How Mindfulness Can Improve Your Quality of Life
“Mindfulness” has become a buzzword in Western societies over the past decade, yet most people have not experienced its true benefits.
Mindfulness allows you to experience life with “gloves off,” where you can be more in touch with what’s happening in the present moment. It allows you to fully experience what thoughts and beliefs you are holding, what your body feels like, and what thoughts you are currently thinking.
Mindfulness allows you to hear the little voice inside of yourself that tells you exactly what you need to do (or not do) to feel better. When you know how to help yourself, you’ll experience more joy in your life.
This increased awareness can also help support better emotional regulation through decreased activation of the flight/fight response. When your body is no longer in this constant state of anxious arousal, you will be less reactive and small problems will remain…small.
Spending time exactly where you are gives you a new perspective on yourself. It allows you to become an observer of exactly what is going on, and therefore make better choices.
A consistent mindfulness practice will also begin to increase your resilience so you can bounce back from life’s stressors. Your physiological inflammatory responses will decrease as your brain learns to no longer see all stressors as life-threatening.
This alteration in the cognitive perception of stressors, as well as the physiological immune response, will help you feel better and reduce long term negative health effects.
Your relationships will improve as your mood boosts, stress is reduced, and your anxious thoughts decrease. This greater sense of calm is extremely beneficial for parental relationships with children.
A study done by Universidad Andrés Bello evaluated the effects of mindfulness on mothers and their parenting. The study concluded that there was a significant difference between the mindfulness group and the control group in terms of decreased parental stress and an increase in mindful parenting. They also highlighted the importance of the parent-child relationship and the positive impact that calmer parenting has on children’s social and emotional development.
Not only does mindfulness positively impact your life, but your children and everyone else around you will benefit as well.
The mindful perspective allows you a deeper connection to your senses, and greater embodiment. It can also increase your compassion, and decrease unnecessary ruminating thoughts to provide you with greater clarity.
All of these short-term benefits also have powerful long-term effects that can significantly reduce your disease risk and increase your quality of life as you age.
If you’re ready to bring mindfulness into your daily life, fill out an inquiry here and I can help guide you through this journey.
References:
Front. Psychol., 17 August 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01443
Keng, Shian-Ling, et al. “Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies.” Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 31, no. 6, 2011, pp. 1041–1056., doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006.
SMITH, Jeremy Adam., Newman, Kira., Suttie, J. J., & Jazaieri, H. H. (2015, December 5). The State of Mindfulness Science. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_state_of_mindfulness_science.