Mindfulness Day

Mark your calendars: September 12^th is Mindfulness Day. Created in 2012, this annual celebration raises awareness around mindfulness and its many benefits. Since its inception, the day has been embraced globally with participants holding special events and workshops in honour of the occasion.

Mindfulness is one of those things that you’ve almost certainly heard a lot about. However, many of us draw a blank when it comes to knowing how to practice it and why it’s considered so important. And so, ahead of Mindfulness Day, we’ve come up with a quick primer to prepare you for a more mindful future.

All About Mindfulness

Let’s start at the beginning with a mindfulness 101, taking you through the basics of mindfulness and why you should make it part of your daily routine.

What is mindfulness?

In short, mindfulness is simply being in the present moment. Most of us live our lives in fast forward, rushing from one thing to the next, filling our days with non-stop tasks. Mindfulness tells us to slow, appreciating small moments, connecting with our minds and bodies as we go about our day-to-day.

Those who practice mindfulness take time to connect with what’s happening inside and outside their body. They have an awareness of how their thoughts impact their actions. They also strive to recognise the connection between mind and body.

Why is mindfulness important?

Modern life demands that we’re always 'on’. We work long hours and socialise in loud, physical ways, our home lives are packed with demanding chores. Even when we allow ourselves downtime it often consists of watching the world burn in real time via endless doom scrolling.

Mindfulness can help us recognise patterns in our behaviour, our health and our mental wellbeing. It can aid us in noticing what’s good for us and what’s not working. It can also help us to process the constant drama happening inside ourselves, at home, at work and in the wider world. Mindfulness can also give us an off button when being ‘on’ becomes too much.

Who needs mindfulness?

From high-powered execs in glass corner offices to young children in the classroom, mindfulness has benefits for all of us.

Mindfulness might be especially beneficial for you if you feel burnt out or overwhelmed by the pressures of daily life. You might also choose to practice mindfulness in order to reconnect with yourself, with loved ones or with nature. Your GP or specialist may recommend mindfulness to support mental wellbeing.

Mindfulness and Your Health

Let’s be honest, mindfulness might sound like a bit of an airy fairy load of bunkum to you. However, the health benefits of practicing mindfulness are rooted in science, with numerous studies proving its effectiveness in a number of areas.

Mindfulness and mental wellbeing

Mindfulness is most intrinsically connected to mental wellbeing. A 2019 study, for example, showed that practicing mindfulness reduced perceived stress, improved wellbeing and even resulted in better job satisfaction[i]. Additionally, an article published by the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic recommended mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR[ii], underlining mindfulness’s effectiveness at helping us deal with stress in times of crisis.

Further studies suggest that mindfulness-based CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is effective in the treatment of low mood[iii]. This study notes that often those experiencing low mood don’t complete the course of mindfulness-based CBT recommended by their GP and so don’t feel the full effects. This underlines the importance of building mindfulness into your daily life.

Mindfulness and better sleep

Daily stress and busy lifestyles can often result in poor sleep. A study carried out by the University of South Florida tells us that mindfulness not only aids in reducing feelings of stress but that it can help improve sleep too[iv].

And this isn’t the only study that tells us that mindfulness practices such as meditation and body scanning may improve sleep. Another study, carried out in 2020, found ‘moderate strength of evidence that mindfulness meditation interventions significantly improved sleep quality’[v]. Yet another showed improvements in older people with sleep disturbances[vi].

Mindfulness: unexpected health benefits

Mindfulness may not seem the most likely route to improving physical health. There is evidence, however, that it’s not just mental wellbeing that a good round of meditation can help.

Experts think that mindfulness’s positive influence on our mental wellbeing could have a knock-on effect. One long term study even tells us that making mindful meditation a habit can literally reshape our brain, lowering rates of brain tissue loss[vii]. Which means that a touch of daily mindfulness could slow brain aging, keeping us sharper and happier for longer.

Studies also suggest that eating mindfully (more on that later) may help to improve our gut health, improving gastrointestinal and digestive function[viii].

Practicing Mindfulness

Knowing its many benefits, mindfulness might sound like a great idea but how do you go about bringing mindfulness into your daily life?

Meditation for mindfulness

When most people think of mindfulness they’ll usually think of meditation. The simplest and most effective way to bring mindfulness into your daily routine, meditation can help you switch off from the stress of the day and become more in tune with your breathing and your body. If in-person meditation classes (seek out a local Buddhist centre for free or affordable meditation sessions) don’t suit you, a YouTube tutorial or audio-guided meditation could help.

Often recommended by experts is a body scan meditation. A basic body scan involves checking in with each part of your body, moving from the head downwards, via eyes and ears, mouth, shoulders, belly, knees and toes. You’ll breathe purposefully while noticing sensations in each area without analysing or becoming preoccupied by discomfort. Carrying out a body scan meditation can aid sleep[ix], reduce stress[x] and may even have an impact on the effects of chronic pain[xi].

Mindful movement

Exercises such as yoga and tai chi are rooted in mindfulness. They encourage us to take notice of our bodies as we move, breathing with purpose and letting the breath drive each movement as we make it. Mindful yoga blends classic yogic asanas (poses) and pranayama (breathing) with Buddhist-inspired mindfulness. Yoga and tai chi classes are suitable for all abilities and body types while online resources are also available for practice at home.

Finding it hard to fit a class into your already busy day? It’s entirely possible to bring mindfulness into your everyday movements. When walking the dog, popping out to the shops or heading home from the school run pay attention to what’s around you: the feeling of your feet meeting the ground, the rhythm of your breath and the sensations in your body. Making this awareness of yourself a habit can help you to become more mindful.

Everyday mindfulness

Mindfulness can, with practice, become part of your everyday life. These are just a few ways to become more mindful:

Practice mindful listening for improved relationships: put your full focus into a conversation by turning off phones, TVs and other distractions. Pay attention to body language and tone of voice. Resist interrupting. Consider your responses before speaking.
Engage your senses for daily calm: try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique when you notice yourself disengaging. See five things around you. Notice four things you can feel. Listen for three notable sounds. Take note of two smells. Recognise one thing you can taste.
Eat and digest mindfully for better gut awareness: instead of eating at speed, on the go, make time to eat. Take note of individual flavours, aromas and textures. Chew slowly and lay your fork down between mouthfuls. Once finished take time to digest, noticing your body’s reaction to its sustenance.