As a college student, I’m pretty stressed out. I’ve met very few people who have said they weren’t spent by college life, and I still maintain that they’re lying. As a person with a lot of anxiety and other issues from a psychologist’s grab-bag, I’ve found the practice of mindfulness has been incredibly helpful in managing stress.
Too often do I find myself worrying about the future, or about things I can’t control. While these are normal, it’s important to not let these concerns take over your life. I know I’m not the only one guilty of this. Mindfulness has seven key components, all of which work together to remind the participant to stay grounded and focused on the present. It’s relaxing and reflective. It encourages us to take time for ourselves, which if you’re anything like me, you rarely do. Once you start the activities, you’ll notice that the attributes will become integrated into your thinking. Most of the activities take less than five minutes, and if done in the morning, can help jump-start your day, and if done at night, makes it easier to sleep at night. Here are the seven components of mindfulness practice- and I’ll provide some links to activities.
Non-Judging
It’s natural to judge. Human beings can be very critical. But these thoughts are often destructive and can put us into toxic situations if we are not being open-minded and impartial. When you are practicing mindfulness, it’s about being aware of your judgmental thoughts and assessing their presence and validity. It’s important to be non-judging when reflecting on our own experiences as well as others to treat ourselves fairly and with respect.
Patience
I’m a native New Yorker. I’m not the most patient person and living out in the suburbs without a subway system drives me crazy. Mindfulness emphasizes patience and encourages people to let things develop as they will. We can’t control all the events around us, and we need to live presently to make every moment worthwhile. Being patient allows us to fully appreciate the current time and be grateful for the opportunities in front of us.
Beginner’s Mind
Mindfulness activities emphasize the use of beginner’s mind. It is important to reset and refresh yourself when acting in an introspective manner to remain impartial and see the facts as they are. Behaving as if you are experiencing everything for the first time makes you more receptive to new, unique opportunities, and allows us to see things from other’s perspectives.
Trust
Trust is difficult to achieve but is important to have trust in yourself in order to be mindful. We’re all human, we’ll all make mistakes, but we need to remember to trust in ourselves that we will get to where we need to be. Trust connects with responsibility, and we need to trust that we can take care of ourselves and fully address our feelings to confirm their validity. We must trust in ourselves and trust others to appreciate our time and place.
Non-Striving
Mindfulness is about being present and being you- which you don’t have to actually work towards, but rather accept. I’m a goal-driven person, I like to accomplish tasks and think about the big picture, but that can often get overwhelming. Mindfulness has taught me to accept situations as they are, and not get wrapped up in the way my plans and goals have and will change over time. It’s about meeting present and immediate needs, moment by moment.
Acceptance
Sometimes it’s difficult to accept the facts. We want something so badly that we try to manipulate a situation, but in the end, it won’t change anything. Taking that energy we use to combat a situation and instead use it to wholly accept the facts are they help us see more clearly and more effectively deal with obstacles without judgment.
Letting Go
Mindfulness is about working toward inner peace and letting go, which for me, is the most difficult aspect. I carry the weight of my troubles around with me everywhere, and it’s been very helpful for me to sit down and try and relieve myself of all that stress and tension. Once we learn to let go of what holds us back, we create a clearer picture of the present.
It takes time to become mindful, so don’t let the process of achieving inner peace become a stressful one.
Here are six great mindfulness exercises you can try throughout the day to stay present, grounded, and focused.
