How To Maintain A Healthy Spirit
A group of adults are meditating together. They are sitting on yoga mats with their eyes closed and hands clasped together. They are in a health club.
How To Start Your Journey to Mindfulness
When was the last time you took a deep breath, closed your eyes, and felt truly grateful for the moment that you were in?
In the 21st Century, our busy lives can make us feel like we never have time to switch off or evaluate what’s important. Hectic work schedules or too many social commitments might make us feel like we’re constantly running from one place to another without time for reflection. It’s unsurprising that balancing all this can get us down, but it’s something we should learn to deal with so that negative emotions don’t take over our lives.
A rising trend is to practice mindfulness. It’s the art of paying attention “on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Mindfulness is about committing to being in the moment, giving you a greater sense of spiritual calm. You don’t have to be a pro at yoga or meditation to benefit from mindfulness. All of these things can help you keep up a positive spirit, you can dip in and out of any or all of them and see positive change – although you will, of course, see the deepest and most intense benefits if you maintain a regular practice.
Here is how you can maintain a healthy spirit:
- Stress relief
- Better quality of sleep
- Lower blood sugar
- Relief from chronic pain
- Relief from gastrointestinal issues
- Greater concentration
- Increased self-esteem
The benefits of mindfulness are both physical and mental – both of which can send your spirit soaring if you keep up your mindfulness practice in a structured way. How does mindfulness help? The answers are fairly straightforward. When it comes to stress, mindfulness helps you to think before you speak, to manage your thoughts, to consider the feelings of others, and to respond in the most constructive way possible. This means that any potential situation that you’re in is likely to be resolved more calmly. All of this can play into the maintenance of your healthy, positive frame of mind.
Maintaining a healthy spirit through mindfulness is also important. To ensure you are fully benefitting, try some of these exercises:
- Thinking about the feelings and sounds of everyday activities, for example brushing your teeth
- Sitting down without distractions for a few minutes first thing in the morning
- Letting your mind wander
- Focusing on your breathing
- Meditating for a few minutes daily (you can easily find guides for this online)
- Using a physical prompt (such as when you drink tea) to remind you to practice mindfulness
- Remembering that just a couple of minutes is fine
Here’s to starting your journey to mindfulness and the creation of a healthy spirit – you’ll be feeling calmer and more positive in no time.
