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1-Page Summary of Mindfulness

Overview

Mindfulness and meditation are rooted in the great civilizations of Asia. Their popularity in the West is due to hippies and spiritual voyagers who started importing these practices in the twentieth century. That history has left its mark, as many self-proclaimed rationalists think that mindfulness is all about incense, gongs, mysticism, etc. In fact, a huge number of scientific studies show that learning to be mindful boosts our happiness and well-being tremendously—especially today’s hyper-connected world. Take it from two clinical psychologists and biochemists who devised an eight week course on Mindfulness; they argue that meditation can help everyone find peace of mind and contentment while also boosting physical health (memory & motivation).

In this passage, you’ll learn that it’s possible to practice mindfulness if you’re not religious. You’ll also learn how meditation can change your brain and integrate mindfulness into your life.

Big Idea #1: Mindfulness isn’t what most people think it is.

Mindfulness has been making headlines lately. However, people may be confused about what it really is and how to practice it. That’s unfortunate because mindfulness can help with many health issues, including stress and weight loss. To increase awareness of the benefits of mindfulness, let’s dispel some common myths about this subject by looking at why these beliefs are wrong or misguided.

It is not a belief, but it’s often practiced by many religions. Mindfulness is a mental training technique that can be used with all sorts of beliefs and ideas.

Mindfulness is a great way to reduce stress, but you have to sit on the floor with your legs crossed. In reality, you can do it anywhere.

Time is a major factor in mindfulness. It can be time-consuming, and it can make you less productive.

In a word, no! You can be mindful anywhere from a minute to an entire day – it’s completely up to you. As for distracting you from your goals, it’s been shown that mindfulness actually helps focus your mind. So what is mindfulness? It’s essentially being able to observe things without judgment or criticism.

Let’s look at an example from everyday life. As you walk home from work, you begin thinking about how your colleague was rude to you earlier in the day. You could send an angry email complaining about their behavior when you get home. However, what if instead of doing that, we just allowed ourselves to acknowledge our negative thoughts and let them pass? That would be better than getting worked up over something trivial and sending a mean email to someone who doesn’t deserve it. Mindfulness is all about being aware of what we’re feeling right now rather than letting those emotions take control of us and cause us to lash out unnecessarily at others or feel bad for no reason at all.

Big Idea #2: Psychological studies back up the claim that mindfulness is extraordinarily effective.

Mindfulness is associated with the new age movement and other things that are not credible. However, there’s evidence to support claims of its effectiveness in enhancing well-being.

There are many benefits to practicing mindfulness. It can help you sleep better, improve your health and alleviate stress.

Research has shown that mindfulness strengthens the immune system, preventing and battling flu, colds, and other viruses. It also helps alleviate chronic pain.

Then there’s depression. A study has shown that combining mindfulness with antidepressants can help prevent people from relapsing into depression after they’ve recovered, and the chance of relapse is significantly reduced.