Mindfulness originates in Buddhism,  Buddha himself said: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html#ixzz1iO2bYLwv

Where am I going with this?? I am going to tell you a little about DBT ( Dialectical Behavioral Therapy ). This type of therapy uses mindfulness to help you control your emotions… as people with mood disorders have a difficult time regulating their emotions and keeping them within healthy boundaries.

Mindfulness is paying attention, in a positive way, on purpose, non-judgmentally. It is a way to be in the moment effictively, without letting it overtake you. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

For example: Always looking to the past can cause serious depression. We all have “coulda, woulda, shoulda’s” and it is impossible to go back in time to fix things with your present time 20/20 vision. So, when you are looking back you are inflicting mental torment on yourself that you can do nothing about. The past can be a great learning tool, but only use it as such. Being mindful, every time your brain takes you to the past, to a hurtful memory, accept it non-judgmentally, maybe cry a little if you need to, but redirect your mind to the present moment.

Looking to the future can cause anxiety because you are always saying “what if”. The future is not the here and now, only the present moment is. And if your present moment is causing you distress you can either change it or accept it. You will find that by accepting it, if it can not be changed, you become less worried and anxious.

Maybe you say to yourself: “I made poor decisions in my past”. But you have to remind yourself that you never chose to make a poor decision, you made decisions and choices based on all of your experiences up to that specific point in time: We make the best choice possible based on our experiences up to that moment in time.

Here is a personal example. My son was abused by a horrible man, beaten by this horrible man. Some days it just kills me because the thoughts just come flooding over me. As I type this, I cry. Practicing mindfulness, I am getting better at redirecting my thoughts. When I think of my sons abuse, I acknowledge the anger, sadness, and various emotions that take me hostage…and WITHOUT JUDGMENT. After I do that, if I cannot take my mind off of it, I redirect me thoughts to my “gratitude” list: my children are healthy and happy. My family has been very supportive. My home has been created with someone I love. I am loved. I am getting better everyday. My children are the beacon in the darkness. – just a few examples. If I STILL cannot take my mind off of it, I become active and do things I enjoy. Perhaps go for a walk and try to be mindful and take in the beauty of our planet, read a good book, blog, crochet, make candles (when I have the resources, lol), and I use to exercise often, which I need to begin again because it is a great way to stay healthy mentally and physically. You get the idea here.

Mindfulness does not work overnight. It is something that must be practiced daily… and allow it time to work.

Some great books on mindfulness: The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle, Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness for dummies.

There is allot of online material about mindfulness. Some sites offer Mindfulness self help, others are scholarly articles. If you do research you will find many resources that can help you. And I find great books at the library, so you definitely do not have to spend money to start practicing.

Hope this post is helpful. I find that practicing mindfulness can be life altering… but it is not overnight. It has helped me tremendously but I have not reached my full potential, I am still healing.

I also want to state that though mindfulness is the practice of Buddhism and other religions, it is nondenominational. It is not affiliated with any one religion.

May peace by with you all…

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