Mindfulness as a means
Mindfulness is a term that might make you throw up in your mouth a little bit. Not only is it overused, it’s often treated as the final answer to the question of How to Be Happy.
And honestly, how can noticing the texture of the bubbles in the water you’re using to wash a greasy pan lined with a two-inch layer of burned crap be the final answer to anything, let alone life’s greatest question.
If you are expecting mindfulness to be the end itself, you’re going to be disappointed. And, more importantly, you’ll probably stop practicing it. But if you use mindfulness as a means to an end, it’s one of the most powerful tools you’ll ever develop.
So what end is mindfulness so great at helping us achieve?
Presence.
When you are in what Ekhart Tolle calls the psychological present, problems don’t exist. You are also able to witness your thoughts, which is the most desirable superpower of all because it provides immediate relief from pain and the ability to change our realities. (More on that later.)
So don’t judge mindfulness practice, like I once did, on how happy you feel on the other side of it. Sure, sometimes it will increase your enjoyment of an activity or prompt you to notice beauty you wouldn’t have otherwise, but happy? Happy won’t be the constant effect.
Instead, practice mindfulness as a way of stopping yourself from future tripping—from creating anxiety based on situations that haven’t yet happened and which you cannot affect now. Practice mindfulness as a way to stop mistaking your thoughts for reality.
Right, but uh, what is mindfulness exactly?
As circular as it is, mindfulness is anything that brings you into the present.
The most common mindfulness practices include some variation of using your five senses to experience your immediate environment.
Describe the room you’re in in terms of how it looks, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes (well, maybe not tastes . . . that seems unsanitary).
Do a body scan, starting at your head and working your way down to your toes, noticing without judgment how each part feels.
Notice your breath. Maybe count your inhales or exhales. Become attuned to the beating of your heart.
Go on a walk and say to yourself aloud five things you notice every few minutes of walking.
While outside, take your shoes off and feel a physical connection to the earth.
Once you feel grounded in your body and/or your environment, capitalize on the space you have created in your head. This is a great time to write, feel emotions, think about a situation that’s been bothering you, make a difficult phone call, etc.
Build something of value in that mindful place.
Maybe that something will “just” be peace.