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Mindfulness - Discover the inner peace within you

Reading time 9 minutes
Mindfulness - Discover the inner peace within you

The topic of mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular among the general public. It graces book titles, adorns various magazines, and if you type mindfulness into Google, about 5,420,000 hits appear.

But what is mindfulness really all about? What is the reason that even large corporations now offer mindfulness training for their employees?

We would like to take a closer look at this exciting topic together with you. Because mindfulness can change your life for the better. Both personally and professionally.

That's why in this article you'll learn what mindfulness is, how this exciting topic came about, and what methods will help you live a mindful life.

We hope you enjoy the article and that with a little more mindfulness you will have a happier and more lead a fuller life you can.

Because as Thich Nath Hanh said: "The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present."

What is mindfulness?

,,A happy life comes from a liberated mind that is aware of itself at all times." - Doris Kirsch

Mindfulness is a state of clear presence of mind that enriches your life. This is achieved through various methods (e.g. meditation) to get a better picture of their own condition.

Why is this so important?

We live in a complex and stimulus-flooded world in which we are constantly overloaded with new information due to globalization. The density of stimuli means that we often lose touch with ourselves.

For this reason, it is important to create an awareness that helps you to reflect on yourself and consciously go through life. In doing so, the known and the familiar should be viewed from a new perspective.

You shall inner peace find in hectic moments and free yourself from stressful thoughts. The goal is to create inner serenity so that Stress Management is no longer a problem. 

Because hand on heart, how often are you careless in your daily life?

The problem: Our life is determined by routines. Tasks are done without questioning them. Life then often feels like an endless loop. You yourself become a kind of robot.

Sometimes you get lost in your future or your past. And that is exactly where the Mindfulness exercises an. You can Mindfulness learn and bring the right amount of Mindfulness into your life.

Overview: What can mindfulness help with?

  • Better perception of inner states and emotions
  • reduction of Stress in private & professional everyday life
  • Promotion of the empathy towards one's fellow man
  • Increased concentration and productivity in everyday life
  • Coping with crises, fears and negative feelings

Mindfulness: Origin & History

"The mastery of the moment is the mastery of life." - – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Where does the term mindfulness even come from? Is it an esoteric fashionable term? Or has the topic already been important for a long time when it comes to finding inner peace?

The term mindfulness has its origins in Buddhism. There it has been practiced for thousands of years in various Buddhist forms.

In the Sattipathana Sutta, a popular form of mindfulness training in Buddhism, a distinction is made between 4 basic types. Performed together, these are said to help purify the mind and lead to enlightenment.

The 4 basic types of mindfulness in the Sattipathana Sutta:

  • Body & Mindfulness = Perception of the body
  • Emotions & Mindfulness = Perception of emotions
  • Mind & Mindfulness = Perception of current state
  • Objects & Mindfulness = Perception of the environment

In connection with mindfulness, the term Vipassana is often heard in the West. Vipassana is often translated with terms such as clear-sightedness or insight. This state is achieved through a deep insight into one's own psyche.

Buddhist monks, for example, practice mindfulness or vipassana with the goal of attaining enlightenment according to the Buddha's teachings. For this, they sacrifice several years of their lives by performing various forms of meditation.

Mindfulness in the Western World

Mindfulness, Vipassana and meditation have enjoyed increasing popularity in the Western world since the 1960s. In the beginning, it was mainly psychotherapists who used various mindfulness methods.

In this way, mental ailments such as panic attacks, depression or Burnout treated. The treating psychotherapists were able to produce remarkable results, which contributed to a media hype.

As early as the beginning of the 1970s, there was a lot of media hype on the subject. The press increasingly reported on the topic, which finally brought it to the attention of the general public.

The hype that started in the 1960s is still going strong today. Mindfulness continues to enjoy increasing popularity. More and more people are using proven methods to improve their lives.

In the following section, we would like to explain in more detail the areas of life for which mindfulness training is relevant. In addition, we will show you various techniques that you can use immediately for a clearer self-image.

Mindfulness in what areas of life?

"I did not become free when I did what I wanted, but when I became what I am." - Eva Maria Zurhorst

Mindfulness aims to find inner peace, balance and equilibrium. Which areas of life you can improve with mindfulness, we would like to tell you now.

Body Awareness

Are you plagued by recurring back pain? Have you been having recurring migraine attacks lately? Do you find it difficult to breathe? Or has your blood pressure been unusually high lately?

When physical complaints become chronic, then it is time to bring a little more mindfulness into our lives. Because often physical problems have a psychological cause.

Through specific mindfulness exercises you can create a a deep look into your mental state and thus find a better inner balance. Especially effective: a relaxed meditation in the evening.

Love Relationships

Why goes my Relationship down the drain? Why does it come to an argument every day anew? Why do I have the feeling that my partner doesn't understand me? Slowly it becomes really unbearable. It can't go on like this.

The foundation for a happy relationship is mindfulness. On the one hand, mindfulness of your own feelings. And on the other hand, mindfulness of my partner's feelings.

Because only when we explore our feelings and those of our partner, we are able to deal with each other better and to develop a to lead happier relationship.

Family & Friends

Do you have frequent arguments with your friends? Do you have the feeling that your family does not appreciate you enough? Do you feel as if your environment does not perceive you properly?

What do you think it is? You? Your friends? Your family? Are there perhaps issues that are lying unspoken in the room? That burden you and lead to negative feelings?

Then it is important that you gain more clarity in your life. Through mindfulness you can again develop a deeper awareness of your feelings and your current situation.

