Last Updated on May 26, 2023 by Lori
You may have heard of mindfulness and thought it was only about being calm or helping you deal with stress. But does it have the ability to change your mood? Can mindfulness make you happier? The answer is YES!
It’s way too easy nowadays to get stuck in a negative mindset and stay focused on the things that aren’t working in your life.
Negativity becomes your habitual way of thinking.
Your self-talk can become all about your weaknesses or failures.
Pretty soon, you’re focused on all the bad aspects of your life and forget all of the wonderful, joyful things.
Mindfulness can help you turn that negative attitude around and build a positive thought pattern. It can help you learn to look at the sunny side of life!
As a bonus, mindfulness also has positive health benefits of reducing stress and enhancing your resilience and mental capacity. And these things also increase happiness.
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What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
It’s a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s thoughts and feelings just as they are, without trying to change anything.
Every human has the ability to be mindful. Some find it easier to access than others, but we can all learn and develop our “mindfulness” muscle.
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Mindful.org
How do You Practice Mindfulness?
Any time you slow down and just pay attention to being in the moment, instead of constantly “doing”, you are practicing mindfulness.
Some specific examples are:
- Pay careful attention to what you are doing, experiencing, and sensing in a given moment. Use all of your senses for the greatest amount of awareness
- Focus on long, slow, deep breathing
- Practice self-acceptance, realizing you are unique and special
- Live in the moment – find joy in the simplest of experiences
How Does Mindfulness Make You Happier?
Here are three ways mindfulness can help you move into a happier state of mind.
1. Mindfulness Keeps You Connected to the Present
Practicing mindfulness can help you focus your attention on the present. This frees you from obsessing over past mistakes or feeling anxious about the future.
Mindfulness encourages you to slow down and enjoy life just as it is.
It connects you with what is happening to you at the moment.
By practicing mindfulness, you learn to notice and appreciate the good things that are in your life right now.
Being mindful can also help you stop being reactive and instead be more thoughtful in how you respond to people and situations.
It brings a sense of calm, peace, and goodness to your life and allows you to release worry about things beyond your control.
2. Mindfulness Creates Self-Awareness
Mindfulness brings you into a deeper connection with yourself and with others.
It gives you time and mental space to understand what truly matters to you, and live according to your values and beliefs.
You learn that happiness lies in self-awareness and being comfortable with who you are.
When you are confidently living as your authentic self, you can connect honestly and openly with other people.
Relationships can become more profound and more heartfelt as your relationship with yourself develops and deepens.
3. Mindfulness Creates gratitude for the Life You Have
One of the beautiful effects of mindfulness is the release you get from the business of life.
You learn to release your investment in external sources that you think will bring happiness, because you learn to find it within you.
Money, external approval, worldly success, and possessions hold less sway over your self-worth.
Instead, you see the value in your inner well-being, emotions, and behaviors.
Mindfulness focuses your attention on what you can control.
You feel responsible for your own happiness.
Cultivating mindfulness can open your mind to feelings of gratitude for where you are and what you have right now.
You learn that ‘You are enough’ is not just a slogan, it is an affirmation that you can be your best you, and live the life you want.
Read More:
- 10 Action Steps to Keep You on the Sunny Side of Life
- How to Stop Worrying About Every Little Thing
- 15 Deceptively Simple Questions That Will Build Your Self-Awareness
Final Thoughts on Surprise! Mindfulness just Might Be the Secret to Happiness
How can mindfulness make you happier?
Mindfulness keeps you connected to the present, creates self-awareness, and builds gratitude for the life you have.
And that is the path to happiness.
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