First we should begin with letting you know what mindfulness is. Mindfulness is pretty simply described as the process of paying attention to things. An individual can actually be mindful of anything, and doing so can actually increase stress levels greatly. This can be used on any task or event at hand. In other words mindfulness is the ability to see things going on in the present, and simply observe them without wanting to change them. Mindfulness exercises can be extremely beneficial and helpful in many ways, and tie in deeply with the technique of meditation.
The absolutely awesome thing about mindfulness is that it takes little to no effort. The goal is simply to keep things on your mind, and train your brain overtime to keep up with situations more and more. During this practice you will begin to notice that you become more aware of the situations around you, and life becomes easier to monitor and live. Mindfulness also helps out with stress and anger, and most individuals find that over time they will not be as stressed out as they were before. You can even practice mindfulness in forgetfulness, as long as you were aware that you forgot you are still practicing it. Sounds funny, but it is absolutely true, and is an essential step in the practice of forgiveness.
We all have experienced anxiety and stress in our everyday lives, and chances are you as an individual do not want to experience these situations any more. The good news is that mindfulness meditation is here to help. Mindfulness exercises have the ability to bring the person practicing them to the present. This blocks out all anxieties about the past or the future, which in many cases is where anxiety comes from.
Let’s take a look at some mindfulness exercises that anyone can practice on a daily basis, you can find more of those online. The more you use these the more mindful you will become of your surroundings, and the more intelligent you will become in general.
The smile exercise
Whether you like to smile or not this is a perfect example of a mindfulness exercise. Put a smile on your face, or even a partial smile if you are one of those types. Begin to notice how it affects your surroundings. If it is not affecting your surroundings, then how does it make you feel? Mentally? Physically? Is it harder or easier on your muscles to smile?
Noise check exercise
Notice the noises around you. What is producing the noises you are hearing? What tone are the noises in? Can the noise be controlled by you, or is it completely out of your control? Is the noise coming from a person? An animal? A machine? Why are you experiencing the noise? This is one example of using noise in a mindfulness exercise.
Anxiety breathing exercise
If you feel like you are stressed out or having anxiety, and there are others around you simply stop what you are doing. Begin to notice how the individuals around you are breathing. Start to count the amount of breaths per second they exhibit. Then monitor your own breathing. In doing so you are taking your mind off of what was causing your anxiety in the first place, and in many circumstances will forget about it altogether.
As you can see a mindfulness exercise is not so hard after all, and can help you become more aware of your surroundings as well as reduce stress.