How Mindfulness Can Relieve Stress


Mindfulness can relieve stress by staying in the present moment
Has this ever happened to you? You have driven a short distance in your car and suddenly realised you have no recollection of how you got from A to B. You navigated traffic but can't recall any of it because your mind was elsewhere Most of us will recognise how easily our mind wanders off on its own.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the capacity to be fully aware of your thoughts, feelings and sensations in the present moment, without judging there is a right or wrong way to think or feel, but accepting what is, for now. It takes some practice but mindfulness can be very helpful to managing stress.

The present

If you think about your life as a timeline, made up of present moments, then this moment as you are reading this, is probably okay. Some moments can be painful but usually the present moment is okay.

The problem is our attention leaves the present moment quite frequently because our mind has either wandered off into the past, reliving events from yesterday, last month or even years ago; or it's busy thinking, planning or worrying about the future.

The past

Memories are a gift, all of us have treasured memories. It's recognising when your mind is constantly reliving the painful events of the past. That's when we need to stop and acknowledge that all we are really doing is creating feelings of regret, guilt or shame in this present moment, even though in this moment we are okay.

The future

In the same way, if your mind is caught up worrying about the future, then all you are doing is creating feelings of anxiety now, in this moment, about something that hasn't happened yet or may never happen.

Finding peace in the present

Peace of mind is found in catching your mind when it wanders off and returning it home to the present moment where it belongs. It takes a bit of patience and practice. A little tip I've found helpful is that someone suggested constantly looking at your feet - where your feet are, that's where your mind should be.

When you step into the present moment, you step out of the content of your mind. The incessant stream of thinking slows down. Thoughts don't absorb all your attention anymore. Gaps arise between thoughts - spaciousness, stillness. You begin to realise how much vaster and deeper you are than your thoughts - Eckhart Tolle


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