What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness has gained quite a bit of attention within the last decade as it’s garnered a number of glowing endorsements from all kinds of celebrities, business leaders, philosophers, innovators, and artists. Perhaps you’ve heard it mentioned on your favorite podcast or read about it in an interview and are interested in giving it a try. Before attempting to practice mindfulness, it’s important to first understand what it is.
For many, the word mindfulness may conjure up the image of an individual sitting cross-legged on the floor with their eyes closed repeatedly chanting “om”. And while they wouldn’t be wrong, this is a much more traditional approach that originates from Eastern religious practices, which has certainly paved the way for what mindfulness is today. Simply put, meditative mindfulness can be thought of as the self-regulation of attention, in which one actively focuses their attention on the present moment free from judgement (Turcotte et al., 2022). The enhanced state of awareness that results from paying attention on purpose has been known to improve things like self-control, affect tolerance, and mental clarity (Davis & Hayes, 2012). Of course, if you’ve ever attempted this, you’ll know that it’s much easier said than done.
However, there are many ways to start your mindfulness journey that are much more accessible than the example provided above. One in particular is known as the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, which makes use of all five senses to focus your attention on both the surrounding environment and your body’s physical sensations. Throughout a series of steps, you will be asked to acknowledge five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This beginner-friendly exercise takes just about two to three minutes to complete and can help alleviate the daily stress and anxiety we all face on a regular basis. If you’re up for it, take a brief moment and give this a try before reading what’s next.
How was that exercise for you? Are you feeling a little more present and aware than before? Perhaps, you still feel somewhat disconnected in a way that can’t quite be articulated? If so, you’re not alone. A common critique of meditative mindfulness is that it can be emotionally-deficient in and of itself. Thankfully, there are practices specifically designed to promote social connectedness and functioning.
One such method, known as loving kindness meditation, employs aspects of empathy, compassion, and acceptance in an effort to induce “other-oriented emotions and thought” (Hafenbrack et al., 2022, p. 30). If you’re up for another exercise, listen along to Dr. Pearl’s short loving kindness guided meditation. During this five-minute video, you’ll be asked to visualize a series of individuals, including yourself, and offer up wishes of safety, health, happiness, and easy living. Afterwards, you might be left with a rejuvenated sense of compassion for both yourself and others.
Finally, it's important to remember that mindfulness doesn’t have to be a complicated and arduous process. Simple exercises like these provide people of all experience levels the opportunity to practice mindfulness and experience its many benefits.
References:
Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2012, July). What are the benefits of mindfulness? Monitor on Psychology, 43(7). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner
Hafenbrack, A. C., LaPalme, M. L., & Solal, I. (2022). Mindfulness meditation reduces guilt and prosocial reparation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(1), 28–54. https://doi-org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/10.1037/pspa0000298.supp (Supplemental)
Hilliard, P. [Pearl Hilliard]. (2014, July 31). Short loving kindness guided meditation [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjfCS88Gc7Q
The Monday Campaigns. (2022, April 25). Unwind this Monday with the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique. https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/destress-monday/unwind-monday-5-4-3-2-1-grounding-technique
Turcotte, J., Lakatos, L., & Oddson, B. (2022). Self-regulation of attention may unify theories of mindfulness. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. https://doi-org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/10.1037/cns0000310