Starting Your Mindfulness Journey with Breaking Dawn Therapy
In today’s fast-paced world, where it seems like something’s always demanding your attention, finding time for self-care isn’t easy. In fact, practicing mindfulness might seem impossible. However, it’s easier than you think to incorporate the practice into your schedule.
Breaking Dawn Therapy encourages mindfulness daily practices to help manage your stress and support healthier cognitive functioning. Patients benefit from personalized programs that provide skills and techniques for successful practice, but in the meantime, we’re sharing some simple ideas here on how to create pockets of mindfulness as you go about your day.
Exploring the Essence of Mindfulness
What is mindfulness? Mindfulness means cultivating awareness of the present moment free of interpretation, judgment, or fixations on the past or future. It’s an intentional process that forces you to focus on your thoughts and actions rather than running on autopilot.
When you’re being mindful, you pay attention to:
- Your breathing
- How every part of your body feels
- Sights, sounds, and smells
- Your feelings in this moment
Taking a few minutes throughout the day to practice mindfulness benefits both physical and mental health. Focusing on the present moment gives you greater control over your emotions, which in turn can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
Practicing mindfulness daily helps you understand thoughts and feelings as short-term experiences, not the definition of your reality.
Practical Steps to Incorporate Mindfulness Daily
Anyone can start a mindfulness daily practice at any time. It doesn’t require any special equipment, just a willingness to spend a few moments anchoring yourself to the present moment.
The easiest way to begin a mindfulness daily practice is to set an intention — the “why” of your practice. To remain engaged, give yourself reminders to pause and be mindful.
For example, set a reminder on your phone to stop and take five deep breaths (focusing on your breath) or to take a 15-minute walk where you pay attention to everything around you. Use your normal daily activities as triggers for mindfulness (brushing your teeth, washing your hands, sitting at a stoplight) and gradually build your practice.
Deepening Your Mindfulness Practice
Establishing any habit takes time. The rigors of everyday life, like digital distractions, packed schedules, and competing priorities, can sidetrack your progress, but the more you focus on your practice, the more you’ll come to depend on it.
However, these challenges can become opportunities for deeper mindfulness. For example, use a traffic jam as an opportunity to pause, take a deep breath, and perform a whole-body scan to identify areas of tension you can relax. Pay attention to how you feel, repeat a calming mantra, and focus on what you need to ease your frustration.
As you learn to identify the opportunities where you can practice mindfulness exercises and celebrate your wins when you do, you’ll enjoy a deeper practice.
Leveraging Mindfulness for Life’s Challenges
When work is piling up, your calendar is full, and every digital device you own is pinging you with notifications, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Pausing to breathe deeply and check in with yourself can help you regulate your emotions and better manage stress.
The foundation of mindfulness is turning away from the automatic, impulse-driven responses we have to stimuli. Taking time to observe your feelings and thoughts without analysis or response can help you identify toxic patterns and find ways to make healthy changes. Even something as simple as taking a deep breath before answering the phone or responding to your partner or colleague can help you remain more present and offer more thoughtful responses that strengthen relationships.
Sustaining Mindfulness Practices with Breaking Dawn Therapy
A mindfulness daily practice is a journey, and it’s important to reflect on your progress and acknowledge your accomplishments, like recognizing that you didn’t look at your phone while eating lunch all week or remembering to take a deep breath before taking calls. Be patient with yourself, understanding that every practice is different and every moment of mindfulness counts.
Breaking Dawn Therapy provides ongoing support and resources for effective mindfulness daily practice. Request an appointment today by calling (734) 457-1253 and learn more about how to practice mindfulness in your everyday life.
