What is mindfulness and how does it work for you?
The subject of mindfulness is now on everyone’s lips. But what exactly is mindfulness? And how can you cultivate it? How can you tell whether you are mindful or careless? And which techniques can help you to bring more awareness into your life?
Originally, the practice of mindfulness comes from the Buddhist teachings. It is much more than mere attention and includes various areas such as patience, acceptance, non-judgment, trust, gratitude, kindness and also humour. Cultivating your mindfulness can help you to lead a more emotionally fulfilling life.
Are you always a step ahead?
Observe yourself in everyday life. Are your thoughts always with the activity you are doing or do you like to digress and already plan the next step and the step after that? Many people can’t even take a quick shower without already planning the upcoming breakfast. [1]
The need to meet deadlines and self-imposed time targets force us to plan our daily lives. Spontaneity is sometimes rather difficult to implement. Nevertheless: Take the time and freedom to be in the here and now more often and to do what you feel like doing – your body and mind will thank you with positive feelings!
Tips that help to integrate mindfulness into your life:
1. Make yourself a priority
In many areas of daily life you are encouraged to pay attention to others and your surroundings – whether at work, in traffic or when dealing with those under your protection. But often something important remains unnoticed: yourself! So make it a matter of priority to make yourself a key focus. It is very important to integrate self-awareness into your life to be fulfilled and happy. Only then can you build good relationships with other people and your surroundings. If you manage to stay with yourself and in the moment in stressful situations, then these situations will be more pleasant and better. A stressed mind reacts differently than a calm mind. And so the environment reacts in a different way. So you are also an active co-creator of your reality and help shape it!
2. Practice short, meditative moment reflections
How many times have you wanted to undo a conversation because it didn’t work out the way you wanted it to. Use short, meditative momentary reflections for this. Reflect on what moved you to react in this way. Go into the moment and meditate regularly on an attitude that you find exemplary. Become your own ideal by visualising these qualities – or the person you see as a role model – again and again and identifying yourself with them.
3. Consider the present as gift and possibility
We human beings are sometimes far too attached to the thoughts of what was, what will be and what could have been. Get rid of these distractions and stay with your thoughts for once in the here and now! In this way you will be more attentive and receptive. Your everyday life will be of a higher quality and you will notice how much it has to offer you if you do not think only about what you still have to do. [2]
4. Breathe away stress more often
Use quiet moments and small time windows to become fully aware of your breathing. If possible, close your eyes and concentrate on your inner self, then breathe into your belly and diaphragm. To make sure that you breathe deeply, you can put your hand on your belly and you will automatically breathe more evenly. Feel the breathing and how your abdominal wall rises and falls. Close your eyes and visualise the positive attitude or quality with which you want to fill yourself. Even this small technique can bring more mindfulness into your daily life! You are no longer simply washed away by stress, but consciously pause.
5. Travel on a (sound-) journey
We often wish for a way to escape from our stressful everyday life. One person wants to travel to a lonely island, the other wants a hut in the middle of the forest. But unfortunately this is not always practical – especially when you have a lot of obligations.
For the little mental journey in between, you can use our meditations from the section Mindfulness. All you need are ten minutes of your time, your smartphone, headphones and a comfortable place to relax. The specially developed sonamedic mindfulness sound journeys are ideal if you want to go through your life more consciously and balanced. Just try it out and enjoy the positive effect – without any side effects.
