Mindfulness

Posted on October 13, 2022 by admin

“Mindfulness is about being fully aware of your experiences as they are happening in the present moment. You are aware of your thoughts, emotions, and your body sensations.” Charles A. Francis

Webster’s definition of mindfulness is “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”

Mindfulness is a secular form of meditation that has its roots in the teachings of Buddha over 2,500 years ago. The main goal of the practice was to attain freedom from suffering. This is accomplished by developing self-awareness, or mindfulness, because it was your inaccurate views of the world that trigger your negative emotions and harmful actions.

With mindfulness, you can develop an awareness of the true nature of reality. By observing what is happening within your mind, body, and the world around you, you’ll begin to lift the veil of illusion that creates the suffering in your life, states Charles A. Francis, co-founder and director of the Mindfulness Meditation Institute.

4 Simple Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness is a powerful practice that can help you avoid a lot of unnecessary anxiety and negative thoughts, writes Francis. It will enable you to cope with life’s many challenges and help you find peace and joy. Here are some of the simple tools you can use, according to Francis.

Mindful breathing. At the heart of the mindfulness practice is mindful breathing. Paying close attention to your breath will help you calm your thoughts and emotions. It will keep you from becoming overwhelmed. All you have to do is occasionally stop what you’re doing, and just observe your breath for a few moments. You can count 5-10 breaths, and then return to what you were doing. That’s it.

Mindful walking. This is another simple practice. Unless you have mobility issues, we all do some walking throughout our day. When walking from one place to another, pay close attention to your footsteps, just like you do with your breath in mindful breathing. If the weather is nice, you can go for a mindful walk. Try keeping yourself in the moment by observing your surroundings. Notice the different sights and sounds of nature. Focus on smelling the fresh air and observing all the critters, both large and small.

Your mind affects your body, and your body affects your mind, perhaps more than you realize.

Sitting meditation. Many people have the misconception that meditation is difficulty, and that they need to clear their mind before they can start meditating. That’s not so. Sitting meditation is actually quite simple. All you have to do is sit quietly for a few minutes, and follow your breath as best as you can. When your mind wanders off, and it will, just keep bring it back to your breathing.

If you’re new to meditation, try it for just 5-10 minutes each session. Then increase the duration as you’re able. Remember, you don’t have to do it perfectly. The ideas is to give your mind a break from the constant stimulation, and simply allow it to calm down naturally. And it will.

Writing meditation. This is a practice helps you overcome stubborn habits that are preventing you from being at peace. What you do is take the scripted meditation, which is a set of affirmations, and copy it by hand over and over. This will imprint the affirmations in your subconscious mind, and they will manifest themselves in your life without any conscious effort. And it only takes about 5 minutes a day.

An article in Fast Company, called How the Pope Does Mindfulness, revealed how company executive Drake Baer practices mindfulness. He practices daily “mindfulness” by:

First, remind yourself why you are grateful as a human being.
Second, lift your horizon for a moment. Call to mind some crucial personal objective, or your deepest sense of purpose, or the values you stand for.
Third, mentally review the last few hours and extract some insight that might help in the next few hours. If you were agitated, what was going on inside you? If you were distracted and unproductive, why?

You can use this executive’s short method and practice mindfulness several times a day. It is beneficial to focus on the present.

References:

Mindfulness: Being Mindful

Posted on October 6, 2022 by admin

Research suggests mindfulness influences how you interpret the world.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ~ Nelson Mandela

To live mindfully is to live in the moment and reawaken oneself to the present, rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future. To be mindful is to observe and label thoughts, feelings, sensations in the body in an objective manner.

Mindfulness can help you achieve greater understanding, which in and of itself will bring you peace. It will also help you develop greater inner strength. This will enable you to make better choices in your lives, which will lead to a healthier and more fulfilling life. Being Mindful can mean meditating or simply stopping to smell the roses.

