HEALTH Files MIND FULL OF PRESENCE

Slow down. Take a breath. Catch yourself in the now. Are you well? Are you happy?

Many times, we go through life rushing and running, taking shallow breaths on each step we take, not engaging fully in what it is that we’re living through, what we’re feeling, what we’re creating; that is until it’s too late.

How many times have you put your head on the pillow at night, only to realise that the whole day has been a full blur. Colours, faces, tasks, thoughts. All completed, passed by, all left you drained yet unfulfilled, almost as if they never happened at all.

This is what Mindfulness combats: a notion that busy, stressed and overstretched is synonym of status and achievement, the myth that Busyness means Business. Now, you might be rolling your eyes right now and thinking:

“I am TOO busy to book time for meditation. I mean, who has time to sit and do nothing?” to which I can easily answer this: Most high-achievers, shakers and makers do, because they KNOW that committing to that time of doing nothing is precisely what helps them accomplish more.

Don’t believe me? I can easily drop names and names of the countless celebrities and entrepreneurs who, in between fittings, extensive workout sessions and billionaire board meetings, sit down for anywhere between 20 and 60 minutes each day and focus on filling their minds with presence in the now, moment by moment, using meditation to fuel their greatness. Between the countless benefits that a mindfulness practice offers are:

- Decrease stress and lower cortisol levels in the body

- Enhance mental health and cognitive performance

- Improve emotional self-regulation and response

- Improve hormonal health and immunity

- Lower heart rate and blood pressure

- Increase life satisfaction and a sense of wellbeing

In fact, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs have been among the most researched and reviewed protocols in the Psychological and Neurological field in the last decade, with countless studies and peer reviewed experiments that show how engaging in what experts call Formal Practice for only 20 minutes each day for 8 weeks does to our brains and bodies.

The MBSR programs have been proven to be ideal in preventing relapses in depression, as well as offering great relief tools for patients struggling with chronic illnesses or pain, as well as other challenging conditions.

It’s superpower? Shifting the attention from the noise of the to-do’s or the immediate emotion and the story we elaborate about it, to the full experience, detaching from it and noticing judgment as we validate it, fully present. By slowing down, we empty our brains and hearts and begin to process fully and move on.

If this sounds like exactly what you’re looking for as you prepare to close 2018 on a high note, there are apps like Headspace (headspace.com), ‘Unplug: Guided Meditation’ (you can download it from ITunes) and Calm (calm.com) which offer amazing beginner programs to get you started.

So remember, the next time you’re connected to a big emotions or feeling completely stressed and drained, before you react, stop, take a deep breath in, and create a mind full of presence to go back towards a peaceful mental space.

@anahibrown.coach