The Power of Intention

The Power of Intentions

by: Emma Rubino

Meditation and mindfulness hold their roots in ancient Buddhism, historically utilized in religious tradition. In recent years, younger generations have been at the forefront of the movement pushing to lessen the stigma surrounding mental health which includes the promotion of utilizing mindfulness practices in our daily lifestyles. Mindfulness breaks down into three main components: intention, attention, and attitude. These three aspects work together to cultivate a mindful state of awareness. Intention helps you identify what you are looking to achieve through these practices. Maybe it’s stress relief, personal growth, or just simply relaxation. Setting a comprehensible goal for yourself makes exercising meditation and other mindfulness practices less intimidating. Attention is where meditation comes into play, which can assume many different forms depending on what works for you. Whether that involves taking a walk, doing yoga, or just sitting alone in silence, meditation helps you place your focus and attention with purpose. Taking a moment to

be solely with your thoughts allows you to slow down and specify what you are putting your mind and energy towards. Allowing ourselves to focus on positive thoughts and gratitude during meditation brings in the third aspect: attitude. Your perception of the world and yourself is all based on the attitude you hold. Waking up in the morning and immediately writing down three things for which you are grateful can shift your frame of mind, pushing you to focus on the positive parts of your daily routine.

Mindfulness takes time and effort, but implementing small daily gratitude practices can make a huge difference in your point of view and mindset.

Daily affirmations are another large part of cultivating a positive thought process. Positive affirmations can be anything from a long quote to a short saying that makes you feel peaceful, happy, and empowered. These are essentially thoughts and ideas we want to train our brains to believe, ultimately manifesting them in our lives. Alongside writing down things you’re grateful for, jotting down a short affirmation in the morning and repeating it to yourself a few times daily can set or change the tone of your entire day. Setting your phone background with the affirmation is another way to seamlessly implement the quote into your everyday life. A simple affirmation I’ve come to utilize lifestyle

is “Today I choose peace over perfection.” Repeating this phrase to myself reminds me to live in the present moment and that taking a break is okay. This daily affirmation helps me realize that everyone is on their own path and things will align when the time is right. In today’s media saturated world it is so easy to put pressure on ourselves. But, finding an affirmation that sets your day in a positive light and reminding yourself of what you are thankful for each morning are really simple ways to begin practicing mindfulness.

If you start with those easy practices, eventually you will always set aside time in your hectic day (even if it’s just ten minutes) to implement your personal form of meditation. It can make all the difference. Shaping your own mindset through mindful practices has immense benefits. It is proven that meditation can improve your sleep, lower stress levels, help prevent depression, and even improve your attention span. As college students it is important that we take time to focus on self-care and pay attention to our thoughts and feelings. It’s definitely easy to push those things to the side in our busy schedules, but implementing quick and simple exercises into your daily routine to focus on your mindset can improve your mental health and create long term value.