Many people go through life as if it is a race against time, trying to squeeze as much as possible into every hour. If you go through your day and cannot remember by the end of it what you ate, what it tasted like, how you felt during the day, you are not alone. The vast majority of people experience life in this way. Mindfulness based therapy is the name given to an awareness that emerges when we focus attention on particular aspects of our experience in the present moment. The breath and the senses are used as anchors, interrupting the chatter of the mind, reorienting our focus to the present.
Consider the hustle and bustle of everyday life; cultural and societal expectations, workplace demands and technological advances demanding of our attention. Checking email, opening attachments, taking in new information, thinking about the tasks of the day ahead, popping across to social media, checking a message on the phone, remembering what was left on yesterday's 'to do list'. All this information to process, accompanied by a feeling of residual tension, unease or discontent; a familiar feeling for many. This overstimulation can begin to deplete our inner resources leaving us vulnerable to stress, low mood, mental fatigue and exhaustion. Mindfulness teaches us how to effectively deal with the fast pace, constant flow of new information which is part of modern living.
Life is busy and trying to fit in some time for ourselves, can be difficult.
The beauty of mindfulness is that we can use it on the go; even when we are busy and perceive that we don't have time to be mindful.
A helpful way to introduce mindfulness into everyday life is to use a breathing space exercise. This can be for as little as three minutes a day.
Stress can result in restriction of the muscular and connective tissue in the chest leading to chest breathing, reducing the amount of oxygen circulated around the body. This can result in muscular tension and increased heart rate, which invariably exacerbates feelings of stress, unease and anxiety.