What is Mindfulness? Thorough explanation of effects and practical examples

Mindfulness is not meditation but a state of mind, “just focusing on what is in front of you.
For example, when you drink coffee in the morning, instead of just drinking it, you can concentrate on the rich aroma and taste it, or wash the dishes while feeling the sensation of water and bubbles that touch your hands.

These will be focused on what is in front of you.
This state of mind is called mindfulness, and you can maintain this state by performing mindfulness meditation. Recent scientific research has revealed

that being able to stay “just focused on what is in front of you” reduces brain fatigue and increases concentration, imagination, and happiness . ..
That’s why many entrepreneurs and corporate management class people practice it.

Kind of mindfulness

Mindfulness are of three types.

(1) Mindfulness supported by business

A program called “Search in Sandy Yourself” developed in 2007 by Chade-Meng Tan, a Google employee and engineer at the time .
It has been adopted by leading Western companies and has spread worldwide.
It is useful for skill development such as concentration, work efficiency, creativity, and improvement of EQ.

(2) Mindfulness in the medical field

The “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Method” developed by Dr. John Kabat-Zin in the 1970s mainly for pain relief is used for treatment for the purpose of stress reduction and resilience improvement.
Others include “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy” for the treatment of depression, developed by Dr. Twindel Seagull, Dr. Mark Williams and others .

(3) Mindfulness based on Buddhism

It was included in one of the first preaching that the Buddhist ancestor Buddha , the root of mindfulness, was enlightened and gave to his disciples .
The practice of the teaching “righteousness” is exactly the same as “just focusing on what is in front of you.”

Also, in Japanese Buddhism, “Zen Buddhism” is a practice that “just concentrates on what is in front of you” in everything from zazen, work, meals, and bathing.
Busy modern people tend to feel stressed, and even if they try to concentrate on what is in front of them, they always talk about “anxiety, denial, fear, evaluation, past things, and things that don’t matter” that can’t be helped in their minds. I’m continuing .

In other words, I’m thinking too much about it. Mindfulness,
which helps you to keep your busy mind in order and organize your thoughts, has many effects .

The effect of mindfulness that is useful for business

Many of the effects of mindfulness are closely related to the brain, and recent brain science research has shown that practicing mindfulness causes changes in the brain.

1. Speed ​​up work

Generally, the duration of human concentration is very short, and it is said to be several seconds.
Furthermore, it is said that human beings are not suitable for multitasking that does multiple things at the same time, and when you are concentrating on something, even if it is only a few minutes, you will be distracted by a phone call or email. , The sustained concentration is cut off.

When you lose your concentration due to various factors like this, you can use mindfulness meditation to bring yourself back to a state of concentration .

2. Improvement of management ability

Being in a state of mindfulness allows you to calmly accept your own mental and physical condition.
As a result, you will not be swayed by anger or impatience, your empathy will increase, you will be able to make statements and actions that are considerate of the other person, you will be able to connect well with your relationships, and your management skills will improve .

3. Creativity up

Now that creativity is needed in every job, it is very important to make full use of the brain and generate new ideas.
When you are in a state of mindfulness, your brain becomes less tired, your receptive ability improves, and you can use your brain for various thoughts, so you will have more and more good ideas .

4. Presenting power up

As the hippocampus grows, memory improves.
Furthermore, by activating CEN, which controls short-term memory processing, the function of “working memory” that temporarily stores information and processes it at the same time improves.

These effects improve your presentation by remembering what you need to say, watching the reaction of the other person, and making fine adjustments .
At the meeting, you will be able to remember the participants’ remarks and take appropriate reactions.

5. Increased tolerance to stress

Since you can maintain a calm mind at all times, it also has a positive effect on the overall health of your mind and body.
Not only can you relax, but your amygdala, which responds to anxiety and fear, becomes smaller, so you can calmly respond to troubles and unforeseen circumstances .
In other words, stress tolerance increases .

6. Attentiveness and kindness to people

When I have something to worry about and I’m just thinking about it, I don’t even notice other people.
Mindfulness reduces the activity of the brain that thinks about things, and allows you to devote attention resources to the people around you, so you can be more attentive to people, improve your kindness, and worry about people. You will be distracted.

7. Calm up

As the amygdala, which causes anxiety and fear, becomes smaller, it reduces frustration and hysterical reactions, and people call it a calm person.

8. Improving communication skills

By activating the function of the brain that controls short-term memory and instantaneous information processing, it becomes possible to firmly remember the other person’s story and take appropriate reactions at each time .
As a result, your communication skills will improve and your relationships with people around you will improve.

The effect of mindfulness that is useful in daily life

1. Increases calm

As the amygdala, which causes anxiety and fear, becomes smaller, it reduces frustration and hysterical reactions, and people call it a calm person .

2. Deepen self-understanding

By practicing mindfulness, you will be able to control sudden negative emotions and irritation .
Gradually, you will have more time to look at the causes of your negative emotions, such as why such negative emotions arose and why you annoyed.

In other words, by continuing to be mindful, you will be able to understand your own emotional tendencies that you may or may not know, and to have an objective idea of ​​yourself.
By objectifying yourself and looking closely, you will naturally acquire the ability to deepen your self-understanding.

3. Can be considerate of oneself

As mentioned earlier, practicing mindfulness enhances your ability to see yourself objectively , and you will be able to be kind to yourself as if you were kind to others .

If you can accept “as is” without being swayed by temporary emotions, you will be able to praise yourself and become more fond of yourself.

Practical example of mindfulness

Here are some of the scenes where mindfulness can actually  practices and utilizes.

• Meditation in daily life such as getting dressed in the morning, cleaning, and taking a bath or seeking a consultation from rehabilitation center in Islamabad.
• Meditation to turn off the TV, face the meal, taste it, and eat it.
• Meditate while holding on to the straps on the train while commuting.
• Half-eye meditation at work and before the meeting.
• Stop by your favorite cafe and practice emotional writing.
• If you can’t come up with an idea, do walking meditation.

Theideal goal is to reach the level of “life meditation”.
However, it says that if you can concentrate on what is in front of you and live politely, you will be able to take things positively and your heart will be clear and healthy.

All of them are easy to do when you think of them in your daily life, and the time is about 10 to 15 minutes .