Live in the Moment-Be Mindful.

Mindfulness meditation brings awareness to current thoughts and feelings without any judgement.

Slow down!

Have you ever felt like a million thoughts are racing through your mind? Difficulty sleeping at night because you're worried about tomorrow's events? Stressing in the shower over something that happened two days ago? Eating while also checking Facebook to not miss anything? I know I'm guilty of this quite often! This is where Mindfulness practice comes in to set us free.

In today's society, it seems like most of us rush through life's moments without even realizing it. We live in the past and future, missing out on the present. We rush to get somewhere or to get something done. We quickly act on emotion. Mindfulness meditation helps slows us down and become aware of the moment we are in. If you have BPD, Mindfulness practice helps train our brains to not go zero to one hundred. And if you don't have BPD, it is still a great meditation tool! It should always be non-judgmental and one-minded. There are several different ways to practice it.

In one of my first therapy appointments, my therapist had me pick an object in the room. I had no idea what I'd be doing with it, but I thought the pretty flowers in a nice vase seemed pretty safe. She then had me closely observe it, using all of my senses. I had to tally each time I found my mind drifting towards something else and EEK, there were a lot of tally marks. This was when I realized how easy the mind wanders without even noticing it.

To start Mindfulness, you should choose a comfy area with little distractions, eyes closed. Personally, I like to be seated on a nice pillow or lying down, hands facing upward. You can begin with taking deep breaths in and out. A good practice is to become aware of your breath, how your chest and belly move as you inhale and exhale. Notice how any part of your body is feeling. When you start to become aware of your thoughts and feelings, you must acknowledge them without judging them. You must be in the present moment and notice when your mind drifts, which it probably will! This is okay-as long as you bring yourself back to the current moment. You must focus on only thing at a time. You can do this meditation for as long as you need. There are many videos on YouTube you can go along with. There are also quick ways to practice Mindfulness throughout the day.

For example, when you are eating-simply eat. Take in the smell, texture, taste. When you are showering-focus on how good the hot water feels on your body. As you are walking-pay attention to how your feet feel on the ground, what your arms are doing. When you are driving- focus on the fact that you are driving. Whenever you have a moment, find something to observe- such as your cute pet taking a nice nap or a decoration on the wall. You can use all of your senses to practice Mindfulness.

Hash-tag BEMINDFUL!

#Mindfulness #Mindful #Meditate #Meditation #Aware #Awaken

Here is a great 5-Minute practice to start ya off!