SNACK-ing can help in staying Present
What is mindfulness? Why do we hear this term spoken in mainstream culture more now a days and why is it so important for our overall health and well-being to incorporate into our lives?
With so many distractions surrounding us at any given time such as those within life-situations, job security, screens, news/social media, situational stress or even complex emotions caused by uncontrollable circumstances to name a few, it is easy for our mind to be pulled in a million different directions. Essentially, being pulled in every direction but the one that really counts, the one in which is all we really have as humans when it comes down to it… the NOW.
Otherwise known as the present moment, this is a state of mind that many people can go their whole lives without fully experiencing not knowing that in turn, they are hindering the potential that they are meant for.
Maybe you’ve spent most of your life experiencing things like a short attention span, lousy sleep, poor digestion, anxiety, or habits of falling into negativity/comparison with others and a mindset that everything/everyone is working against you, thinking all the while “this is just how it’s supposed to be” – I’m here to tell you the opposite!
Introducing mindfulness practices into your life can help decrease stress, enhance mental health, create better self control, improve academic results, help with anxiety/depression/addiction as well as improve sleep/energy levels, help promote weight loss and establish better general health. On top of these amazing benefits, I have personally experienced deeper connections within myself, those around me and the world I live in through becoming a more mindful person.
There are various practices that embrace the concept of mindfulness such as yoga, meditation, grounding, breath work, nature walks, adult coloring books, and visualization techniques to name a few but to put it most simply, mindfulness is observing your life as it is happening and being present in the NOW. Taking notice of thoughts as they arise without the need to attach yourself to them or identify as it and allowing feelings to exist without letting them drive your actions. Instead it’s working to take action based on your intuition, not on old habits, future expectations or short term convenience. To live more mindfully is to accept your current situation without judgment; accepting where you are in the NOW but knowing you have the power to co-create your reality in every moment with mindful intention.
A friendly disclaimer that this is not a practice that blossoms overnight and does indeed take the work of tuning inward/being open but it will be worth it. Speaking from personal experience within my own life, I can only invite you to experience this practice for yourself and hope that you do so. Here is a tasty SNACK for you to take away from today’s reading and help get your mindfulness practice under way!
When you feel anxious or overwhelmed, reach for a mindfulness SNACK:
Stop – simply just stop whatever you are doing (stopping by definition requires us to begin again and we always have permission to begin again).
Notice – what is happening within you and around you.
Accept – this is a tricky one, whatever it is you are struggling with (time, school, work, kids, sleepiness, frustration) acknowledge it for what it is without judgment. It’s about accepting that what is happening is not happening to you, it is merely your life-situation that you are being faced with, it is not inherently the thing that makes you, YOU.
Curious – ground yourself with questions about your experience and environment: what am I feeling? What do I need right now?
Kindness – Respond to yourself and others (mistakes and all) with kindness and observe how that helps things get back on track.
