Why is mindfulness beneficial to you and your work

Mindfulness has become a bit of a buzz word in recent times, even though it spans back thousands of years and has it’s roots in Buddhism, we’ve only just cottoned on to just how amazingly beneficial it is in all areas of life.

Yet, there are still so many people who are unwilling to give it a try…and missing out on all it’s goodness in the process.

So i’m going to break down what it is, some of the benefits you can expect, why its good for your work or business and a few key ways to introduce it into your life.

Is Mindfulness woo-woo?

In short…no! There is countless scientific evidence to show that mindfulness is hugely beneficial to our overall health and wellbeing.

Mindfulness is commonly used in Positive Psychology (The science of happiness) and as a super stress buster.  

Mindfulness breaks through fear, stress, anxiety and brings you back into the present.

It literally increases your gray matter and makes you more intelligent and more creative and increases your ability to deal with whatever life throws at you.

If you’re feeling anxious it can help you bring your focus back to the present moment rather the=an ruminating on the past or worrying about the future.

Definition of Mindfulness 

“Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”

Mindfulness allows us to listen to our inner and outer world in real time.  It forces us to pay attention, it’s literally the opposite of mindlessness, which is something in this modern age we deal with all too often.

And the best bit, you can do it for a minute at a time and still feel the benefits!

So…What are the benefits?

Decrease stress

Increase awareness

Increase intelligence

Increase creativity

Decrese anxiety and depession

Decreases pain

Regulate emotions

Increased heart health and lower blood pressure

Slows down the ageing process

Increased memory

Activates higher level functioning of the brain (more awareness)

Less reactivity to heightened emotions

Promotes well-being

Less argumentative

Sleep better

More control

OK, i’m listening…What are the key benefits for my business?

Decrease stress

Aid burnout and stop you getting there in the first place

Allows you to take a step back

Reduce fear and worry

Increased resilience

Helps to take stock of the bigger picture

Less reactive

How to incorporate Mindfulness into your day

There are thousands of ways to be more mindful so i’m just going to give you a few of my favourites to start you off and see how you get on.

Sensory awareness

The incredible thing about this is that even if you’re just imagining something the areas of the brain related to that will light up as if you’re actually there.  So for example, if you’re thinking of an incredible sunset you saw when you were on holiday you will activate that area of the brain and release the same chemicals as if you’re actually there.

In the present moment, really look and notice what’s around you. Turn on all your senses individually.  First sight, then sound, then smell, then touch then taste.

Body scan 

Lie down with your eyes closed. Start at the top of your head and work all the way town to the tips of your toes and feel everything about each area of your body from top to bottom.  What do you feel, are you tense in any areas, how does your clothing feel against your skin?

Mindful breathing 

My favourite breathing tool is one that I used to use for anxiety but I have also discovered it helps with stress in general and also pain.  It’s the 4-7-8-3 technique.

Breathe in for a count of 4

Hold for a count of 7

Breathe out for a count of 8

Repeat 3 times

Gratitude

Take a conscious moment to look around and appreciate all the things you’re grateful for that you might usually take for granted.

Awareness 

Instead of doing everything on auto pilot make a conscious effort to appreciate what you may usually take for granted  For example walking. What does the ground feel under your feet, which muscles are activated, what do you notice about how you move.

Take a mindful minute 

Take 60 seconds to focus on your breathing or on what is going on around you.

Mental awareness 

Observe your thoughts and feelings and get curious about the,.  The more awareness we create the more change we can bring about in our lives. This allows us to react to heightened emotions in a less reactive way and brings it to our consciousness.

I hope that’s been useful for you and you’re going to put some of these into practice today..  And it really is a practice. To get all the incredible benefit’s i’ve mentioned you need to commit to this, even if it’s just one minute per day.

You really won’t regret taking the time!

If you want to explore further or have any  questions come join me in my private community below…we’re a supportive bunch and love to help!

Fx

P.S – Question…Are you sick of getting IN YOUR OWN WAY and procrastinating on getting your business going?  Would you like to learn some practical strategies to stop you procrastinating WHEN it happens so you can FINALLY get the things you NEED to do DONE?  Download my FREE guide below and I’ll show you 5 simple strategies to stop procrastination in its tracks!

Fran Excell

Mindset and personal development coach at www.franexcell.com

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