Remember that day where you didn’t have a single thought? Well neither do I! We are perpetual thinkers. We generate about 70.000 thoughts a day! Some thoughts help us live the life we want to live and others make us feel disempowered.
One of the most effective ways to stop overthinking and to have our mind to our side is to practice mindfulness and to be engaged in the present.
Tich Nhat Hanh, a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, stated that “Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present, and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. Through mindfulness, we can learn to live in the present moment instead of in the past and in the future. Dwelling in the present moment is the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.”
Mindfulness is a wonderful way of being in the world and can help us increase our ability to regulate emotions, decrease stress, anxiety and depression, and strengthen our immune system.
Here below are some 5 powerful practices to help you become more mindful and savor your present whether in life or at work:
- Bring your awareness to the daily activities that you engage in and that you usually do on autopilot. Try to take the time to experience your environment with all your five senses: touch, sound, eyesight, smell, and taste. For example, while walking outside, breathe the air, notice the details, and try not to get caught up by the noise in your head
- Keep a thought journal that will help you evaluate if you are a positive thinker or more prone to be a negative one
- Think about your thinking: You can use your thinking to achieve your goals and have the life that you want. You must actually be aware what is going on in your mind in order to improve and change anything. Are you thinking too much, or are you thinking negatively? What are your thoughts patterns? Self- improvement begins with awareness
- Separate yourself from your thoughts. The only time your thoughts become harmful is when you start identifying with them. You are not your thoughts; your inner voice sometimes is negative and, sometimes, it is positive. You can shape that voice and gain power over it
- Meditation is a mindfulness practice that actually helps you focus and achieve your goals. You can start by simply focusing your attention on your breath, the inhale and the exhale just few minutes a day. And every time your mind wanders, just bring your awareness back your breath. A regular practice of mindful breathing empowers you to be more in control of your reactions.
Even if you are not happy with your life circumstances at the moment, focusing on the present is essential, because through doing so, you can change things more effectively with less resistance. It grants you endless opportunities and enhances your personal power over your life which allows you to take actions and make an impact.
By, Linda Chaccour, Positive Psychology Practitioner & Founder @ Emerge Coaching.
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