Introduction
It goes without saying that mindfulness cannot be regarded as the solution to all problems. However, the practice of mindfulness-based intervention may have a positive impact on stress reduction and improve life quality. This paper describes my personal experience in mindfulness practicing and explains why I consider mindfulness highly beneficial for human physical and psychological health.
Personal Experience in Mindfulness Practicing
The most essential thing that I noticed when I had started practicing mindfulness meditation was the substantial level of stress that people experience daily in a contemporary world. However, this stress is not noticeable by the majority of people. Mindful practices discover various psychological difficulties common for a substantial number of individuals that hinder their ability to become concentrated on experience and see emotions and physical responses clearly. Before I started to practice mindfulness meditation and record my sensations, I had never realized how stressful I am and how many daily activities I do automatically without paying any attention to them. My level of anxiety, stress, and restlessness became noticeable for me when I could not meditate for more than five minutes and slow down my breath due to constant thinking concerning unrelated matters and boredom.
However, after several days of practice, I discover the pleasure of relaxation and body awareness. The concentration on physical sensation substantively helps to recognize and identify hindrances such as aversion, ill-will, sensual desire, greed, restlessness, worry, anxiety, doubt, sloth, and torpor that should be accepted to disappear. From my personal experience, I may say with certainty that the practices of mindfulness-based intervention play a highly substantial role in stress reduction as they encourage body awareness that positively influences the person’s depressive state of mind (Banerjee, Cavanagh, & Strauss, 2017). Moreover, meditation promotes self-control, and relaxation improves health as well.
Another essential conclusion that I made during my daily mindfulness practices is the people’s loss of joy and happiness in everyday living. The fast-moving pace of life, constant stress, and the desire for substantial things force individuals to forget that small routine things deserve to be indulged as well. I realize it when I started to concentrate on daily activities, such as brushing teeth and washing the dishes and practice mindful eating. Both these exercises helped me to see things I had never notice before – my hands’ movements, physical sensations, or smallest details. Mindful eating was a marvelous experience, as I genuinely enjoyed this simple and everyday activity. In general, I realized that mindfulness intervention helped to change the perception of life and improve its quality as this practice encouraged the reorientation of the people’s attention from imaginary issues that caused anxiety and stress. Mindfulness reminds people that there is happiness in every moment of living.
Conclusion
In general, I want to say that mindfulness practice substantively influenced my life in a positive way. It goes without saying that I had difficulties at the beginning, such as the inability to free myself from unpleasant or negative thoughts that prevented me from an appropriate concentration on my sensations, anxiety, and torpor. Nevertheless, despite all hindrances and the irregularity of exercising, I have learned to meditate, relax, and release stress. The practice improved the quality of my life as I started to pay attention and enjoy various everyday things. Moreover, meditation started to bring substantial physical pleasure and could even replace massage. I think that my experience and reflections may be applicable for further investigation of mindfulness as its practical results.
Reference
Banerjee, M., Cavanagh, K., & Strauss, C. (2017). A qualitative study with healthcare staff exploring the facilitators and barriers to engaging in a self-help mindfulness-based intervention. Mindfulness, 8(6), 1653-1664. Web.