By Shivani Shukla
Your brain is tired.
Perhaps you already knew this, but it’s still likely that you live in an almost constant state of getting things done, multitasking, and overstimulation. From stress induced cramming for your exams, to going through a cycle of social media and that one really good show while trying to sleep, it's quite easy to start flitting through life like it’s nothing. Not to say it’s all your fault– the world demands a lot from us, and we can demand a lot from ourselves trying to keep up. But there is something you can do to slow down for a bit, by perhaps keeping your mental health a little more healthier, and making yourself a little more happier.
Mindfulness can seem like a sort of buzzword that is thrown around a lot by a variety of different people, making it hard to understand what it really is at its core. You might have heard the phrase “be mindful”, and wondered what that's supposed to even mean. The truth is, mindfulness is quite simple. It's the act of being genuinely and consciously aware of one’s surroundings, actions, and present state. Practicing mindfulness dates back to early Hindu and Buddhist practices, and is still relevant today. Taking a journey with mindfulness through practicing it daily can prove to be invaluable, contributing significantly to your brain health.
One of the many benefits of mindfulness is that it can help to root you in the moment, providing mental clarity and focus. As a cognitive skill, mindfulness can work in a variety of ways, such as by focusing on your breathing or what you are doing currently, instead of letting your mind wander about future or past events and occurrences as you might be used to doing. By practicing this kind of sincere mental focus daily, to the best of your ability, the way the brain perceives new challenges and tasks can change for the better with an increased capacity in paying attention to the present.
Mindfulness can also help with managing emotions, stress, and anxiety. By tuning into how you are feeling in the moment, you can better reflect on and manage your mental health. It has been found to influence pathways in the brain, such as some of the regions responsible for regulating emotions. By practicing mindfulness regularly, you could potentially control any negative thoughts and feelings that may arise, by allowing your brain to step away and simply become aware of their presence without spiraling into a loop. With practice, being able to calm yourself in a meaningful way is quite beneficial in situations that could be the opposite.
Gray matter in the brain, a type of tissue that helps in processing information, makes it an important aspect of daily life. When practicing mindfulness, the amount of gray matter that deals with complex thinking and sense of self in the brain are increased. This shows that beyond the scope of the present, mindfulness has great long-term impacts. The types of thinking that can be further developed and increased in capability are divergent, convergent, and lateral thinking, among many others, such as creative thinking. Divergent thinking involves exploring various ideas in a spontaneous way, while convergent thinking focuses more on accuracy and logic. Meanwhile, lateral thinking and creative thinking are similar, both consisting of using new ideas and perspectives. Being able to access different skills in terms of thinking serves to strengthen various parts of your brain, as well as to allow for neural activation in many different regions.
For many, facing your thoughts can be scary, and the idea of practicing meditation regularly can be quite daunting. However, practicing mindfulness on a daily basis helps quite a bit with solidifying its long term benefits. Since we are so used to our brains wandering throughout everyday life, being able to engage with mindfulness in a deeper sense requires a certain sense of discipline. Like many things, practice makes perfect. Consistently bringing yourself back to the present and staying in the moment becomes easier with time, so practicing mindfulness everyday makes this process more familiar and enjoyable.
How could you get started?
There are many ways to start implementing mindfulness in your daily life. In general, it's good to start for shorter increments and work your way up as you see fit. Mindfulness can look different for everyone, being something that you can easily adapt to work best for you and who you are. This could be through practices centered around focus and relaxation, such as yoga and meditation. Yoga and meditation both focus on breathing and calmness, as well as many sensations within the body, making them both great for practicing mindfulness as well as helping things like cardiovascular health. They are also available through various means in their own light, such as through classes or resources online. An even more flexible way to practice mindfulness is through different types of breathing techniques and exercises, which can be very effective in gradually implementing mindfulness in a way that is very accessible. There are even specific workshops available to help you get started. No matter how many different ways you choose to practice mindfulness, it’s a great step in taking care of your brain health and getting in touch with who you are.
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