What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the act of being fully present at that moment, aware of our own body's feelings, where we are, and what we're doing. While we focus on these things we can assess them while not overreacting or being overwhelmed by our feelings. We all possess this ability but like a muscle, it builds strength with practice.
There is growing research that when you develop an everyday mindfulness practice you are remodelling the physical structure of your brain. The act of mindfulness is to wake up the inner workings of our physical, mental, and emotional senses; connecting mind and body.
What is meditation?
Whereas mindfulness is being in the present moment, meditation is exploration within the mind. Going through a mental journey of thought exploration, feeling sensations on our skin, concentrating on smells to bring forth memories, or looking into our emotions and why we feel a certain way about something. Some meditations can be focused on being mindful, others can be grounding or some can take you on a mental journey to another place.
How can it help my mental health?
Building up a mindfulness practice each day or trying out meditations are a wonderful way of gaining some mental peace and further understanding of yourself. It gives you a chance to explore your feelings and emotions removed from guilt or weighty reasoning. Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis can help you boost your attention and concentration, give you a great insight into your emotions, and improve relationships.
However these techniques are not for everyone, we would suggest you try some easy to read articles on the subject or download one of the leading mindfulness apps.
Further reading and app suggestions: