Last semester, I took a Medical Spanish class. I’m still not sure exactly why I took it- while I'm a Spanish major, I'm in no way trying to be in the medical field. But that’s college for ya, take classes that you just decide to YOLO.
Now while fascinating it was to learn all of the different vocabulary words for parts of the body I didn’t even know existed, the true gem from that class was learning about Mindfulness.
What is Mindfulness you ask?
According to mindfulness.org it’s the “basic human ability to be present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
Do you know how amazing those words sound when your agenda is too full to function and your “To Do” list just never seems to end?
The beauty behind Mindfulness is that it’s a sort of meditation. It’s about experiencing and feeling what is currently going on with your body, your mind, your thoughts and nothing else.
This is WAAAAAY harder than it seems.
There are so many perks in taking the time every day to focus on yourself. Your brain actually physically changes itself when you meditate. In recent studies, the participants that practiced Mindfulness increased their signaling connection to their brain with something called axonal density (it sounds fancy, I’ll trust it). This connection has been proven to helping improve and even go so far as to prevent mental illness.
Not only is it good for your mental health but it’s linked to creating an overall better physical health as well. According to one study, practicing mindfulness created a 40 to 50 percent decrease in cold or flu symptoms. (Hi, are we all aware of the current state of our nation regarding the flu epidemic? Meditate y’all.)
Aside from the so many other good benefits to mindfulness: one of the best ones is the having the ability to sleep better. People who practiced mindfulness were reported to have better control over their emotions during the day leading to a more relaxed mindset at night. Meditate and you’ll sleep peacefully, literally.
But how do you do it?
When I did it in class, we were told to sit comfortably (sometimes on a pillow to help with our posture) and to just listen to an audio recording that told us exactly what to think about. If this sounds like something you would like to try, just type "Mindfulness" into YouTube and you’ll find a bunch of videos!
If you’re more so into doing it on your own, set the timer for 3-5 minutes (that’s the recommended time if you’re a beginner), sit comfortably (straighten your upper body to a comfortable position, let your hands drop on top of your legs and close your eyes) and now, just: stop. Stop thinking about anything except for the moment itself.
Don’t be skeptical! This is actually a practice that does so much. I’m currently attempting at least once a day- making it the first thing I do when I wake up. Here’s to one of my New Years resolutions actually being accomplished!
Happy meditating, you guys!