Professional everyday life

Do you feel uncomfortable in your job anymore? Is your boss driving you crazy? Do you have to get out of bed every morning and want to be somewhere else?

Then it's time to find out if maybe you shouldn't change companies. Because sometimes it's important to close one chapter in your life so that the next one can begin.

Through mindfulness you can get to know what you really want in your job. Since work takes up a large part of our lives, it is important that you are happy and fulfilled in this area.

Health & Nutrition

Do you often feel listless, tired and drained? It is difficult for you to find the necessary drive to go about your daily life? successful to shape your life? Would you like to be more aware of your diet and live healthier?

A healthy lifestyle has an equally positive effect on body and mind. Our diet plays an important part in this. When we eat mindfully, we feel better in our skin and are also more productive.

Of course, it is important that we abstain from things that harm our body. For example, cigarettes or an increased consumption of alcohol or sugar. What can you do to be more mindful of your body?

Communication

Do you often get the statements of your fellow men wrong? Do you have the feeling that your statements are often misunderstood? Is that why you often get cornered at work and in your private life?

If that's the case, then you should View communication with a little more mindfulness. Because what we send via language often arrives at the receiver differently than it is actually meant.

In NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) there is a nice quote about this: "The map is not the territory". This means that every person sees the world differently and also interprets it.

The most important areas of life for mindfulness at a glance:

  • Body Awareness
  • Love Relationships
  • Family & Friends
  • Professional everyday life
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Communication

For practice: With these exercises you bring more mindfulness into your life

Your morning exercise:

What's the first thing you do when you open your eyes? Is it looking at your mobile phone?

With narrowed eyes briefly scroll through what's going on? Or do you switch your alarm clock to snooze first, just to be able to lie down again for the next 10 minutes?

However you do it, do it differently now. Already small changes show great effect. And it's easy: set your alarm for the next day earlier than usual.

Five minutes is enough. And you can also lie down. Try it out and see for yourself.

Use these 5 minutes and reflect completely on yourself and your body. Close your eyes again and pay attention to your breathing. Feel how your chest sinks and rises.

The way your breath flows through your lungs. How your eyelids may still feel a little heavy. Feel the warm blanket against your skin. Feel your heartbeat. Breathe deeply and calmly.

Perhaps the first rays of sunshine are wandering across your face? Maybe you hear the rain pattering against your window. Are the birds already chirping or has a thick blanket of snow swallowed up all the sounds outside? Listen.

Notice your outside and inside and let your thoughts run free. How do you feel? Give yourself the awareness that can often be lost in the course of a day.

You will see. After these 5 minutes to get up without hesitation and start the day with a good feeling.

Your evening exercise:

Who knows it too? You've been sitting in front of your laptop all day and in the evening you take your mobile phone to bed with you. Just a quick look at what's going on in the world. Write to your best friend.

Exchanging pictures with buddies. And time flies while you eventually put your phone aside and go straight to sleep. Again, take the opportunity and design the process of going to bed differently.

Celebrate it consciously. Take the time to brush your teeth and wash your face. Find some thick socks and wrap yourself in your blanket. And leave your cell phone on your desk.

And then take your time and review the day. Pay attention to your breathing. Notice how your body, how every fiber and muscle relaxes. How was your day today? What felt good?

Try to be aware of yourself. You can do this exercise for as long as you like. And then go into a deep and restful sleep fall.

Walk consciously through your life

Have you ever walked consciously? With all your senses? No? Then you should definitely try it now. Direct your attention to your feet and notice the ground. How does it feel?

Are you running on asphalt or walking through a park? Is the ground soft or hard? How do you bounce? Try pressing your heel to the ground first, then your toes.

Slow instead of fast food

Mindful eating means slow and pleasurable eating. And you should treat yourself and your body to that. That means you: Cell phone off. TV off and no newspaper. Just you and your food.

Try to find out how the taste changes over time. Which spices do you taste? What consistency does your food have? By eating consciously, you can get a feeling for good food again.

Try it out right now and explore your feelings! We hope you can successfully integrate these exercises into your everyday life. Have fun on the path to your inner peace.

Mindfulness in science

, "In promoting mental development, the focus should not be concentration but attention." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Is mindfulness esoteric mumbo jumbo? Several studies prove it: Mindfulness works and contributes to a noticeable improvement in people's quality of life.

Willem Kuyken, professor at Oxford University, came in the course of his research he came to the conclusionthat mindfulness relieves depression and alleviates symptoms of mental illness.

Another study by Davis and Hayes was also able to confirm this result. Especially the combination between mindfulness and meditation produced interesting findings.

As part of a study, 20 participants took part in meditation training. The result was astounding. In contrast to the control group, the meditation participants showed fewer depressive symptoms.

In addition, an increased ability to concentrate was observed, which in turn had an effect on productivity. This was an astonishing result, which was intended to illustrate the effectiveness of mindfulness.

What about you? Have you already dealt with the topic of meditation? In the following we have prepared a relaxing meditation for you, which you can do now to bring more clarity into your life.

Conclusion: Mindfulness increases the quality of life

The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What kind of seedlings do you want to plant in it?" - Jack Kornfield

In this article, you have learned how mindfulness can change your life for the long term. In this context, we have introduced you to different areas of life that play a special role.

You should be more mindful of these areas of your life:

  • Body Awareness
  • Love Relationships
  • Family & Friends
  • Professional everyday life
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Communication

Where do you go from here? How can you bring more mindfulness into your life in order to develop a clearer self-image? To help you succeed, we have prepared a gift for you.

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