You've probably heard something along the lines that mindfulness means to pay attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. It does mean that, but to break this down into real-life, practical terms these three definitions from Psychology Today make a lot of sense and fit nicely with what we value in Stepaside ETSS...
1. Mindfulness is not taking things for granted - mindfulness challenges us to awaken from these mind-habits and appreciate the little things.
2. Mindfulness means to return to the present moment - the reality is no one’s mind stays in the present moment all the time! But, we have control over the return. We can always return our mind to the present moment, return it to our breath or our senses that can be found in the present moment.
3. Mindfulness is the self-regulation of attention with an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance. Simply put, how you can take control of your attention or how you can regulate your focus. You might deliberately shift your attention to an image on your computer screen, to the body language of your friend as he/she speaks, to a memory, a future goal, or to your breath. The second part of the definition - an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance - refers to our approach of being open to whatever we place our attention on, being interested and curious about what we might discover. It might be something pleasant, unpleasant, or boring, and in any case, your openness, curiosity, and acceptance can be deployed.
We share moments of mindfulness throughout our week here in Stepaside ETSS and look for opportunities to be mindful in our thoughts, words and actions.