Mindfulness

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change. Courage the change the things I can. And wisdom to know the difference." —Reinhold Niebuhr

This is only a part of the saying this theologian wrote back in the 30's or 40's. He also goes on to write, "Living one day at a time. Living one moment at a time. Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace."

Now, you don't have to be religious or believe in God to read and think about this message and possibly take this into your life. This is part of what we can call mindfulness in this day and age,in my own opinion. And if you do believe in God you can take his words as they are written from a theologian. 

Mindfulness is an ancient concept that arises from various religious and spiritual traditions and ideas. Mindfulness is being studying, accepted, and supported by research in the more modern fields of psychology in our western world. 

Simply put, mindfulness is being open in the present moment without judgement. Sounds easier said then done! It is a "practice" and it is intentional. We can be mindful during eating, sitting, walking, on your own, and with a group of people. Some learn to meditate. And in a society that we are constantly judging ourselves and others you are asked to suspend that judgement of your thoughts, pasts and present. It is a practice of accepting "what is." 

The benefits of mindfulness are described in a paper from the American Psychological Association publication, Psychotherapy, written by Daphne M. Davis and Jeffrey A. Hayes and titled, "What Are the Benefits of Mindfulness? A Practice Review of Psychotherapy-Related Research." (2011, Vol. 48, No. 2, 198 –208): "Emotion Regulation, Decreased reactivity and increased response flexibility, Interpersonal skills, Intrapersonal skills." Mindfulness has proven to decrease stress, depression and anxiety and can improve social connectiveness and self-esteem.

I don't know about you but I love those benefits! 

Here is an easy to read article from UCLA to further your knowledge if you are interested: 

http://marc.ucla.edu/workfiles/pdfs/MARC-mindfulness-research-summary.pdf

Feel free to leave a comment! Come on, try it! Breathe in the moment now.

We can work together to bring some mindfulness into your life. Contact me for a brief consultation.