Mindfulness
Building Mindfulness: Three Strategies to Improve Mindfulness in Daily Life with Mindfulness Therapy
Written by
Inner Clarity
September 6, 2024
An increasingly popular form of therapy is also one of civilization's oldest. We’re talking about mindfulness therapy, a holistic practice that emphasizes the connection between one’s mind and body through accessible, meditative techniques. Though members of various religious traditions have been implementing mindfulness-informed exercises for generations, The National Library of Medicine recently recorded that Google’s search volume for “mindfulness” increased by 95 percent between 2004 and 2020. That surge is a testament to the growing recognition that mindfulness therapy is an effective tool for addressing a wide range of mental health concerns.
Review this Inner Clarity guide to learn more about what defines mindfulness-based therapy and gain strategies for how to cultivate its benefits to improve your everyday life.
Some principles that undergird mindfulness therapy might sound simple in theory, but they can potentially transform one’s life.
For example, you may be familiar with the virtue of non-judgemental observations. It’s important not to assign wholesale good or bad judgments to other people based on every little thing they do. Now imagine wielding that same caliber of acceptance towards the constant tide of your inner experiences. Instead of ruling out entire situations, try being curious about your feelings and you’ll notice how they arise and change, how no experience is intrinsically one fixed way. To that end, patience, trust, and deliberate attentiveness to the passing moment are other key principles of mindfulness-based therapy.
Enacting such an approach in your daily routine, much less in stressful times, is a difficult task. That challenge is compounded by the fact it requires a gentle kind of focus, and we live in a world where technology is always available to snag our attention. Regardless of where you are or what you do, know there are manageable ways to incorporate the tenets of mindfulness into your life.
To improve your ability to start and end each day with a sense of mindfulness, consider embracing the following plan: explore regular meditative procedures, integrate mindfulness into everyday tasks that you otherwise overlook, and introduce mindfulness to how you interact with the people around you in order to enhance interpersonal relationships.
It’s no coincidence that breathwork is a part of many common meditation methods. Since our breath is a constant but fluid feature of every moment we’re alive, focusing on our breathing allows us to find a calming foundation to center ourselves and build mindfulness.
It can take as little as five minutes before bed, sitting on a cushion and noticing your own steady breathing. Or, you can lie on a yoga mat and conduct a “body scan,” which entails slowly shifting your consciousness up from your toes through your limbs, torso, and finally to your crown. Any amount of time you can dedicate to collecting your attention inward will likely capture and grow a steady sense of mindfulness.
Once you start carving out space for specific mindfulness techniques, it’s possible you won't want to stop. However, mindfulness is something you can incorporate into everyday, mundane tasks. How? Try commuting to work without any music or podcasts, and set an intention for the day. Likewise, sit down to eat dinner without watching a screen, and try to savor every bite, noticing when you’re no longer hungry.
Leaning into mindfulness during daily activities will reduce overall stress levels, as you may be holding more tension than you realize. Thus, you will free up your mental bandwidth to be more focused and productive. Furthermore, easing mindfulness into routine responsibilities can expand a sense of gratitude and fulfillment out of ordinary events.
The advantages of mindfulness don’t have to stop at the individual level. After becoming comfortable with the way emotions surface and move, you’re apt to gain a new perspective on how to articulate what is causing patterns of stress in your life. Appreciating the temporary nature of your feelings may also allow you to step outside of yourself and lend more empathy to what others are going through.
Certain mindfulness techniques — like avoiding multitasking when interacting with someone, refraining from assuming what others think or feel, and “going with the flow” rather than having preconceived ideas of interactions — will enable you to communicate more effectively, resolve conflicts, and enjoy time spent in the company of your interpersonal relationships.
While the value of mindfulness is clear, constant work emails, family group chat notifications, blaring news cycles, and the latest popular television show all offer a source of interruptions. That’s why working with a trained therapist who specializes in a mindfulness-based approach can help you gain the support needed to cut through the noise and build a practice designed for your specific mental health needs.
Mindfulness therapy sessions are often grounded in conversations to identify and diagnose harmful thoughts or behaviors. The therapist may then incorporate mindfulness practices like those listed above to help you become aware of those dysfunctional patterns, learn how to break out from them when they arise, and prevent them from repeating. According to Psychology Today, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has been proven effective at treating a variety of disorders, such as depression, generalized anxiety, and addiction.
Mindfulness therapy can reduce stress, improve concentration, enhance your ability to regulate emotions and foster more resilience to uncertainty, all through relatively inexpensive methods that prioritize calming breathwork and self-acceptance.
You might now understand why mindfulness has become a well-sought-after practice. Its techniques, many with ancient origins, allow you to access a deeper connection to the beats of your everyday life and unlock a more peaceful existence. Consult Inner Clarity’s roster of qualified professionals who have experience in providing mindfulness therapy through a virtual model so you can feel supported in embarking on your mental health journey from the comfort of your own home. Request an appointment today to bring your mind, body, and spirit into balance and create a clear mind for a healthy life.