Mindfulness encompasses two key ingredients: awareness and acceptance.

Awareness is the knowledge and ability to focus attention on one’s inner processes and experiences, such as the experience of the present moment.
Acceptance is the ability to observe and accept—rather than judge or avoid—those streams of thought.

Studies show mindfulness slashes stress, relieves pain, and improves your mood. And scientists are beginning to understand how. One study found that 8 weeks of regular meditation and being mindful can change parts of your brain related to emotions, learning, and memory. Even washing dishes can be good for your brain, as long as you do it mindfully.

As you develop mindfulness through your practice, your emotions will naturally change. The reason is that you begin to identify less with your ego, and you begin to see more clearly your connection with the rest of the world. And when you truly see this interconnection, your loneliness will disappear.

Through mindfulness, your anger and frustration will also subside. As you meditate, your mind will naturally calm down. This will reduce the mental agitation that triggers your unhealthy emotions. They will be replaced with more wholesome emotions, such as love, compassion, and joy.

“Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

The more you practice mindfulness meditation, the deeper your understanding of your emotions will be. When you are truly mindful, you are aware of when your emotions arise, what your sources are, and have the inner strength to resist the temptation to fuel the negative emotions, and be able to cultivate the positive ones. This will lead to greater equanimity.

Mindfulness of Your Mind

As you get older, your mental abilities begin to decline. Your memory, concentration, and reasoning ability slowly diminish. This is an inevitable sad truth about growing old. However, not all of your mental decline is due to age, and there is a lot we can do to slow this decline.

Studies have shown that mindfulness meditation helps preserve and even improve your mental abilities. Mindfulness meditation can improve your memory, concentration, and abstract thinking. Several studies have shown that even small amounts of meditation can have a significant impact. The impact is even greater with years of practice.

In addition to mindfulness, another thing you can do to preserve your mind is to keep it active. However, not all mental activity is equally beneficial. Mental activities that require little use of your mind, such as crossword puzzles, have little effect. What has the most impact is learning a new skill, such as a new language. Learning a new skill forces your brain to create new neural pathways.

Proper nutrition can also have a tremendous impact on your mental abilities. This is more a matter of giving your brain what it needs to function at an optimal level. For example, your brain needs a fair amount of protein and fat to work properly. You also need plenty of fluids. When you’re dehydrated, which many of you are, your memory and concentration are greatly diminished.

Physical activity will also improve your mental abilities. In order for oxygen and nutrients to reach your brain, they have to be transported there through our blood, and physical activity improves the blood flow to the brain. You don’t need to do a lot of exercise to get the health benefits. Sometimes just walking regularly is enough to improve the blood flow.

Mindfulness encompasses awareness and acceptance, which helps you understand and cope with uncomfortable emotions, allowing you to gain control and relief. To cultivate these skills, concentrate on breathing to lengthen and deepen your breaths. Notice your thoughts and feelings, and practice curiosity and self-compassion.

References:

Gratitude Research

Posted on July 10, 2022 by admin

Gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness and a recognition that this goodness is sourced outside the self.” This doesn’t mean that life is perfect and peaceful, but when you look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages you to identify some amount of goodness and joy in your life. Dr. Robert Emmons

Research indicates that gratitude can lower blood pressure, improve immune function, reduce cardiac inflammation, increase happiness, improve relationships, and decrease depression.

Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, researcher, and author of the book Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, suggests that you “integrate gratitude into your daily life, rather than make it something you need to add to an already busy day”.

He recommends that you simply make it a point to notice opportunities that you can be thankful for and practice gratitude regularly.

Practicing gratitude can also make you better equipped to handle the difficulties of life that inevitably arise. In fact, according to Emmons, it’s an essential part of the process of healing from trauma. Even despair can be mitigated by the experience of appreciation for the good, however slight it might be.

