Being Mindful ...

MMindfulness is becoming more and more mainstream. It seems as though everywhere I look, whether In randlph is online or at at the grocery store there is something about mindfulness. It can seem overwhelming at times with the constant onslaught of information about this topic. I have had some clients tell me " mindfulness is NOT for me". And when I ask them why they feel that way, the answer I get most often is " I am not into all of that meditation stuff, so just forget it." 

This is where a lot of the information that is out there regarding mindfulness can be misleading. Let's face it, we are all different creatures of habit and do things that are unique to ourselves. So, knowing that, why should mindfulness be approached any differently. 

The BASIS of mindfulness is to "BE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT". I ask my clients this question a lot and now I will ask this of you. Have you ever had a time when you are in a discussion, meeting or and argument when all of a sudden you realize , you have no idea what is being said or what is going on? Somehow your mind managed to take you out of the present moment and when you come back to the present moment you are seemingly lost.

This is where mindfulness comes in handy, and it is not all meditation, essential oils and patterned breathing. Although those are all great strategies if you are interested. Mindfulness is really a way of re-training our brains to focus on the " here and now". And the way it is achieved is by using different strategies. I have had clients who use folding clean clothes as a form of mindfulness and it does have to be done without the television, or music playing. I know yuck!! But remembering that the goal is to stay present in the moment, then multitasking cannot be part of the strategy.

If you are a person who enjoys organizing things, then take on the challenge of re-organizing your room, the spice rack, your closet, your book collection etc , you get the idea. And again with these projects keep outside noise ( televisions , music, podcasts etc) to a minimum. These are all ways to create a mindful routine for yourself that will increase your ability to stay in the "PRESENT"

Good Luck and God Bless!!