Time to Reflect on Mindfulness

There’s been a lot of talk about mindfulness in the past years. How to do it, how not to do it, how much to do it, what tools you need to do it—the list goes on.

For those of you who still find the term a bit blurry, here is what we will be defining mindfulness as: the act of paying attention to the present. This includes your own emotions and physical needs, and to the world around you to improve your mental wellbeing.

For many, the term “stuck in my own head” will sound very familiar. If this rings true for you then adding mindfulness practises into your day might help clear some of that fog. Becoming more mindful of the present moment helps us appreciate the world around us and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. In the modern digital world, where work can be done from the palms of your hands, notifications ping and buzz around us and most news feels like bad news, we may be overlooking things that we need to live calmer, more content lives.

One of the key components of mindfulness is that it helps us to become more aware of the flow of thoughts and feelings we’re experiencing, showing us how easily we can get caught up in them in unhelpful ways. The next step is to take time to reflect and observe thought patterns. By developing this skill—and it is a skill—you will be able to better identify when something is escalating in your mind but not in the world around you.

“Where do I begin?”

Getting started with anything new is a challenge. Luckily, mindfulness is a free skill you can begin at any time. Here are three top tips to get started:

Make time for yourself
Finding time each day can feel like a battle at times, but mindfulness is a great addition to daily tasks like morning commutes or a brief walk at lunchtime. You don’t need hours to check in with yourself, just choose to be present and notice how things around you make you feel and the sensations of that moment.

Notice the...