An Introduction to Mindful Awareness for the Busy Professional

Mindful awareness isn’t a religion, a system of beliefs, or even a philosophy. It’s a system of techniques that can be used for various purposes, including stress reduction and elimination of worry and anxiety. Mindful awareness is also useful in helping us develop heightened concentration and clearer thought. There’s no magic involved—sadly—but you don’t have to be a real wizard to become mindfully aware.
Mindful awareness is all about paying attention to the moment you’re in. We can only inhabit one tiny part of time, and that part of time is the now. It’s often referred to as the Now in caps to differentiate it from the more common uses of the word. The Now isn’t what you’re planning to do this afternoon, or a remembrance of your morning commute. Right this very moment, what are you doing? I’m typing. I see the words appear on my display, I feel the keyboard underneath my fingers. My breathing is steady and controlled. My body feels light. Light is the condition of no pain, no major annoyances from our body. If you’re feeling pain, either sore muscles from an intense workout, the ever-present ouch of “mouse” wrist and shoulder, or illness, that’s ok. Let that pain rise up. Suppress nothing. Dwell on nothing. Acknowledge it and let it go.
Mindfulness exists without judgment. It takes in all that we’re experiencing, as we pay attention to what we’re doing, thinking, feeling. I know that sounds labor intensive. With a little bit of practice, mindfulness becomes more than second nature. It will become first-nature, in that you’re going to practice it reflexively. Your object does not include analysis. You aren’t spinning your head about trying to take in and make sense of everything in your environment, cataloging and indexing everything. Far from it! You’re developing awareness, not a prodigious memory.
In short, breath deeply from your belly. Focus on what is before you. Let everything unfold about you with no judgment, no analysis, and no internal criticism. This is mindfulness greatly simplified, with no allowance for more advanced techniques. We‘ll get to those soon.

If you are suffering from depression, anxiety, or relationship problems and would like to bring more joy, peace, and happiness into your life, please give me a call at 408-213-8148.