Mindfulness - The Foundation for a Healthy and Happy Life

Life is a series of moments. Therefore, it is important to perceive each moment as mindfully as possible!

  Surely, while driving a car, you have covered distances without actually noticing what was happening around you in the last few kilometers. Or have you ever locked your front door and then gone back a few times to check if you really did lock it? Why? Probably, while locking the door, your thoughts were already on the next appointment. We are in the future with our thoughts, thinking about what else we have to do, worrying about what could happen, unnecessarily fueling our fears. Or we dwell in the past, pondering about what we could have done better. However, our life does not take place in the past or in the future. A life of ease is only possible for us if we consciously perceive every moment of our existence with the help of mindfulness. With mindfulness, which is simultaneously one of the most important life principles of the Shaolin monks, we can become aware of and subsequently control the monkey chatter produced by the brain. When we are mindful, we realize that we ourselves are the producers of our positive and negative thoughts and feelings. Especially in the professional field, mindfulness is an important prerequisite for good performance and productivity. When working, we are constantly tempted to do multiple things at once. Working mindfully means directing our attention 100% to the respective activity, away from multitasking. This prevents unnecessary mistakes and allows us to concentrate on our tasks for longer periods. Mindfulness is also one of the key factors in staying healthy and productive well into old age. Our body is the best early warning system there is. By mindfully perceiving our stress signals, we can take countermeasures at any time and prevent diseases preventively. Ignoring our body signals poses the risk that today's civilization diseases, such as burnout, heart attack, and others, will rob us of our healthy years. However, mindful action requires good perceptiveness. To be able to use the principle of mindfulness, you must learn to perceive yourself and feel yourself. You can train your perceptiveness with an age-old meditation technique called the body scan. With the help of the body scan, you learn to consciously perceive your body sensations and anchor yourself in the present moment. This way, you are less likely to get lost in negative thoughts. Exercise: The Body Scan During the body scan, attention moves from the toes to the head. The goal is to perceive what is present in each body part in that particular moment. All sensations are observed with a non-judgmental, non-evaluative attitude. Also, do not try to change your sensations or create a specific state. I recommend performing the exercise in a sitting position, as it is important not to fall asleep during this exercise. Mindfulness exercises are particularly effective anti-anger exercises. When you are angry, simply focus on the contact point between your buttocks and the chair or direct your attention to your feet and the contact with the ground. This way, you interrupt the automatically running stress reactions. You are no longer in "stress" but in your body. By concentrating on your body, you create a temporary distance from the anger or stressful situation. Your thoughts become clearer, and you create the basis for making sensible decisions and taking action.