Everyone is going through a constantly high daily stress level years into the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone will benefit from anything that can help relieve this stress. One of the most effective ways of living to manage daily stress is to adopt mindfulness.
Mindful Living
Mindfulness is a way of life recommended by medical experts such as UCLA Health and the Brown School of Public Health. Some experts have proven mindfulness can help alleviate stress, increase focus, improve mood, lessen inflammation, boost immune function, and hasten to heal.
The director of mindfulness education of UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC), Diana Winston, Ph.D., states that mindfulness is an innate capability that everyone has. It means being open, attentive, curious, and willing to be immersed in every present moment’s experience.
MARC associate director Marvin Belzer, Ph.D., a psychiatrist and biobehavioral scientist, states that it is unnecessary to meditate in a lotus position for hours. Mindfulness can be practiced standing up, sitting down, or lying down and can be done for as short as one to three minutes at a time, especially for beginners.
Focus on Your Breathing
Dr. Belzer also notes that some people say they cannot meditate because they can’t successfully clear their minds of all thoughts. He clarifies that it is not necessary to do so. In mindful moments, he advises that you focus on the sound and the feel of your breathing and other bodily sensations. When thoughts and emotions linked to them pull your attention away and you notice this, you just gently return to refocusing on your breathing without judging yourself.
An app called UCLA Mindful is available in English and 14 other languages. The app provides free meditation guides, with an instructor helping to focus your attention. There are meditation sessions that last for three minutes or longer.
Dr. Winston and Dr. Belzer emphasize that practicing mindfulness is just getting in touch with a natural capability that all humans have. Anyone can do it. You need to practice it as often as possible to become a healthy habit.
Brown University’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) online course consists of eight weeks of systematic and intensive training in mindfulness practices and how to integrate these into daily life. The course was established in 1979 and more than 40 years since then, its students have emerged with higher self-awareness and a better capacity to regulate their attention and emotions. This has resulted in substantial declines in physical and behavioral health issues such as chronic pain, depression, and anxiety.
Mindfulness can also be practiced while doing anything. You can be mindful while washing dishes by hand, focusing on the feel of each piece and the flow of water. You can be so immersed in the experience that everything else seems to fade away.
Mindfulness Tools
Among the most popular tools for mindfulness are crystals and natural gems. You are not supposed to replace medical treatment with gemstones. Instead, they are focal points that can remind you to return to your center and be in the moment when you realize that your thoughts are racing and are on the brink of getting overwhelmed.
You can wear natural gems as fine jewelry, such as those made by companies like Susan Lister Locke. You can place beautiful crystal clusters throughout your home. They are not only lovely to look at but having these stones around you and on your body to touch at any time is reassuring and calming.
How Do Gems Work?
Natural gems and crystals are created by forces of nature in the earth over millions of years. Touching them makes you feel grounded and connected to the earth and its nurturing qualities. It reminds you that you are part of the greater whole, supported by a loving ecosystem. It is a spiritual experience that awakens positivity and optimism.
You can program yourself and a certain natural gem or crystal with a specific intention. This could be a visualization of something you want to manifest in your life, a resolution, or an affirmation. Focus on this in mindful moments with the gem or crystal. Over time, just seeing the gem or crystal and touching it will bring you a state of mindfulness focusing on that intention. Doing this several times a day firmly establishes that intention in your subconscious. This influences your thoughts, emotions, and actions. That way, you focus on the actualization of your intention. This is not some magical spell. It is a method of harnessing your thoughts, emotions, subconscious mind, and actions toward a focused goal.
People might have a challenging time adopting mindfulness practices. But keep in mind, it’s not only about meditation but being grounded and more connected to the earth. One way you can do these is by placing minerals and gemstones all over your home.
