Discover the Power of living in the moment: What is mindfulness?(part1)

Living in the moment: an old wisdom, but what does science say about mindfulness?

We hear it more and more often: 'Live in the now'. But what does that actually mean? And more importantly, what are the benefits of mindfulness?

The number of thoughts per day an average human mind has to process is between 60,000 and 70,000 thoughts per day! That is a lot of brain activity!

 This mind-boggling fact might make you realize that your mind is constantly working overtime. But here's the kicker: a whopping 95% are unconscious thoughts happening in your subconscious mind, you don´t even realise them. This means you're only aware of a tiny 5% conscious thoughts, And an astounding 90% of them are repetitive thoughts from the previous day.

It's like the tip of an iceberg; most of what's going on in your mind is hidden beneath the surface. So, if you often feel overwhelmed by your thoughts, it's no wonder!

It's time to shed some light on this constant mental chatter and do some mind control with mindfulness to benefit your health.

Why Is It So Hard to Live in the Now?

Our brain function has evolved to survive. This means it is constantly on the lookout for potential dangers (fear response) and rewards systems. This tendency to anticipate the future or ruminate about the past are survival mechanisms deeply rooted in our neurobiology, deep in our primitive brain structures.

Yes, in our deepest core, that first layer, we are all still that primitive sea slug, forward when it's good, backward when there's danger.

In today's fast-paced world, we are constantly preoccupied with the past (regret, analysis) or the future (planning, worrying). As a result, we are very often not mindful and miss the value, that benefits our well-being, from living in the present moment. This constant overthinking can lead to stress, anxiety, burnout, and ultimately physical illnesses. A huge help for both your mental health and physical health is the practice of mindfulness.

The Wandering Thoughts

Our minds are naturally drawn to wandering. Even during focused tasks, when we are in deep concentration, our attention span tends to drift every 47 seconds on average, a phenomenon known as 'mind wandering'.

Research suggests that we're truly in the present moment for only around 50% of our waking hours. The rest? Lost in daydreaming, reliving the past, or worrying about the future.

Fact:

Over 90% of our worries are unfounded, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania.

Mindfulness Exercise

Do you, like me, have a hard time believing these numbers? Then do the following awareness exercise;

• Take a piece of paper and pen and make 3 columns on it; Past, Present, Future.

• Be mindful of your thoughts for 1 day.

• Every time you catch yourself wandering, look to see if these thoughts are in the past, present, or future. Put a dash in the relevant column.

This test offers valuable insights into your mindfulness and present-moment awareness. By measuring your mind wandering, you can better understand your mental habits.

Remember, it's natural for our minds to wander. Instead of fighting it, aim to develop mindfulness to observe your thoughts without judgment. With practice in self-awareness, you can learn thought-control and guide your thoughts toward the present moment in a more focused state.

Bringing the unconscious into the conscious

Once you become aware of your unconscious mind, you can purposefully work to create order from chaos into your inner world. By bringing the unconscious into the conscious, you can first assess whether your thought stream is mainly loaded with positive thinking or negative thinking,                  

Why is this important?  

Our thoughts and behaviours shape our reality. How you think and behave is how your life will look. In other words, your inner world determines your outer world. If you know that 95% of our thoughts and behaviours happen in our unconscious mind, beyond our view, isn't it time to become aware of this 95% and take control of our personal development through self-awareness and benefit of the effects from mindfulness.

While self-awareness is a fascinating journey, it's crucial to remember that true change happens in the present moment.

Mindfulness is a great tool in self-improvement, but taming your mind, slowing down and taking short breaks requires courage (facing your inner self), perseverance, and dedication. Investing time and effort will yield many fruits, tasty, juicy, sweet fruits: happier, a calmer, healthier (mentally and physically) you, who feels more balanced, happy, in control, and ultimately, happier. And that's not even mentioning a better personal development, work-life balance, happiness, inner peace, self-care, stress reduction the relief of shaping your own life, your own reality, and taking the reins instead of leaving it to chance. But let's save that for another time and focus now on the practice of mindfulness

Re-educating the untamed animal

Don't kid yourself, our brains won't be easily controlled. It's like a horse that has been free in the meadow for years or a dog that has done whatever it wanted its whole life, including licking its rear end on your bed, on your pillow. Do you think they will cooperate when you suddenly show up with new rules?

The same goes for your subconscious mind, it will kick, show its teeth, and bite from time to time. But remember, every time you consciously bring your awareness into the present moment, you control the brain, you learn to tame the wild animal, tame the mind. You teach your subconscious mind ‘I am in control, not you'. It is an important step into personal development process of changing habits.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the here and now, without getting carried away by worries about the past or the future. It's like pointing a camera at yourself and observing what's happening at that moment. 

It is a technique that is becoming increasingly popular. Research has shown that mindfulness has various positive benefits on our mental and physical health:

• Reduced stress: Mindfulness exercises activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation.

• Increased focus: By focusing your attention on the present moment, you improve your concentration.

• Greater emotional balance: Mindfulness helps you to better understand and regulate your emotions.

• Stronger immune system: Studies have shown that mindfulness has a positive impact on the immune system.

What mindfulness does to our brains and the rest of our body and how we can apply Mindfulness it in our in daily life will be discussed next time.

Start today with small steps and discover the power of the present moment!

I wish you much enjoyment exploring your subconscious mind and remember, be kind to yourself.

Steven