“When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life or the life of another.” – Helen Keller
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keeping moving.” – Albert Einstein
“You have brains in your head, You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss
Quotes are so fun! They help us conceptualize a thought we don’t know we are thinking. Moving forward today on thoughts of mindfulness. I have been aware of mindfulness in many aspects of my life for many years. Recently, I have been paying more attention to mindfulness in my every day activities and some time every hour activities or lack of activities. When you practice mindfulness, you stay in the moment, but you also stay in tune with yourself, your whole self.
Staying in the moment and staying in tune with yourself can lower your blood pressure and definitely lower your stress level. I have learned it takes practice. To start, think of awareness. This means being in tune with your thoughts, your emotions, and physical sensations of the moment. Your next step is to have intention. Have a purpose for your thoughts. Do you want to learn something, rest better, eat healthier, etc. Tools to help awareness are expressive writing, talking about your thoughts and emotions, and meditation. Don’t get discouraged before you even start. Studies have shown that even mindful moments can be more beneficial than long meditation sessions. The bottom line is, the more you practice the easier it becomes. You can have a mindful moment in one second by paying attention to what you are thinking. It becomes a deliberate moment. In just one minute you can practice deep breathing; a few more minutes you can focus your thoughts on how your body is feeling; you can deliberately have a snack without an electronic device; and, you can notice something beautiful around you that gives you joy. That only takes one second!
Research has shown no matter our age or circumstances our brains can be trained with new pathways by repeating new behaviors and new thoughts. The more we practice the more change to our brain pathways. I know I want my brain to have pathways of joy!