What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a commonly used word but most people don’t fully understand what it is or its impact. Everybody has stresses and triggers but being mindful of yourself and the situation can help you get through it.
Most people think of mindfulness as clearing your mind through various techniques, such as meditation. However, the true definition of mindfulness is focusing on the present moment. This allows you to avoid feelings of worry or fear.
Everything in our body happens for a specific reason. When you feel sick, your body is telling you that something is wrong. Listening to your body and helping it deal with these situations will allow you to avoid negative feelings.
When you experience these negative emotions, you have the option of suppressing or observing them. Suppressing these emotions result in other manifestations, such as failing relationships or illness. Observing your negative emotions allows you to gain a new perspective.
But how do you observe your negative emotions and ensure that you don’t experience them anymore?
About 20 years ago, mindfulness teacher Michelle McDonald developed a method for increasing mindfulness. Named the RAIN technique, you can use this process to ensure negative emotions don’t affect you.
The RAIN Technique
Recognize
The first step is to take a step back and recognize your situation. Negative emotions can have a snowball effect, with negative feelings building upon each other. Taking a step back and breathing will give you the ability to recognize the situation and deal with it.
Acceptance
Everybody perceives things differently. While you might think about a situation one way, somebody else might see it in a different light. It’s important to accept your reality and remember that this is the way that you see it based on your past experiences. You don’t have to see it the same way as everyone else.
Investigate
Once you've recognized the situation and accepted how it has affected you, it’s important to determine why it did so. Ask yourself if you’ve ever felt this way before and when you had that feeling. This will allow you to identify your triggers so you can work on avoiding them in the future.
Non-Identification
Everyone has labels placed on them at certain times but it’s important to remember that these labels don’t define you. Someone might call you angry but this doesn’t mean that you’re an angry person. Your fight or flight response makes you react in certain ways but these are natural human reactions. Understanding this will ensure that you know that you can change your reaction.
In addition to the RAIN technique, breathing exercises are a good way of calming yourself and avoiding negative emotions. The following are some tips to use breathing techniques to avoid these feelings.
1 - Slowly breathe in and out
2 - Label your breaths. When you breathe in, say “in.” When you breathe out, say “out.”
3 - Label your distractions. It’s easy to get distracted when focusing on your breathing. This might be in the form of thoughts or sensations. If a thought flows through your mind, label it a thought and let it go. If you have an itch on your nose, label it a sensation and let it go. This will help you focus on each breath.
Why do we do this?
Your brain reacts automatically. Breathing techniques allow you to rewire your brain, teaching it how to handle difficult situations. Doing this for just two minutes a day can have a significant impact on how you deal with negative emotions or feelings. Eventually, it will change your thought process.
If you’re looking to relieve anxiety and create a better overall mindset, book a free consultation through my website. You can also watch my weekly show, The Well-Balanced Mind, where I’ll provide insights into understanding your mind and behavior.
Do you find that you have anger, stress, or sadness and are looking for a change? Hypnotherapy might be a good fit for you. To schedule a consultation call, click here.