Mindfulness can be described as ‘being present, in the moment without judgement’ and is increasingly recommended for improving your mental health and as part of psycho-therapeutic treatment. When we are mindful, we are in the moment, aware of thoughts feelings, emotions and behaviours but without judging them, and not thinking about the past, but being very much in the present.
An example? Well, I was reminded of this a few weeks ago. I’ve loved ‘The Who’ since my teens and was thrilled to see them at London’ sO2 Arena. A mass of people, OK, I was really far away (see photo) but could see and hear Pete Townsend wind-milling his guitar, Roger singing lyrics I know so well from singing badly in my car and fabulous drumming from Zac Starkey. Loud, fabulous rock music, and consciously tried to be in the ‘now’ to imprint the concert as a memory in my long term.
When my mind wandered off to memories associated with the song, people past; how long will it take us to get out of the car-park/what I’m doing at work tomorrow/do I need the loo, I consciously tried to bring my mind back to the hear and now… this moment; this moment; and this moment.
I was struck by the man and his son next to me, filming the concert on their phone and I wondered how in the moment they were, is looking at the band through a lens isn’t that the same as concert on TV?
Don’t get me wrong, being mindful and present is tough and takes a lot of practice and something that requires constant attention. Like Alice following the white rabbit down the hole to Wonderland, we follow our thoughts, and get caught up in the attached emotion and wonder why we suddenly feel sad, angry, and anxious or pick up another glass of wine, cigarette, or cake. By being in the now, life is experienced without looking to the next thing, the next experience or task or missing out on the now for the sake of a painful pull from the past.
Interesting in learning more about mindfulness? Contact me to help you to live in a more mindful present.