According to Wikipedia, “Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment.” I’m sure most of you have heard about this and you practice it from time to time.
I myself do also practice it from time to time and it is a constant battle between present and future. I try to enjoy the present moments whilst thinking about my goals too (I know I’m probably not doing it right). While doing this I’ve noticed a something interesting: I am directing my attention based by the filter I have on. If I’m a little sad, I am more aware about the sad things around me. If I’m angry, I find things around me that have the potential of keeping me in that state. If I’m happy, I can find more things that keep me in that state. Yeah, I’m probably not doing this mindfulness thing right.
From time to time I try to let my mind free and sit back and watch whatever it goes through my head just like I would be at the cinema. It’s an interesting and scary experience, at least in the beginning. It is awesome because it brings some liberating feelings.
Being aware of our own thoughts can be scary and it can require some effort at first, but once we get used to it, it will get easier. The most common question psychologists use for trying to identify the thoughts is “What goes through your mind in this moment?” which can help us realize all the sh*t that go through our heads. The thing we have to realize is that those things are just stories so they are not necessarily real.
The state of mindfulness helps us being aware of the feelings we experience in the present time and also of the thoughts that trigger those feelings and because of this we can achieve a better understanding of ourselves.
How often do you practice this and how helpful do you find it?