Mindfulness: What is it Really?
Written by: Abby Smolinske, LMHC-A, ATR-P
I am sure you have heard of the term mindfulness. Mindfulness is a buzzword used by many and it encompasses a lot of different aspects. What is it actually though? Meditation? Yoga? Breathing? Art? Walking? Working? Living? Yes, to all of the above.
Oxford Dictionary says that mindfulness is “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations,” Buddhism, where mindfulness is thought to first originate from, defines mindfulness as “the quality and power of mind that is aware of what is happening, without judgement and without interference.” Buddha himself defined it as “the path to enlightenment.”
All of these definitions boil done to one central theme: having the intention of staying present in the moment. Life can get busy, anxiety and worry can cloud our minds, and regret from the past or fears about the future can become loud. By practicing mindfulness and allowing ourselves to stay present in the moment and use some of these skills, we can create a foundation to fall back on for grounding.
Side note: In exploring this question of what mindfulness is, it is important to discuss where it came from. Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism and Hinduism where mindfulness began as part of a religious practice. Mindfulness founds its way to the West in the mid-1900’s where many people adopted more of a secular approach with it through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Positive Psychology. Mindfulness remains here today where people can practice it from its religious roots or take a more secular look into the practice. I recommend doing your own research into how Mindfulness can look according to its religious origins, as this blog will focus on the ways it can show up in a therapeutic approach.
Often, it can be a trauma response or a stress response to block out the present moment for a variety of reasons; maybe it was our way of protecting ourselves from the unsafe environment we were in in the past, maybe our anxiety keeps us so occupied about preparing for future situations in order to ensure we do not fail. A lot of times, there are understandable reasons why the mind does what it does; oftentimes it is out of protection and looking out for our wellbeing in our mind’s own way. The mind may have been taught overtime that, because of one reason or another, it is not safe or not accessible to be present in the moment. We can challenge this idea by practicing mindfulness and proving to that anxious part that the present is safe and we are allowed to be fully present in our own lives.
Mindfulness and our Senses
So, how can we stay present in the moment? Grounding through our senses is one excellent way to do this. Our senses can literally bring us back into our bodies through intentional engagement with them. One example of a mindfulness skill you may have heard of in therapy that does just this is the 54321.
54321: In a moment of anxiety, stress, dissociation, or any other time where we are having a hard time and are feeling disconnected from the present moment, this is a great skill to use. You’ll go through the senses and engage with the environment around you. When you name the things you are engaging with, you get extra points if you can actively engage with it too (ex. touch the items you can touch, taste the items you can taste).
- Name 5 things that you can see
- Name 4 things that you can touch
- Name 3 things that you can hear
- Name 2 things that you can smell
- Name 1 thing that you can taste
Another example of using our senses for mindfulness is allowing ourselves to reach for tools and items that engage the senses in an enjoyable way. Pet your fluffy cat and recognize how the soft fur feels. Listen to your favorite song and pay attention to every word or sound. Open your essential oils if you like those and take a few deep inhales, taking in the scent. Name things in your vision field that go along with colors of the rainbow in order (ROYGBIV). There are many options to explore with when it comes to mindfulness and engaging the senses, get creative!
Checking in with our Emotions in the Present Moment
We can also stay present in the moment by checking in with ourselves in a meaningful way. Emotion identification can be a great way to practice this. What am I feeling in this moment right now? What prompted me to begin feeling this way? Have I felt this way before?
A skill that can help with this is referred to as the One Eye in, One Eye out guide. Let’s use an example to walk through this. You are having a conversation with a friend. In the moment, to practice One Eye in, One Eye out, picture yourself having one eye focused on the conversation and present externally with your friend. You are able to hear what your friend is saying and respond to them thoughtfully. The other eye is focused inward and checking in with your inner experience in this present moment. You can assess if you are feeling bored, interested, anxious, or even hungry. In the same conversation, you can be present in the moment externally, while also checking in internally with your emotions and what you may be needing.
Meditation and Breath Work
Channeling awareness to our breath can be used as a grounding tool that can be a way to be mindful in the moment. Activities such as yoga and guided meditations use these concepts to create an intentional mindful environment that can promote relief from anxiety and panic. You can find all kinds of helpful guided meditations online that range from one minute all the way up to hours. You can also find a yoga studio or meditation studio to practice at in person or find resources online to engage individually.
Using the breath as on object of concentration can be just the things to help with staying present in the moment through mindfulness. The breath is the anchor we can go back to and gain control with. When we breath rapidly due to anxiety or stress, our biological alarm systems go off and begin to send signals that there is something wrong. If we are able to slow the breathing down in a focused way, even for a minute, it can begin to stop the alarm bells and control can be taken back. We’ll go through some examples of quick and simple breathing techniques to try out!
- Square breathing: Picture a square. As you move your eyes along one of the four sides, inhale through your nose slowly for a count of four. Once you reach the corner and begin to move your eyes along the next side, hold your breath for four seconds. At the next corner, begin to exhale slowly for four seconds. Next corner, hold at the end of the exhale for four seconds. And repeat this a few more times.
- Five fingers breathing: The only thing required is your hand. Hold your hand up and look at it with your palm facing you. With your index finger on your opposite hand, begin by tracing along the outside edge of your thumb, moving up. As you trace upwards, inhale slowly for three seconds. Once you reach the top of the thumb, begin to trace down the other side of your thumb while you exhale slowly for three seconds. Now, to the next finger; begin tracing up your pointer finger as you breath in slowly and exhale while you trace down your pointer finger. Do this for each finger and keep repeating until your breath has slowed down.
- Alternate nostril breathing: Close your left nostril with your left thumb and begin to inhale slowly through your right nostril. To exhale, close your right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through your left nostril. You can continue to do it this way, alternating which nostril you inhale and exhale from. This may be somewhat strained at first as your body is slowing down and paying attention to what it is doing. That’s okay, take your time and take breaks as you need to.
Miscellaneous Mindfulness
As mentioned before, at its core, mindfulness is about staying present in the moment. There are many ways this can be done at all parts of the day! Some find it helpful to have a gratitude check in at different times throughout the day and take account of the positives or wins they encountered that day, even if they are small ones such as seeing a cute animal or wearing comfy clothes. Some other miscellaneous mindfulness can include journaling, doodling, coloring in coloring books while listening to your favorite music, taking a social media break and instead focusing on those physically around you, or even taking a walk in nature. When we go through life with the intention of staying present in the moment, then nearly everything can be mindful.
I recently heard the quote, “How we spend our days is how we live our lives.” The way I see it, we have the opportunity to spend our days with the intention of creating more mindful moments in order to be fully present in our lives. When the alternative may include anxiety spirals, emotional numbness, or even memory loss due to not being fully present, it may just be worth practicing a bit of mindfulness.
References
https://www.healthline.com/health/mind-body/what-is-mindfulness#mindful-therapy
https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhist-teachings-on-mindfulness-meditation/
