Nowadays, we waste a great deal of time and money to feel happy. We turn to social media feeds to cure boredom and dissatisfaction. We shop to have something to look forward to and eat even when we are not hungry to experience pleasure. Most of us have this innate belief that happiness requires a change in us, whether physical, mental, professional, relationship-wise, or spiritual. Yet, the reality is, none of these things can give you real happiness. It is only through mindfulness that you can catch a glimpse of the miracle of your aliveness and become wholly engrossed in its beauty, no matter where you are in your life.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be fully present at the moment regardless of what you are doing and how you are feeling. Being present when you are happy isn’t too challenging, but it becomes trickier when you experience negative emotions. Anxiety is one negative emotion many of us prefer to avoid. Rather than ignoring the anxiety or telling yourself that you should not feel like this, mindfulness practices teach you to accept the anxiety.
A great poem called The Guest House by Sufi poet Rumi explains mindfulness beautifully. It likens our being human to being a guest house, “Every morning a new arrival/A joy, a depression, a meanness/Welcome and entertain them all!”
Being mindful requires you to focus on the present without living in past regrets or future scenarios, but this is easier said than done. Our mind is skillful in taking us away from the present moment, but you can always come back by focusing on your breath. For example, many of us have created more than one terrifying scenario regarding the pandemic, but if you focus on the present moment, you will realize that there is nothing to fear right now.
For further guidance, you can become better in your mindfulness practice by adhering to the seven principles of mindfulness. You can become better at mindfulness by asking yourself the following questions.
Meditating daily for as little as ten minutes a day can help you be more mindful. You can take shrooms to relax and be more alert during the day. You can buy shrooms online in Canada from trusted retailers or try CBD oil for immediate effects. CBD makes it easier to focus on one thing at a time, which you should adopt as another mindful practice.
Non-judging
Are you judging yourself because you feel anxious or sad today? Are you judging a situation you are in as being boring? Can you accept the moment and then do something practical about it?
Patience
Are you being patient with your emotions and the situation you are in?
Beginner’s Mind
Do you look at everything around you with wonder, as if you are looking at them for the first time?
Trust
Can you trust the universe? Do you trust your gut and what it is trying to tell you, or are you ignoring it?
Non-Striving
Can you be fully present at the moment, even if it is uncomfortable, without striving for a future scenario?
Acceptance
Can you accept the moment you are presented with and perceive things as they are not as you want them to be?
Letting Go
Can you let go of your expectations and live life as if you have chosen each moment yourself?
Once you are more conscious of these principles, you will move forward in life while making mindful decisions. But even with these guiding principles, it is easy to forget to live in the present moment when you are busy, so you must adopt mindful habits to master mindfulness.
Slowing down is a huge point, but it is often the hardest to do. We all have so much to do, but living mindfully is to live slowly. There are always things in your day that you can live without. Can you find the ones you can eliminate so you can go through your day at a slower pace and live more mindfully? Maybe there are many gaps in your day that you fill with web browsing and social media. Can you keep your online presence to a minimum and focus more on being in the present moment, even if it feels boring?
Another mindful habit that you can practice daily is to eat mindfully. Are you rushing through your lunch while browsing through emails? Eating mindfully is a way to slow down and a moment where you can practice gratitude as you appreciate the work and effort of everybody involved that helped to prepare your meal.
Conclusion
Finally, you can practice mindfulness in nature. Spending time near the sea or in the woods is how you can slow down the noise in your head and focus on what is around you, which is the beauty of nature. Nature is an incredible teacher, and by far, the most important lesson it teaches us is how vital stillness is. Nature takes its time, and yet everything is accomplished, so why not take that same lesson and apply it to your life?