Putting Work in Wellbeing and Wellbeing in Work
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Importance of mindfulness in personal and professional wellbeing
- Practical outcomes of practicing mindfulness
Mind"full" or Mindful
Since psychotherapy literature and the press became popular, mindfulness awareness has grown. It is a practice of rechannelling one’s attention on the current moment, of the time present now. This practice also involves accepting what is present without judging it.
If we consistently stay conscious of our present moment, it helps us stay more connected, stress-free, and generally happy overall. Often in a rush to fulfil our daily responsibilities, we are unable to register the positivity around us. Therein begin mental health problems.
While commuting to work, do you fail to admire the flowers in bloom because you’re mentally lining up the tasks for the day? Are you oblivious to the magical sounds of birds chirping early each morning because you have to rush to get ready for work?
The problem is that we focus so much on what we have to do in a day that we fail to acknowledge things that could boost our mental wellness. Mindfulness plays a critical role in our well-being. Let’s learn all about it in detail below:
Mindfulness - Definition and Benefits
In simple words, mindfulness means the ability of humans to be present in the moment. It refers to being fully aware of where one is and what they’re doing and not allowing the current situation to overwhelm them.
By definition, mindfulness means to be conscious of what you’re presently doing, what’s happening around you, and the space you are in. Many factors make us lose contact with our mindfulness, including prioritizing work, responsibilities, and future goals. A large percentage of people fall prey to mental health problems in Singapore, mainly because of the fast-paced lives they pursue.
Some people may find themselves being easily engulfed by their worries and anxieties, fretting unnecessarily about the future.
However, mindfulness helps to ground us back in the present moment; simply noticing the presence of these anxious thoughts without judgement. As we become more mindfully attentive in our daily lives, we can begin finding time for the things we truly value and that we believe further our wellbeing.
It is intriguing and interesting to note that mindfulness is already present inside us naturally. We only have to give it more room to blossom inside us and become our strength. Instead of giving fear and anxiety precedence, we should consider allowing mindfulness to guide us.
You may choose several mindfulness practices to make it your attribute in life. Some of these include:
- Combining other activities with meditation practices, such as yoga and swimming, light cardio, etc.
- Inserting short pauses into our daily lives to breathe deeply and take stock of our present moment and surroundings.
- Practising meditation while moving, standing, walking, or even seated.
When is the last time you observe ripples on water?
Practical Benefits of Being Mindful
1. Significant Improvement in Mental Health
A large number of psychotherapists around the world have adopted mindfulness meditation for treatment purposes. This approach is a crucial element for helping people heal from:
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD)
Anxiety disorders
Couple’s conflicts
Eating disorders
Substance abuse
Mental health experts believe mindfulness is vital in helping people come to terms with their experiences. These would also include painful emotions, which mindfulness allows individuals to accept with aversion.
2. Your Physical Health Gets Better
Improved mental health is the best advantage, but mindfulness provides even more benefits. For instance, scientists believe that mindfulness techniques enhance physical health in numerous ways. This practice decreases blood pressure, and the heart performs better while preventing diseases.
Mindfulness relieves stress, gastrointestinal problems, sleep issues, and chronic pain. All in all, it helps a person become physically fit.
3. Improved Wellbeing
By making mindfulness a permanent practice, an individual develops many positive attitudes which further contribute to a satisfying life. Being mindful makes a person capable of savouring life’s pleasures as they come.
You might wish to consider more wholesome activities and do not collapse in the face of adversity. This is the power of mindfulness, which sustains your spirits even when experiencing dire circumstances. People are more likely to avoid past regrets, traumas, and future worries by focusing on the present.
Mindful people become less preoccupied with self-esteem and success and instead build better connections with others.
4. Better Emotional Regulation
One of the greatest benefits of mindfulness is that you begin to manage and regulate your emotions adeptly. Mindfulness helps you identify and acknowledge your feelings, regardless of how positive or negative they are.
At the same time, it empowers you to exercise control and not let your emotions consume you. Mindfulness provides emotional leverage so that you smartly reign in or enhance your emotions as necessary or depending on the situation.
This ability is crucial when you have to tackle difficult emotions. If you are not empowered when conflicting emotions are on the rise, you will succumb to them, and your mental health will rapidly deteriorate. Some problems one could develop in such an instance are Borderline Personality Disorder and depression.
According to research, mindfulness can help you regulate emotional skills. Mindfulness training can help alter parts of your brain that become deactivated or activated due to emotion-inducing stimuli.
Final Thoughts
Mindfulness plays a crucial role in improving our mental, physical and emotional health. Furthermore, it helps to lower stress, boost cognitive abilities, help a person regulate their emotions, and strengthens their relationship.
There are sufficient scientific pieces of evidence to prove that mindfulness has the power to alter the functions and structure of our brain. However, mindfulness practices vary depending on the temperament and needs of each individual.
You may opt for any approach or even register for a mindfulness course to develop this essential attribute. What’s important is to make mindfulness a part of your life permanently so you can enjoy greater overall well-being.
- Blended Concept
- December 28, 2022
- 1:50 pm
