these three things in mind:
- Eat more plants—Consuming less animal protein, and eating more plant-based food reduces stress on your environment. The World Health Organization projects that meat consumption will go up from 218 million tons in 1999 to 376 million tons by 2030, a 72% increase.
Livestock accounts for 18% of Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG), which is higher than the emission of produced transportation. It also emits 35% of the world’s methane, which is well above the global warming ideal for carbon dioxide.
- Mindful power consumption—Consider replacing your power-hungry home appliances with energy-saving types. From energy-efficient refrigerators and washers to LED bulbs these small steps can help save a bundle on your Direct Energy bill.
- Ditch plastic—Plastic is a major cause of pollution. Worryingly, the volume of plastic refuse in landfills each day is increasing. Plastics take over 1,000 years to biodegrade and produce toxic fumes when incinerated. The only solution is ditching plastics entirely, including being more mindful of water bottles, plastic cartons, plastic straws, and diapers.
Being Mindful with Your Finances
Being frugal should not be a source of frustration but a deliberate decision of how you want to live your life. You should not focus on how much you are spending but also the motivation behind it.
When it comes to mindful finances, you have to focus on the future, but you still have to meet your daily needs. Taking a mindful approach to money helps you stay focused so that you won’t feel overwhelmed with budgets, spending choices, and debts.
How do you attain financial mindfulness?
- Set intentions before you shop
- Create a spending plan
- Be accountable
- Meditate and stay focused
- Talk about your finances
- Set financial goals
You can become easily distracted when you go shopping and end up buying more stuff than you need or being impulsive. Being mindful when shopping means you stop shopping once you’ve bought what’s on the list.
You can only be mindful of the environment and your finances if you’re conscious of your thoughts and body. Accept your present, and change your habits and lifestyle, and everything else will fall right into place.
