On Mindfulness Monday, we’ve looked at what mindfulness actually is on a few occasions. It can be encapsulated as awareness that comes through paying purposeful attention, without judgement while staying in the present. I know that could seem a bit confusing, so maybe it is more simply put as “noticing”.

Noticing what, exactly? Things! Absolutely anything. It can range from what you can hear, the sensation of fabric on skin, to your breath and the sight of the breeze blowing through leaves. It sounds simple because it is. If you can notice things, then you are being mindful of them. If you a busily carrying on with your day and not paying attention to things like these, then you aren’t being mindful.

We are also able to talk, eat and drink with mindfulness.

When you pick something that you want to ‘notice’, you also have to be able to focus on it for a period of time. It doesn’t have to be long - start with 5 or 10 minutes. For example, you could pay attention to your morning tea or coffee. Notice the temperature. How it feel is in your mouth. How it tastes. Is it sweet or bitter? How it feels to take those first sips. It sounds easy in practice, but soon thoughts for the day can start to sneak in - about tasks you need to do, a conversation you’ve had, disagreements, decisions, and so on. Once those thoughts come in, distraction and loss of focus soon follow.

Don’t beat yourself up about your mind wandering - be kind and gracious to yourself, and keep trying. It is a practice after all. The art is recognising those negative thought usurpers, catching them in the act, letting them go returning back to that anchor point (your tea/coffee in this example).

What makes you YOU is not your feelings, thoughts or how your body feels - all of these are the concept you have for yourself, based on experience, emotions or external things - but they are NOT YOU. We change, our feelings and our bodies change…..so how can they encapsulate who you are? You are still the same person, no matter what happens to your thoughts.

This is why it is important to notice feelings and let them pass.

Periods of darkness do not define you.

Unwanted thoughts about how you look happen, but treat them as transitional.

Practice having a sense of detachment when those negative feelings occur, and allow yourself some space from them as they move on, rather than needing to react to them.