Many survivors of the Holocaust, when asked to tell their stories, remember most strongly the feelings of gratitude for food, shelter, or clothing that was offered to them. This sense of thankfulness for the small blessings helped them maintain their humanity despite experiencing a horrific tragedy.

Additionally, many people with life-threatening illnesses also report decreased distress and increased positive emotions when they practice gratitude.

10 tips to fit gratitude in your life

Here are ten ways to become a more thankful person, according to Dr. Emmons:

Every day, say aloud three good things that happened. It’s also extremely powerful to express gratitude aloud when you’re alone.
Keep a gratitude journal. Jot down the small things from your day that mattered to you. If you’re having a particularly rough day, you can look back through the pages of accumulated blessings in your life.
Say thanks to your partner. Couples who express gratitude toward one another set up a powerful feedback loop of intimacy and trust, where both partners feel as if their needs are being met.
Cool a hot temper with a quick gratitude inventory. One of the quickest ways to dispel the energy of a stormy mood is to focus your attention on what’s good. So when you’re about to lash out at someone, take a moment to do a quick inventory of five things you’re thankful for in the moment. It will help you relax and avoid saying something you’ll later regret.
Thank yourself. Gratitude doesn’t always need to be focused on what other people have done for you! Make sure you give yourself a thank-you for the healthy habits you’ve cultivated in your own life.
Use technology to send three gratitude messages a week. Harness the power of this technology to send out some good vibes, such as a text or Facebook comment, to tell your friends why you appreciate them.
Savor the good moments. If you notice you’re feeling happy, stop what you’re doing and pay attention for a few minutes. Notice exactly how you feel, including the sensations in your body and the thoughts you’re having. Later, when you’re trying to inspire gratitude, you can remember this moment and experience the benefits all over again.
Check for silver linings. Even the most difficult life challenges come with some benefit—you just have to look to find them. Making a mistake teaches you a lesson. When things feel hard, ask yourself: What’s good here?
Look outward, not inward. Robert Emmons says people are more likely to feel grateful when they put their focus on others, rather than getting caught up in their own inner narratives about how things should have gone. Empathy for others can trigger a sense of gratitude, and people who have an outward focus tend to experience stronger benefits.
Change your perspective. If you struggle to come up with something to feel grateful for, put yourself in the shoes of someone who is experiencing misfortunes greater than your own. It will inspire gratitude for your own healthy body and circumstances, which you may have taken for granted otherwise.

It is vitally important to your health and overall emotional well being to cultivate a sense of gratitude in your life. Research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.

References:

Mindfulness

Posted on December 22, 2021 by admin

The goal of mindfulness is to wake up to the inner workings of our mental, emotional, and physical processes.

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us, according to the website Mindfulness.com.

Mindfulness encompasses two key ingredients: awareness and acceptance, according to Psychology Today. Awareness is the knowledge and ability to focus attention on one’s inner processes and experiences, such as the experience of the present moment. Acceptance is the ability to observe and accept—rather than judge or avoid—those streams of thought.

Whenever you bring awareness to what you’re directly experiencing via your senses, or to your state of mind via your thoughts and emotions, you’re being mindful. And there’s growing research showing that when you train your brain to be mindful, you’re actually remodeling the physical structure of your brain.

Mindfulness is a technique of deliberately focusing your attention and not let yourself be distracted by other thoughts constantly running through your head; you clear “noise” from your mind.

Mindfulness is the idea to become more self-aware. You pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations in that moment — without purposefully deciding whether they’re good or bad, and without becoming overwhelmed or overly reactive.

In short, you tune in to what you’re feeling and what’s real right now. “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally,” says Kabat-Zinn, creator of the research-backed stress-reduction program Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) . “And then I sometimes add, in the service of self-understanding and wisdom.”

Mindfulness – Live in the day; Live in the now.

Mindfulness is available to you in every moment, whether through meditations or mindful moment practices like taking time to pause and breathe when the phone rings instead of rushing to answer it.

