Mindfulness: Is it Really That Simple? Filling the Mind as a Meditative Practice

Our lives are filled with opportunity for distress, pain, overwhelm, and sadness. But so too are they filled with opportunity for curiosity, intrigue, calm, and quiet - we simply have to practice finding it. Hour to hour, minute to minute, second to second we have the choice  to fill our minds and therefore our lives with thoughts, feelings, and actions that either keep us in negative spirals or give us relief from them. Mindfulness is our ticket to a more balanced and regulated internal world when it otherwise would not be. Below we will review background on the concept of mindfulness, how it can help improve mental wellness, and ways to engage in it to hopefully add to your toolset for successfully navigating life. 

What Mindfulness Is and Is Not

Having a tool that seemingly relies solely on the mind to focus its way out of anxiety, depression, etc. can appear nonsensical when the thing we feel is broken is our mind itself. However, the human brain is a marvel that holds multitudes when it comes to adaptability and processing power. Mindfulness is a form of meditative practice that is intended to quiet those troublesome parts through intentional re-direction; utilizing that same cognitive energy on more positive or calming themes. It is not a practice meant to reinforce simply forgetting or avoiding real problems in our lives nor is it meant to downplay the impact they may have or the effort necessary to manage all that is asked of us day to day. While it can be used at any time and benefits can be had even on the first attempt; it is a practice - that is, it becomes more effective over time as we engage in it regularly and strengthen the neuronal connections associated with the experience. As such, like with anything that is meant to improve our wellness, it may not feel “life changing” at first; but over time it can become a default reaction to stress that allows space to solve daily problems without becoming overwhelmed.

How Mindfulness Supports Our Mental Health

Feelings, thoughts, and actions all work together to create our experiences with each influencing or being influenced by the others. If one is filled with distress it will impact the others towards that same cause. The main function of mindful focus is that it uses the resources we would otherwise spend on catastrophizing, spiraling, doom-scrolling (both on our devices or in our own minds), avoiding, dramatizing, obsessing, etc. on the inverse of those burdensome outlets. Mindfulness utilizes a mixture of all three sources to bring our mind (thoughts) body (actions) and “soul” (feelings) into a more regulated and peaceful state. This practice has been proven to positively affect the psychological such as anxiety or depression, the physical via resultant effects on sleep and blood pressure, as well as the emotional in the form of burnout. 

Ways to Engage in Mindfulness

There are many ways to bring attention to things that produce the sense of calm and positive awareness we intend to find through mindfulness meditation. Below are some ideas but it is encouraged to explore, create, and reinforce a routine that works for you and your circumstances/personality. By doing so, it is more likely you will be able to consistently engage in the practice and get the most benefit.

Breath Work

Bring awareness to your breathing rate and depth. Then through counting or other timed measure, regulate it. Two effective ways to do this are box breathing and extended exhale. In the first, imagine a box with each side representing a number of seconds, let's say 4. You control the inhale so that you go from empty to full lungs in four seconds. Then you hold your breath for 4, control the exhale from full to empty for 4 seconds, and finally hold again for 4. Secondly, you can try the extended exhale practice. Set a count for a slow controlled inhale, let's say 4 seconds again for simplicity. Then exhale for a set number of seconds longer than the inhale, for example 8. Repeating each of these techniques impacts regulation through a complex communication of our physiological feedback loop. Additionally, it can provide a feeling of control because of the atypical experience of measured breathing when it otherwise would be automatic for us.

Imagery

This form of focus is meant to act on the internal world our minds can create. A popular version of mindful imagery is to utilize imagination to fill out a basic scene with anything that would make us feel calm, peaceful, happy, etc. For example, close your eyes and start with the idea of standing by a river. From there focus on every possible detail you can think of to connect you with the imagined setting; what kind of trees do you want, are there any smells, what does the ground feel like, what is the weather like, is there a breeze, how cold is the water, what color is the water - on and on and on. The value is in the details. The more time you spend building a place you want to be, the less time you are spending on more negative thought patterns. Furthermore, the more details there are the more real it feels and the easier it is to return to that place whenever you need due to the particular strength of visuo-spatial memory.

Concentrated Sensing of the Environment

If you have difficulty with the creation of mental imagery, no problem. Simply use the environment around you. For some this can mean going on a walk out in nature. Hear the sounds, see the sights, smell the smells, feel the textures/temperatures, taste the (safe, edible, and responsible/considerate) things around. For others it can be exploring whatever is near you. The taste of a favorite snack, smell of a candle, artistic styling of a picture, the sound of the air conditioning, or the feeling of the chair you may be sitting in.  For others still, it may not be a particularly pleasant environment to focus on. For those of us that find ourselves in that situation we can still further dive into our internal world through a body scan. Start at your head and slowly move your attention towards your toes noting and stopping on any/all sensations you may feel along the way; simply letting yourself feel and acknowledge the sensation. Maybe it brings about a sense of awe at the complex processes going on, or an appreciation for breath while feeling the temperature differences between air going in compared to out of your mouth/nose. There are so many things we can explore when we give our attention the freedom of curiosity. 

Mindful Growth Towards Wellness

As stated earlier, mindfulness is a practice. Though it can absolutely provide relief in a moment of difficulty it becomes even more powerful when engaged in consistently and as a proactive choice to psychological distress. By filling our awareness with intentional direction we avoid burdening ourselves internally with the stressors of daily life and the effects they may have on our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. 

At RAFT Counseling, we want to support you in building tools to successfully manage both internal and external challenges that come your way. If you or a loved one is looking to develop the skills associated with mindfulness and confidently navigating your internal world simply visit our website or contact us to get connected and on the path towards a more confident and peaceful you.

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