Improve Your Mental Health—5 Strategies to Live Life Mindfully

Recently, there's been a wealth of research focusing on mindfulness and the positive effects it achieves for those who apply it. Specifically, the Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging journal (Elsevier website) published a study done by Britta Holzel and others about how mindfulness impacts the brain. In the study, 16 individuals in the experimental group underwent mindfulness training, known as mindfulness meditation.

The results were astonishing: after just 8 weeks of practicing mindfulness, people in the experimental group (when compared to a control group who didn't practice mindfulness) actually showed changes in the density of the gray matter of their brains. Brain areas that control emotions, thoughts, and feelings toward others increased. Thus, researchers concluded that you can alter your brain in positive ways by practicing mindful living.

What is Living Mindfully?

Living mindfully means you're thoughtfully present in every moment (Zen Habits website). You're focusing on what you're doing and doing what you prefer. To illustrate, one person might rush through housework, doing a quick "once over" to go on to the next task. A person who lives with mindfulness, however, will be thinking about the best, most efficient way to do a thorough cleaning while finding a certain joy in the work.

Why Have Mindfulness?

Living mindfully will better help you meet your overall goals in life. You'll have a healthier mental health and a brighter overall attitude when you consider what you're doing each day. You'll enjoy life more when using mindfulness because you vow to remain in the moment and find something psychologically of value every minute. You find importance in whatever it is you choose to do.

Stress levels will be under control because you'll think through what you're doing and have a clearer idea which direction you're headed when you practice mindfulness.

How to Live Mindfully

Slow down. A chief aspect to mindfulness is slowing your pace. When you get out of life's fast lane, you have more time and energy to focus thoughts on what you're doing. If you can disengage from the rat race, you'll be in a better position to practice mindfulness.

Think about what you're doing. Another strategy of mindfulness is to ponder your behavior at any given moment. This strategy requires concentration and focus (Wildmind Buddhist Meditation website). What this means is that you should consider what you're doing at present and ask yourself, "Is this activity how I want to spend my time right now?"

Have clear immediate, short-term, and long-term goals. Be aware of your immediate, short-term, and life-long goals. Those very plans should be the driving force behind behavioral choices you make every minute of every hour, every day. You live the life you want when you know what you're working toward.

Allow more time to go from place to place or switch tasks. It is the bane of existence of many Americans to pack in as much as you can in a day. But to live consciously, you'll find it necessary to do less in a period of time. When you put your all into each task, it will take more time. Taking your time is key to mindfulness.

Keep at it. Remind yourself daily to live with more conviction, consciousness, and mindfulness. Put a note/reminder in the kitchen. Place a notation on your computer desktop. Consistently renew your promise to yourself to be more mindful.

Read Pearl Grace's article regarding 5 Strategies to Pay Attention here. For a piece on, "What Does Good Mental Health Look Like," see this link. If you want to know about keeping your cool while managing troublesome topics, read this article.

Sources

Eat Smart Move More Weigh Less website

Elsevier Website

Professional experience

Wildmind Buddhist Meditation website

Zen Habits website