Breathe in and out a few times. If your mind wanders, just notice that, accept that your mind has wandered, and refocus on your breathing. That’s a bare bones example of mindfulness. “Mindfulness is really important in times like this,” says Auguste H. Fortin VI, MD, MPH, a Yale Medicine internal medicine specialist who has recommended mindfulness practices to help cope with their illnesses.

Mindfulness is a practice that involves three components:

Paying attention to what is happening in the present moment
Doing this purposely and deliberately, with resolve
Maintaining the attitude that you will stay with your mindfulness experience, whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant

As you spend time practicing mindfulness, you’ll probably find yourself feeling kinder, calmer, and more patient. These shifts in your experience are likely to generate changes in other parts of your life as well.

Mindfulness can help you maximize your enjoyment of life and help you wind down. Its benefits include lowering stress levels, reducing harmful ruminating, and protecting against depression and anxiety. Research even suggests that mindfulness can help people better cope with rejection and social isolation.

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” Lao Tzu

References:

Financial Wellness

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Financial Wellness: Time to tune up your financial goals, plan and strategy.

Tax season is upon us meaning that the 2020 filing season officially opens on February 12, 2021, and the final deadline is April 15, unless the IRS announces changes. For that reason, it is the time to assess your financial health, gather your tax documents and get your personal finance in order.

Knowing where you stand financially before the tax filing deadline gives you time to adjust your current tax withholding and also figure out what you can contribute to accounts like traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, and health savings accounts, based on your modified adjusted income and your overall financial picture.

“People focus on the negative. They don’t like locating all the files, math is scary, and there’s this need to be very precise,” says Andy Reed, PhD, Fidelity’s vice president for behavioral economics. “The beginning of the year is a good trigger for taking stock of your financial situation, which is good to do once a year.”

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Financial wellness

Knowing where you stand is a critical to financial wellness. “Financial Wellness” relates to thinking about and paying attention to your financial well-being. And, there is no better time than now to hit the refresh button and create a path towards financial wellness. Thus, having your financial plan and strategy in place can not only mean a great deal to you in the long term, but it may provide you some comfort in the short term.

The first thing to do is to do a financial year in review by calculating your personal net worth (assets – liabilities) and assessing your cash flow (income – expenses). Once you know where you stand financially, you can plot out how you achieve your financial goals, according to Charles Schwab financial advisors. Consequently, thinking about what you really want financially, your goals, is the first step toward getting it.

“Saving and investing wisely helps you work toward a more secure future, it also gives you freedom to focus on you.”

Your primary financial focus should be earning and saving money, managing spending and debt, and setting up an emergency fund. Cash flow is financial oxygen of financial wellness, explained Berna Anat, a financial literacy educator and creator of financial education website Hey Berna. “Once you can breathe better, you can plan better.”

To achieve a sense of financial wellness means having your financial plan, strategy and goals in place. Financial wellness can not only mean a great deal to you in the long term, but it may provide you some comfort in the short term.

References:

No. 1 Secret to Success, Wealth and Happiness in Life

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“Kindness and generosity are the keys to happiness and prosperity.”Wahei Takeda, president and founder of Takeda Confectionery Co.

Wahei Takeda, president and founder of Takeda Confectionery Co., was considered a truly happy man, and lived by example a life that demonstrated to others what it really meant to live a successful and meaningful life. Often called the “Warren Buffet of Japan”, Takeda was one of the country’s most successful and well-known investors.

The key to a happy and abundant life

Takeda’s philosophy of “maro,” which in Japanese means ‘a sincere heart’, “inner contentment and gratitude are the keys to a happy and abundant life”.

