Mindfulness And Mental Health

By Steve Gillman

Why mindfulness and mental health? Because until you know what reactive and damaging programs are in your head, it is difficult to do much about them. It is tough to fix a problem that you don't see, and this is where mindfulness comes in. Basic mindfulness practices can improve your mental health.

Your mind is busy right now, talking about all sorts of things. Maybe it's telling you you're tired of your job, or that you are a victim of circumstance. Maybe it's running through a list of all the things you need to be doing. It might be saying all the wrong things, but how many of these thoughts do you hear? You may just feel a slight anxiety building in you as your day goes on.

I was amazed when I first learned how to do basic mindfulness exercises. I found whole conversations going on just below consciousness. It was interesting to watch, but the most amazing part was that I could now often end feelings of worry or anxiety in mere seconds. All I had to do was watch my mind until I found the cause.

It actually is often that simple. Forgot to write down an appointment, for example, and it may bother you for hours. Then when you tune in and see that it's bothering you, you write it down, and you immediately feel relaxed again. When arguments are playing and replaying subconsciously in your mind and stressing you out, often just bringing them to consciousness will make you laugh and dismiss them.

Mindfulness And Long Term Mental Health

Don't underestimate the ability of short term happiness and good thoughts to influence your mental health over the longer term. Anxieties and stresses resolved now, and regularly, leave you with better health, and you develop good habits in the process. Good feelings now can lead to good feelings in the future, and habits are what you need for long term results.

What about big problems? Mindfulness is a way to see them more clearly for what they are. When you get better at tuning into your own subconscious mind, you start to see patterns. For example, I found that my mind was mulling over and worrying about all the possible choices in decisions that weren't made. It was causing me endless stress.

When mindfulness exercises brought this to my attention, I finally recognized how destructive this habit of indecisiveness was. I began to make decisions more quickly, even with less information, just to try a new way. I saw immediately how stress diminishes once a decision is made. I began to change my habits, and I was soon getting more done with less anxiety.

A basic mindfulness exercise is to just sit quietly and start paying attention to everything going on in your body and mind. This can be difficult if you've never done it, and this article isn't a how-to. The point here is just to make the case that it's worth learning, and that there is definitely a connection between mindfulness and mental health.

Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com/newsletter.html

See the article, "Want To Relax And Think Clearly" for an example of a mindfulness exercise.

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A Meditation for Conscious Awareness

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