{"id":432,"date":"2019-03-15T15:56:27","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T20:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/?p=432"},"modified":"2019-05-15T21:29:35","modified_gmt":"2019-05-16T02:29:35","slug":"everyday-mindfulness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/everyday-mindfulness\/","title":{"rendered":"Everyday Mindfulness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I felt eyes boring into my back as I walked along the wooded bike trail near my home. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"bike<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was early morning, the air crisp and clean. There was no noise other than the sound of my steps and the gurgle of a creek. I was alone, but yet I wasn\u2019t. Stopping, I did a 360\u00b0 turn, scanning all directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2014or what\u2014was watching me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crack of a twig drew my eyes upward and I saw a large white\nowl. Its head swiveled slowly as I walked. I had found my watcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eerie though it might have been, it was also an epiphany of sorts. I had been paying attention to the present moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had been mindful.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that wasn\u2019t always the case. I used to pride myself on my ability to multitask. I was always in a hurry, my mind filled with thoughts about the past and future. But rarely the present. Not only did I miss out on things, I was always tense and stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first step to corral my thoughts was to take an improv<\/a> class. With plots, characters, and scenes made up on the moment, I was forced to be present in the now.  But it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later I took a photography class from a colleague, Chuck. While on an outing to the arboretum where the students were encouraged to take pictures, I continued my rushing around. Chuck put his hands on my shoulders and told me to slow down–to pay attention to the big and small things that were right in front of me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was my first glancing connection with everyday mindfulness. I decided to learn more about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is mindfulness?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the simplest terms, mindfulness is paying attention to\nthe present moment on purpose and without judgment. That includes being aware\nof your thoughts, emotions, and sensations. By being aware without judgment, it\ngives you time to avoid jerk reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lifehacker provided the following as one of 20\ndefinitions posted on the Positive Psychology Program<\/a> website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMindfulness has many synonyms. You could call it awareness, attention, focus, presence, or vigilance. The opposite, then, is not just mindlessness, but also distractedness, inattention, and lack of engagement.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Daniel J. Siegel, clinical\nprofessor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and Executive Director\nof the Mindsight Institute, was quoted with this definition on the same\nwebsite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMindfulness in its most general sense is about waking up from a life on automatic, and being sensitive to novelty in our everyday experiences. With mindful awareness the flow of energy and information that is our mind enters our conscious attention and we can both appreciate its contents and come to regulate its flow in a new way.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I really like his last phrase. We can appreciate and regulate the flow of information in our mind in a more conscious way<\/em><\/strong>. It can be hard, but awareness is the first step toward everyday mindfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the benefits of mindfulness?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Back<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Science has discovered several physical benefits of\nmindfulness. Five\nof the most commonly cited<\/a> are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n