When we cultivate the kind of awareness that comes through mindfulness practices, we have the opportunity to pause and choose how we respond to the inevitable triggers and stresses of life in the moment that is happening. This is a powerful and even life-changing technique to use when you get cut off on the highway or have a heated discussion with your boss.
The practice of mindfulness has been highly effective in treating addiction, mental illness, and chronic pain for years because it helps you deal with impulsive and compulsive tendencies in a different way. There is research coming out all the time on how it can enrich everyone’s life. Read on to find out what mindfulness can do for you:
1. Reduce your stress. Mindfulness shifts your ability to use emotion regulation strategies to experience less anxiety, depression and distress, and actually lower your cortisol levels.
2. Improve your performance. Neuroscientists have proven the practice of mindfulness creates new neural pathways to rewire the brain, leading to heightened brain function to improve working memory and overall work performance.
3. Increase your ability to focus. By focusing on the present moment in the mindfulness practice, you heighten your ability to focus your attention and suppress distractions in your daily life.
5. Enrich your relationships. Mindfulness is important because autopilot is the most dangerous enemy to a healthy relationship.
By Diane Sieg