The Power of Mindfulness 101

The Power Of Mindfulness Unleashed

Despite appearances, most of us are not truly in control of our own minds. We think we are because we basically have the ability to decide what we want to think about and how we want to act, but this only happens when we consciously make the decision to do that. It only happens when we’re mindful of our thoughts and of our emotions.

The rest of the time however, we are simply free-wheeling and reacting. We don’t give much thought to how we’re thinking or what we’re focussed on and as such, our minds have a way of running away with us. For instance, you might be walking through a beautiful, scenic location with friends and really you should be in a very happy mood and enjoying yourself.

But instead, you’re actually just stressed and angry because you can’t top thinking about work. As a result, you don’t enjoy your experience and actually it’s pretty bad for your health. But you don’t think about the role your own mind has in this – instead you blame your job. You act like a passive victim with no ability to decide what they will focus on. Or, you think about something that happened to you 20 years ago that was upsetting, and spoil your own day. Rather than living in the moment, you’re living in the past and locked into a cycle of suffering you can’t seem to break free from.

Or you are at a party and everyone else is having a good time, but you are just panicking that you might say or do something wrong, stutter, have spinach in your teeth, whatever. You suffer social anxiety and it gets worse with each social event you go to because you are constantly telling yourself negative things and letting unrealistic worries get the better of you. It is fine to be shy until you get to know people, but mindfulness will tell you, what’s the worst that can happen? Your real friends will always be your friends, and in most cases, if you don’t like the people at the party, you don’t need to see any of them ever again.

We don’t live in the now and appreciate it fully, and thus miss out on a lot of chances to have a better life. For example, we will sometimes come home and feel tired and completely devoid of motivation when really we should be focused and engaged – so we can work out, work on side projects, tidy our homes or do any of the other things that we’re constantly telling ourselves (and other people!) that we’re going to do.

Sometimes we will have difficulty getting to sleep because we can’t stop thinking about what happened that day, or the tasks that lie ahead tomorrow. Or, we might worry about the future and get ourselves so worked up that we can’t think straight. We blank out and make a mess of our presentation at work, or even fail exams because we lack confidence and feel nervous.

So the question in all these scenarios becomes: how do you go about getting back in charge of your thoughts? How can you decide to stop letting emotions run away with you?

Mindfulness can help! Mindfulness, as the word suggests, puts you in charge of your own mind. Not to suppress and stuff down thoughts and emotions, but to harness them for personal transformation.

Evan Stevens has worked as a counselor and life coach for 20 years. He has been meditating for 12 years and loves teaching people how to transform their lives through self-empowerment.

Annabelle Stevens is a life coach and the author of more than 50 self-help titles.