Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice becoming more and more commonly used. In essence it is encouraging you to focus on the here and now, rather than constantly living in the past or future. Mindfulness helps us to be more content with our lives and stops us constantly worrying about the future, a prospect we cannot control in the now.


I believe mindfulness does not have to be practiced by only lying down in a dimly lit room, listening to a calming voice encouraging you to focus on different aspects of your body. I believe running is a form of mindfulness. How many of you are able to go on a run and find yourselves thinking about nothing. I for one, will tell myself to think my worries through whilst I’m running, only to go out, think about absolutely nothing, and in fact I come back feeling better than I would’ve done had I thought through my worries.


We all need that time in the day where we can completely disconnect ourselves from the chaos and frantic nature of the world. Constantly being preoccupied by social media, work, health, and other worries does not allow you to calm and unwind. Running is perfect for getting you to be mindful, and disconnecting you for the fast paced lives we commonly live.


As I wrote about in my last post, holidays are the perfect time for you to be mindful. You are away, so allow yourself to get completely caught up in the chilled life for a while. Enjoy slowing down a bit, enjoy not checking your Instagram every minute, enjoy going for runs and thinking about nothing. Just get out, take in the calming atmosphere and relax. You will feel so much better for it. Quite often enough we do not give ourselves a break from social media and may get more caught up in it than we think. The risk of social media is that you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others and focusing on the lives of others. The most important part of being mindful is focusing on yourself and not comparing yourself to others. Be mindful of how important your life is, and how important those immediately around you are. Spend time with your close friends and family and focus on them, rather than on the people you do not know, and may find yourself comparing yourself to.


So, what is your mode of mindfulness? Does running help you relax? Let me know what you do to take a step back from life’s chaotic nature.