Mindfulness means getting awareness or being conscious about the present moment. Mindfulness teaches us to respond to stress, with awareness of what is happening in the present moment, rather than simply acting instinctively. Mindfulness allows the individual to observe what is arising in the mind and what is falling away.
Benefits of Mindfulness over Anxiety
1. Shifting our perspective: Mindfulness encourages stepping aside from our habitual thoughts and strengthens our positive thoughts and feelings.
2. Connecting the mind to the body: means that when people try to recognize the location of anxiety within the body, then that knowledge will help to reduce the amount of anxiety in the mind.
3. Easing the stress response: mindfulness and meditation practices incorporate breathwork because the breath plays a large role in the body’s stress response. Tuning into the breath and gradually deepening will help to initiate the counteractive relaxation response.
4. Changing the brain: meditation reduces anxiety by shifting the functioning of the brain. For example, studies have found that mindfulness practice can, over time, cause the amygdala to shrink (the area of the brain is associated with fear and plays an active role in stress).
Mindfulness Technique to Address Anxiety
• Mindfulness of breathing is a useful technique i.e. using the breath to shift the thoughts to the present moment.
• Start square breathing: -Inhale for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Exhale for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Repeat.
• Mindfulness over the body: -Slowly and consciously move your awareness down your body, from your crown to your toes, observing sensations and asking each part of your body to relax.
• Go for a walk
• Do one work at a time: – it will help you to become mindful in that work and reduce anxiety.
• Instead of obsessing over your to-do list, let yourself relax in the moment.
• Journal: -Structure a 5-Minute journal to scribble your thoughts on a paper. Try a gratitude journal or simply note down the three best things that happened today.
• Patience: -Patience is a path to mindfulness.
• Letting Go: – Actually, mindfulness and a reduced state of anxiety are both interconnected. To be mindful, you need to be free from worry and focus on the present.
Compass clinical psychology services provide help for people who have anxiety issues. Therapists here at the clinic will teach you effective methods to manage your anxiety.