What does mindfulness ? mean

The term mindfulness is often used in connection with meditation, relaxation and mental health. But what does "being mindful" actually mean and what are the benefits of being mindful? Here we explain how you can learn mindfulness and why it can improve your well-being and your sleep.

Table of contents

1. What is mindfulness?
2. What are the benefits of mindfulness?
3. Can you learn mindfulness?
   1. Mindfulness exercises for everyday life
4. What does mindfulness have to do with sleep?
5. Conclusion

1. What is mindfulness?

Our thoughts are often still stuck in the past or we are already thinking about the future. Mindfulness, however, means consciously perceiving the here and now with all of our senses, without judging. It is about adopting an attentive attitude towards ourselves, but also towards our environment, and accepting everything as it is, without directly reflecting on it.

The term mindfulness originally comes from Buddhism, where it has long been cultivated as a basic attitude for meditation. Paying attention to the here and now is an important prerequisite for being concentrated during meditation. Today, mindfulness is an important concept that supports mental health.

2. What are the benefits of mindfulness?

Being mindful of yourself and your environment has numerous positive effects on your body and soul. It helps you to concentrate on your inner self and to feel better physically and mentally. This allows you to distance yourself from the stress of the outside world and find inner peace.

Mindfulness has been shown to have a positive effect on stress level, mental health and the immune system. It slows down and helps to reduce stress and strengthen self-confidence and inner peace. Various studies show that a mindful lifestyle can reduce stress levels by up to 25% in the long term. Mindfulness exercises can also help with mental stress or mental illnesses such as depression, burnout or anxiety disorders, as they relieve tension or states of excitement and at the same time promote relaxation and balance.

Living a more mindful life not only improves our general well-being, it also increases our satisfaction in life and ensures that we are happier, more balanced and more stress-resistant overall.

3. Can you learn mindfulness?

We can all learn to be more mindful of ourselves and our environment. Mindfulness training is a wonderfully simple method to find inner peace again with relatively little effort.

The most famous method of mindfulness training is the so-called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). It is a program lasting several weeks that has been scientifically evaluated and slowly introduces the practitioner to mindfulness work.

However, you can also start on your own by integrating simple mindfulness exercises into your everyday life bit by bit. At work, at home, on the train or wherever we are, we can take a few minutes to do a little exercise. In this way, we can sustainably improve our self-perception and will notice that over time we go through life more mindfully and attentively, even without thinking about it. To start with, it can be easier to do short exercises throughout the day rather than longer meditation or yoga practices.

A conscious walk in nature, observation exercises or breathing training - there are numerous ways to improve mindfulness. We'll show you four simple but practical mindfulness exercises that are perfect for your everyday life.

#1 Conscious breathing / breathing meditation

You can incorporate a short breathing meditation into your daily routine at any time and in any place. Our breathing can be influenced in a targeted manner and is closely linked to the nervous system.

Here's how: Exhale deeply three times to release tense energy. Turn your attention inside and try to focus on natural breathing. Notice how the breath comes and goes, how the air flows in and out through the nose and concentrate on taking calm, deep breaths. Stay with this focus for a few minutes and then slowly open yourself up again to the impressions and feelings of your surroundings.

Here you will find further breathing exercises that have a relaxing effect and support sleep.

#2 Sitting still

Sitting still sounds easier than it is. We often distract ourselves through observations, thoughts, Smartphone or television from really being in the here and now.

Here's how: Sit upright in a quiet place, keep your eyes open and look straight ahead. Try to be aware of your breathing. Turn your attention inwards and try to let all your thoughts pass by like clouds in the sky, without judging them as good or bad. If you want, you can also say the thoughts and feelings that arise out loud before they move on.

#3 Body scan

The body scan is a mindfulness exercise that helps you learn to better perceive and feel your physical and inner state. You gradually direct your attention to different parts of your body and adopt a neutral or positive attitude towards your thoughts, sensations and feelings.

Here's how: Sit or lie down comfortably, concentrate on your inner self and mentally wander through your body from head to toe. Notice everything you feel and sense. Plan around 10-15 minutes for a short body scan and 30-45 minutes for a detailed body scan.

#4 Walking meditation

Mindful walking can be integrated into even the shortest walk.

Here's how: Start walking slowly and relaxed, ideally without a specific destination, and concentrate intensely on the feeling of walking. Make sure you have a firm stance at the beginning and then feel each step. Pay close attention to the way your foot pushes off, lands and rolls.

4. What does mindfulness have to do with sleep?

The relaxation of body and mind is one of the most important prerequisites for restful sleep. If we are often under stress or lose ourselves in everyday life during the day, mindfulness can be a great way to help us find peace and relaxation on a physical and mental level, which allows for restful sleep.

Stress, lack of relaxation and mental strain are very serious sleep killers that definitely stand in the way of healthy sleep. If we are more mindful, however, we can shake off our worries and everyday stress more easily and prepare ourselves for a restful night in the evening.

morning meditation

A little meditation helps you start the day positively and fits perfectly into any morning routine. After getting up, just take a moment to visualize a peaceful day. Breathe deeply and think of everything positive that the coming day will bring you. What are you looking forward to today? What good things could happen? Positive affirmations and dream images such as sunbeams, flowing water or blossoming flowers, which represent energy and the flow of life, can also make you feel good in the morning. So just give yourself a smile and start your mindful life today.

5. Conclusion

• Mindfulness means perceiving the here and now consciously and with all senses, without judging anything.

• Mindfulness training reduces stress, promotes well-being and sleep

• Simple mindfulness exercises such as breathing or walking meditations, sitting in silence or body scans help you become more mindful and can be easily integrated into your everyday life.

Best regards and see you soon!