How Can Mindfulness Help Me?

Mindful this and mindful that – it seems that mindfulness is one of the most overused words I hear in the world of health and wellness.  

So, what is mindfulness and its value in improving your health and well-being?

Let’s take a closer look. Mindfulness at its core is really just noticing something without judgement.  A few personal examples to get those wheels turning for you are:

• I really love the smell of Italian food.  It reminds me of how much I love the taste of pizza and pasta!
• I really love the taste of salted caramel frozen yogurt.  The combination of salty and sweet is just delicious with the right amount of each.
• I really hate being uncomfortable riding on that bicycle seat in that spin class.  It’s difficult to focus on the instructor’s cues because of the discomfort.
• I notice I don’t have the same energy working on finance projects like I once had right out of graduate school.  I do the finance work I have to do in order to work on more enjoyable projects.  

Do you see how you can make observations without judging yourself on almost anything?  

When it comes to your health, notice the things you do and ways you think that give you energy, help you feel better, and improve your conditions like blood pressure, blood sugar, & body weight- THOSE ARE WORTH NOTICING & PRACTICING DAILY FOR BETTER HEALTH AND DO MORE OF THE ACTIVITIES YOU LOVE TO DO.

I’m not a fan of white-knuckling your way to better health and well-being.  What I mean by this is doing things you absolutely hate or things you can’t imagine doing for the rest of your life just for the short term result it will give you. One example that comes to mind is the oatmeal diet, which is eating oatmeal 3 times a day to lose weight.  

The first reason this might not work well for you is that any results you get from doing something like this will be short term success at best, which is NO success at all.  

The second reason is that anything you don’t feel you can do for the rest of your life is not realistic to think it will continue beyond a few weeks or months.  

So, what am I saying when it comes to mindful moments, and how can you make them work for you to improve your health and well-being?

• The first step is notice– your energy, your favorites, your pet peeves, the stuff that you are passionate about.  How do you do this?  Put your phone down.  Focus on 1 thing at a time.  Write down what you learn about yourself- what you really hate, what you really love, what things mean to you and why they are meaningful to you.  Many times, this is done in a journal.

• Once you discover 1 or 2 things that help you better enjoy your food, work, relationships, or whatever is important to you and helps you manage your health indicators, practice making better choices daily without judgement.

Being in the moment and noticing the intimate details of the moment are surprisingly helpful in getting to know yourself and what helps you to be healthy and happy.