6. Deceleration by meditation
A survey in 2007 found that over 20 million Americans practice meditation to improve certain aspects of their health. You too can easily integrate the inner submersion into your everyday life – after only one or two weeks you will notice the first positive effects. Although meditation used to be mostly practiced in spiritual circles, its effectiveness has now also been proven by scientific studies. Find out about what is on offer in your region and join a meditation group. There are many different techniques for getting into meditation practice, and there is certainly a method that is right for you. [3]
7. Consciously eating good things
Here a muesli bar in front of the computer, there a quick roll in the car: in our fast-paced society it can easily happen that eating becomes a minor matter. Nevertheless, take the time for a good meal at least once a day and eat consciously. For example, count how often you chew and feel how the food feels in your mouth. Give your meal your full attention! Learn to cultivate appreciation and gratitude for the food that sustains you. This exercise, if repeated regularly after a while, automates itself and helps you to experience the moment of eating more consciously. [4]
8. Thoughts are free
You may find yourself having negative thoughts more often, although you would like to have a more positive attitude. But you should not judge yourself for that. Be indulgent with yourself – we are all just people! Just let the thoughts come and go. With more mindfulness it will be easier for you to let go of them again without identifying yourself completely with the thoughts. You can enhance your serenity by visualising appropriate images: Take a deep breath, close your eyes briefly and imagine that your bad thoughts are on top of clouds, but you yourself are the bright blue sky behind them. Just let the clouds be carried away by a gentle wind. You can also find such guided meditations in the corresponding sections of the sonamedic app. [5]
9. I see something you cannot see
If you travel frequently by public transport, you will know this: You have nothing to do and tend to distract yourself with your smartphone. Instead, try to be aware of your surroundings. Look out of the window and try to discover recurring patterns in the landscape. [5]
Or look at the faces of your fellow human beings and send them positive thoughts. Every person is basically looking for fulfilment and happiness – just like you. Only we suspect it in very different things. Encourage and practice positive thoughts towards your fellow human beings – no matter how different from yourself the others may be.
10. Be aware from the moment you wake up
Take time to wake up in the morning. Do you hear the birds singing outside? Is sunlight shining through your window? Come slowly and carefully into your day and drink a green or black tea – the caffeine in teas is softer and less nervous than in coffee. Electronic devices should be left out during the wake-up process; taste, smell, feel and consciously come into contact with all your senses! This way you start your day more attentive and have a relaxed start which will have a positive influence on your whole day. [5]
11. Perceive every stick and every stone
You can also integrate more awareness into your everyday life when walking and strolling. First feel how the ground you are walking on feels like. Is it hard or soft? Do your steps bounce? Is the ground even? Be aware of your surroundings and leave your smartphone in your pocket. If you don’t know the way, talk to people instead of asking Google Maps. Look at the houses, streets, people or landscapes that surround you. Practice mindfulness with all your senses. [5]
12. Reflect yourself – in a diary
Keep a diary in which you record your progress and thoughts once a week. You can also arrange it differently – as it suits you best. Make it so that you feel comfortable with it – but a certain regularity won’t hurt. Make a note of your wishes, goals and anything else that seems important to you. After a certain time you will be able to understand what is on your mind at that moment and what may already have come true. These can be inner and outer goals. In this way you create an archive for your thoughts and deal with them intensively. [6]
13. Do things like 100 years ago
In everyday life, many of us are frequently on social media. However, they are by far not only entertaining, but also promote stress and imbalance. So take a regular break! Put away your smartphone, turn off your computer and forget about your emails. Take time to think about yourself for once: Feel into your body and breathe calmly. Sit down somewhere and read a book, listen to some music or paint something. Such musical pauses are good for body and soul. [6]
14. This is how sonamedic frequency therapy can help you
Sound journeys for more mindfulness
Our mindfulness sound journeys can also bring even more awareness into your life. Enjoy our meditations, which consist of a powerful combination and effect booster: Our guided little time-outs work with calming nature images, positive suggestions and progressive muscle relaxation and let you gently arrive in the here and now. The matching binaural beats put your brain into the right electrical brain wave activity – you notice this by stress and tension being released and you switch to your own personal relaxation mode. The sound settings – own music productions from sonamedic – additionally promote your well-being. So: Choose a suitable sound journey, make yourself comfortable in a nice place, put on headphones and off you go! Your sonamedic team wishes you a lot of fun and success!
Scientific sources
1) Spiegel Online: Achtsamkeit. Entspannt im Hier und Jetzt. Online (Zugriff 30.06.19)
2) ARD planet-wissen.de: Achtsamkeit. Online (Zugriff 30.06.19)
3) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Exploring the Power of Meditation. Online (Zugriff 30.06.19)
4) Compassioner: Achtsamkeit im Alltag integrieren – 7 wunderbare Übungen für zwischendurch. Online (Zugriff 30.06.19)
5) Frisches Denken: Sofort stressfrei 15 hochwirksame Achtsamkeitsübungen für den Alltag. Online (Zugriff am 01.07.19)
6) Ergotopia: 20 geniale Achtsamkeitsübungen für ein Leben im Moment & mehr Lebensfreude. Online (Zugriff am 01.07.19)