My mentor, Wahei, said, those who are in touch with maro always create win-win situations for themselves and others.
When your maro increases, Wahei says you maro up and invite many miracles in your life.#kenhonda, #happymoney, #moneyeq, #inspiration, #waheitakeda pic.twitter.com/cjtwSvm3VL

— Ken Honda Happy (@KenHondaHappy) November 14, 2019

The secret to a happy life isn’t an abundance of wealth, since rarely does anyone says they have too much, or just enough. “Winning a $20 million lottery ticket won’t make you happier,” said Dr. Sanjiv Chopra, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Research has shown that after one year, lottery winners go back to their baseline. Some are even less happy.”

Chopra explains the four things that have been scientifically linked to happiness:

1. Relationship with Friends and family

Developing a close bond with people we trust and confide in is essential to our overall well-being. “Choose your friends wisely and celebrate everything small and good with them,” Chopra says.

Researchers have also warned that “loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” whereas friendships can “reduce the risk of mortality or developing certain diseases and can speed recovery in those who fall ill.”

2. Forgiveness

“The ability to forgive frees you from the burdens of hate and other unhealthy emotions that can negatively impact your happiness quotient,” says Chopra.

He cites Nelson Mandela as a hero who truly mastered the art of forgiveness. In 1990, when the legendary freedom fighter emerged from his 27 years of prison, he was asked whether he had any resentment toward his captors.

“I have no bitterness, I have no resentment. Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies,” Mandela responded.

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Nelson Mandela

3. Giving

Chopra says that getting involved with charities and donating money to help others is one of the most fulfilling ways to spend your time and money. Researchers have suggested that people who volunteer experience greater happiness, higher self-esteem and a lower mortality rate.

A study from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University found that giving, rather than receiving, leads to long-term happiness. In one experiment, 96 participants were given $5 every day for five days — with the option to either spend it on themselves or on others.

“Everyone started off with similar levels of self-reported happiness,” the researchers wrote. “Those who spent money on themselves reported a steady decline in happiness over the five-day period. But happiness didn’t seem to fade for those who gave their money to someone else.”

4. Gratitude

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Roman Orator Marcus Tullius Cicero once

“There’s a wonderful anonymous quote that goes, ‘If you don’t know the language of gratitude, you’ll never be on speaking terms with happiness,’” Chopra says.

Practicing gratitude can be as simple as saying “I’m grateful” at least once a day. In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that doing so can help people savor positive experiences, cope with stressful circumstances and strengthen relationships. It will also measurably improve your own overall satisfaction and happiness in your relationships and life.

“Happiness flows not from physical or external conditions, such as bodily pleasures or wealth and power, but from living a life that’s right for your soul, your deepest good.” Socrates

“Taking time to think about what you’re grateful for makes you more aware of the positive things in your life,” says Chopra. As a result, “it makes you less biased by the fewer negative things in your life.”

“Be thankful 1,000 times a day”
– Wahei Takeda, known as the Warren Buffett of Japan
What are you grateful for today? pic.twitter.com/kTC75V0XK8

— Growthitude (@Growthitude) November 5, 2017

In a money-obsessed capitalist society, the simplest way to reach a state of happiness, contentment and abundant life is to express gratitude and give to others, instead of always wanting or asking for more. Bottomline, “gratitude is a key to wealth, health, and happiness”.

References:

Mindset and the Power of Our

Posted on November 12, 2020 by admin

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.” Gautama Buddha

Your mind is very powerful. The way you think and believe about yourself turns into your reality. If you draw inaccurate conclusions about who you are and what you’re capable of doing, you’ll limit your potential.

Link Between Thoughts, Beliefs, Feelings and Behavior

Each one of us has the power to create a reality of our choosing through our thoughts. What you think about and focus on directly influences how you feel and how you behave, according to Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and the international bestselling author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. For example, if you think you’re a failure, you’ll feel like a failure. Then, you’ll act like a failure, which reinforces your belief that you must be a failure.

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Once you draw a conclusion about yourself, you’re likely to do two things;

Look for evidence that reinforces your belief and
Discount anything that runs contrary to your belief.

