Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
I’ve spoken many times about the impact that incorporating mindfulness into your life. The mental clarity and how it can reduce stress too. And now I want to tell you my view of why it is beneficial to practice mindfulness in your life and the bigger effect it has. Not just one desired aspect but how it helped my whole well-being, and to get my motivation back and kind of self-confidence too.
Why I started to incorporate mindfulness into my life
A year and a half ago, I was in a very bad place in my mental well-being. I was not willing to get up from bed and even the most simple tasks felt impossible to complete. I knew my work situation wasn’t ideal, I have not been very happy with my job for a long while. But while I was studying it paid my rent and bills so I never really looked for another job. I was comfortable, but not happy.
I knew I was literally wasting my days and even my husband had noticed that and he started to get worried a little. I needed to make a change, I couldn’t go much further sleeping all day and not doing anything. I would only be in the worst situation later.
At first, it was very overwhelming, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or where to start. Also, my mind was my worst enemy. I had to start from somewhere, yet at the same time, I was questioning myself a lot. I didn’t have any experience of any other job than the job that I got when I started to study. I really wanted to get moving with my life and I search on google for “how to boost my self-confidence”. And I came across the term “mindful living” and how to add mindfulness into your life.
Getting into mindful living
I started to read more and I liked what I was reading. I felt like I needed to get more bonding time with myself. I needed to recalculate everything that was important to me at that time, and my top priority was to change my career path. Not that it happened in that same second, as you know it’s still an ongoing project.
But to be able to evaluate everything I want to focus on and what is important for me, right at that moment. It gave some kind of clarity on its own. I knew what I wanted to pursue, even if it took time to understand that.
At first, I was looking the specific impact it has and how it could help me in my own situation. I was really never looking at the bigger picture. And I think that was good at first. I learned to prioritise those small little moments for my well-being. These were my steps on how I started to understand what “mindful living” meant.
The bigger picture
After some time starting these practises, I noticed a difference in my mood. I had actually gotten my personality a little more back. I felt better, and I understood what I needed to do to change but I also gained something I didn’t expect.
I became more organised with my life. I got more structure, I would say that would be because of the mental clarity I got from my practices. You can find more here about what practises I do every day. I was living in a present, not worrying so much about what I didn’t do yesterday or what I need to do tomorrow. I was able to focus on the things I needed to get done at that moment.
Not only understand the moment, but I also learned a way to take care of myself. I never really dedicated time to take care of myself. I created a skincare routine and hair care routine for myself. I’ve always struggled with those areas. Yet these days, I make sure I include these two into my mindfulness routine. I wouldn’t say it’s directly being mindful, but in my case, it helps me to relax and I enjoy my beauty time. That way it helps me to destress, and feel more confident about myself because I feel good.
The takeaway of mindful living and its impact
It all depends on your values and what you prioritise the most. Mindful actions can lead to much more than you think. When doing things with meaning, usually leads to better results. Whether that means you get to be more productive or score better in an exam if you’re able to be in the present and not distracted by other thoughts and feelings.
Mindful practised helps us to drive for better, being more aware of what is happening around us. That may also lead to better structure in life, a daily routine you’re following without really thinking this is a routine. It can also help to boost our moods, when everything feels under control we get to enjoy also life at its best. Because we know when and where to aim our focus. Being mindful can completely change our lives for the better if we allow it a chance.
