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Mindfulness for everyday
Photo by Roberto Nickson on Pexels.com When you read this, whoever you are and wherever you are right now, I would like you to focus on every word that your eyes see and be here, in the moment. Take three deep breaths.
I’ll wait.
1…Inhale….Exhale
2…Inhale….Exhale
3…Inhale….Exhale.
I hope you’re feeling calmer than a few seconds ago. I hope you’re feeling more present. Congratulations. That was your mindfulness practice of the day!
It’s that easy. Yet, it isn’t.
Why do you need to be mindful every day?
I get it. Being mindful is a task in itself. It requires patience, courage, compassion and acceptance for yourself and for others.
Mindfulness, by definition, is about slowing down, breathing, and observing the present while also accepting every negative thought or scenario, and making yourself come to peace with it all.
Yet, Mindfulness is so much more than that.
“Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.”
— Gautam Buddha
Being mindful comes with a lot of responsibilities. Which is why most people aren’t able to even understand it. Most people are ignorant and lead a selfish life. However, if you are not part of that crowd and are resonating with the words you’re reading, you’re a rare breed. You’re one of those who know that kindness, which comes from mindfulness, is a magical thing that can make this planet a better world.
Your anxieties, panic attacks, stress, loneliness, and feeling aloof — all this can be resolved by practising mindfulness.
Maybe you are already a mindful person. You know how you can help yourself and others by just being in the moment. If you do, then you can stop reading.
But like me, maybe you also need someone to push you towards a better life, even if you know how to do it yourself. Sometimes you feel so far gone that it seems impossible to come back. That’s when an external voice is needed. I hope this is it for you.
Things that helped me become more Mindful
Meditation: Chanting/Breathing/Being in Nature/Sitting in Silence
Art: Reading/Painting/Gardening/Writing/Singing
Movement: Walking/Jogging/Stretching/Yoga
Nutrition: Fruits/Hydration/No Sugar/Multiple Small Meals/ Post Meal Walks/Home-cooked meals
Resting: 7–8 hrs. of quality sleep/ Resting when you feel like/ Getting massages
Community: Spending time with myself, family and partner/ Acts of service for anyone
You must have observed that I have listed the most basic needs of a human being to lead a fulfilling life. But people even struggle with such basic things.
WHY?
The reason that I have understood for it is the outer world chaos that keeps us away from the things that actually matter in each of our lives. I have also been prey to doomscrolling and online shopping, hoarding things I don’t need, and comparing myself to others, being too harsh on myself and others. I have been on the dark side of capitalism, consumerism and pessimism.
Now, I feel I am slowly coming to the other side. The brighter side of life. Not because I stopped doing all of the things I mentioned and changed drastically! It is not that easy, and probably too much if I need to survive in the modern world.
What I did instead was set boundaries. Personal and social.
- I decide how much time and energy I am going to put in every day. That’s how my mind feels in control of everything, hence, no anxious thoughts.
- I value habits over mood. Journaling, Meditation, Walking, Hydration, etc. All of that, I made them habits, like brushing teeth. It took a few failed routines and drowsy days, too. But I kept at it. Now, they’re all part of my everyday.
- Over time, I learned the value of discipline and how it helps us stay grounded.
- Gratefulness came naturally when I observed kindness around me, and when I observed my blessings.
The best boundaries you can set are from the world that has nothing to do with your journey. With mindfulness comes peace of mind, and a contentment of living life just the way you’re supposed to.
Eliminating the elements that don’t serve your growth, that don’t evolve with you, and that trigger you is the first step towards mindfulness.
Let me know in the comments if you have any mindful practice that works for you.
Thanks for reading. Namaste.
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Passion, Purpose & Self Awareness
This image was taken on a train journey from Pune to Lonavala in June. Well, it’s been exactly three months, and I can feel how far I have come in my healing journey, yet, still not far enough.
After each journey you change a little bit. You find a little more of yourself, but only if that’s what you pay attention to. I know not every travel changes you or should I say not everyone changes after travelling. Some only experience places as a tourist and go back to being exactly who they were and live exactly how they had been living.
However, for some every journey is different, even the one to their work.
Warning:
If you pay too much attention to it, you may end up causing a little bit of discomfort for yourself by redirecting your mind to questioning everything you’re or you’ve been doing. Your mind will make you feel as if you are extremely behind than everyone else, that you have done nothing so far! It will make you believe somehow that you have no purpose and no passion. It’s the worst position to be in, or maybe the best!
Losing & Finding
We generally know that our purpose is to be better than yesterday. Hobbies are part of the purpose and are to enjoy life from time to time. Managing work, home, life, relationships – all of it are part of it.
But passion, which somewhat should be a purpose driven thing/asset, is a very personal entity, separate from worldly pleasures & sorrows.
Passion is like faith, belief, praying and meditation. No one else needs to know about it, because no one else will be able to understand it but you.
And maybe it often changes, based on circumstances. Sometimes, you can run for almost a year, and still feel behind in finding one. Sometimes it’s hard to fathom the purpose, the passion, and the path.
Flow
Going with the flow does seem the right way to find it, but the flow can go in many directions if actions are missing. Without a purpose, passion just flows into nothingness where it will ultimately become a dried up, abandoned well in a dense forest.
Then again, when you’re observing that well drying up, you desperately try to figure out a purpose and in the process, either you lose a sense of self, hurt people around you, self-sabotage or the miraculous thing called time brings you to justice. That justice being not seeking validation from anyone but only a higher power or the Universe.
When that validation doesn’t feel like it’s happening, you become restless as your passion has no purpose, and hence, you too become a dead-end!
In both cases, life is flowing, time is moving forward, and you feel you’re behind both. Finally, you leave it. You leave the quest of finding a purpose meanwhile your passion too, suffers another halt.
But the real question to ponder on; is this the end of the quest or the beginning?
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Nap Like a Cat
Clicked from my desk. The view from the window. A little bit of licking its own body, cleaning and cleaning and more cleaning. I have never understood this about cats. The obsession with constantly cleaning themselves, but with its own tongue–Obsessive Cat Drama (OCD) for sure. It naps, but is a light sleeper. A minor sound, and is alert, again. A little bit of stretching, quiet relaxation, then again a trial at napping. Well, very much similar to the anxious humans, who run behind perfectionism in order to feel light, but eventually end up feeling burdened with more pressure of doing better!
Damn these city noises, they never let anyone sleep. Poor Kitty, just got up in an instant. But forgot about her nap-time as soon as she saw a squirrel, and the quarrel began. Of course, I saved the baby squirrel by barking at the cat, and it ran off. But it keeps coming back. Guess, unlike real dogs, my barks don’t have the spark to cause a scare.
Maybe it likes the greenery and the scenery, just like me. I often stare outside from my desk too. I was quietly reading my copy of Norwegian Wood when I spotted it taking a nap. I guess I should thank it for helping me come out of the cave and type something.
I had read up to the middle of chapter 4 two years ago. Finally, I have picked it up again and read it from the beginning in a whole new light! What beautiful writing. Have not been much of a fiction lover, only for a few books and authors. But I have been reading some Japanese authors lately, and I seem to be enjoying it. It is safe to say that not all fiction stories can touch you, but the ones that do really deserve applause.
What are you currently reading? And which is your favourite fiction book?
This is such an insightful perspective. It’s true—no matter how much we engage with others, our minds are constantly processing,…
Congratulations!! 🌻🌟☀️
👍🏽💯
Thank you so much. Glad you could connect to it♥️
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Indeed! Thank you.