It might not be your lack of talent or lack of skills that are holding you back. Instead, it might be your beliefs that keep you from performing at your peak.

Creating a more positive outlook can lead to better outcomes in your personal life and professional career. And, harboring optimistic thoughts can lead to productive behavior, which increases your chances of a successful outcome.

Change your thoughts, beliefs and behaviors

The good news is that you can change how you think with deliberate practice and effort. You can alter your perception and change your life for the better.

According to Morin, you can alter your perception and change your life by challenging your thoughts and beliefs:

Look for evidence to the contrary. Acknowledge exceptions to the rule will remind you that your belief isn’t always true.
Challenge your beliefs. Perform behavioral experiments that test how true your beliefs really are. If you think you’re not good enough, do something that helps you to feel worthy. Step outside of your comfort zone, force yourself to do something that feels a little uncomfortable.

With deliberate practice and effort, you can train your brain to think differently and eliminate those self-limiting thoughts and beliefs.

Set goals, BELIEVE that you can do it and you WILL do it! #2016 is your year! pic.twitter.com/s9kSI7KfP6

— Mind of a Winner (@PowerOfMindset) December 31, 2015

Deep breathing is incredibly beneficial in finding inner peace.

Breathe in and out deeply for one minute
Hold your breath for four seconds
Breathe out

This simple technique will bring about inner peace. Try it out for yourself and see the results.

References:

Veterans Day Prayer

Posted on November 11, 2020 by admin

Peace Be With You!

Posted on November 8, 2020 by admin

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Peace is much more wide ranging than the absence of violence, conflict and war. Peace is the presence of justice, tranquility and harmonious relations. Peace is an inner state of well-being and calm.

In Christianity, peace can be found through God’s mercy and grace. Peace is bestowed upon those who praise, worship and pray to him. Simply put, peace can be found when you relinquish control and hand matters over in your personal relationship with God. So…may “The peace of the Lord be with you.”

Finding Peace

Peace is a presence of tranquility and harmony that comes from within. It is a place of inner balance. You can experience it once you gain the capacity to truly manage your emotions, feelings and stress levels. It happens when you are less reactive in challenging situations. During these times, instead of reacting harshly or out of fear, you respond in a balanced and healthy way, trusting that all will be well in the end.

“Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Achieving peace is a continuous self-journey towards taking responsibility for your own life and loving yourself just as you are, all your imperfections and warps included. Though it might seem out of reach, putting our problems and struggles into perspective helps us move closer to reaching tranquility.

Peace begins with making an effort to be more calm and present. Peace does not waver in the presence of troubles or difficult situations. It allows you to act and make decisions from a place of love, not fear. It allows you to make rational, emotionally balanced decisions. Peace is like a superpower!

It helps to relieve stress, and helps you deal with stress more effectively when it does get tough.
It improves your overall focus and clarity.
It manifests self-awareness.
It reduces your negative, agitated thinking, and worry.
It improves your creativity.
It reduces your anxiety level.
It improves your relationships with others (and yourself).

Peace is a lifestyle that can be chosen, and as more people adopt it as a goal, we can live in a much better, more peaceful world. Peace gives you the power to control your mind, your emotions and your attitude.

“The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.” Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

In essence, peace means not just freedom from trouble but everything that makes for a man’s highest good. Peace is more than the absence of war or something felt in the mind. It is a way of living life in a proper relationship between man and God, as well as man and man.

References:

From Gratitude to Greatness: Brownlee Global's Path to a Purposeful Life

Guide and Educate Individuals How to Build Long-Term Wealth, Better Manage Their Money, and Achieve Financial Freedom

Tag Archives: Peace

Mindfulness

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Mindfulness: Being Mindful

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Gratitude Research

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Mindfulness

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Financial Wellness

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No. 1 Secret to Success, Wealth and Happiness in Life

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Mindset and the Power of Our

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Veterans Day Prayer

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Peace Be With You!

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