Mindfulness is a popular topic, perhaps now more than ever, because of its many benefits. It is a type of learned or practiced awareness that involves being fully present in the here-and-now without being judgmental of yourself and your experience.
The difference between mindfulness and awareness is that mindfulness is a skill, often applied through meditation techniques, that requires heightened awareness. A person’s ingrained level of awareness comes from their physical senses and how they perceive and interpret what is going on around them. But mindfulness is the practice of consciously filtering that awareness through the present moment objectively.
I think one of the most important things to know is —anyone can practice mindfulness and reap the benefits without the need to become an expert on meditation. Mindfulness has many benefits for people of all ages and is becoming more mainstream in teen and child age groups as an alternative or therapeutic practice sometimes used in school settings. Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between mindfulness and awareness, and some benefits of each.
Do You Need to Be Aware in Order to Be Mindful?
Mindfulness and awareness work hand in hand, but the good news is that you don’t need one to have the other. Being aware can help you to be mindful, and vice versa: being mindful can help you to be more aware. Neither concept is concrete; they are both fluid. There are different types of awareness: personal awareness, social awareness, and simply awareness of the world around you.
With personal awareness, you may have heard someone described as being self-aware. Some people are naturally self-aware, but this form of awareness is one that deepens over time and comes from experience. It involves recognizing your motivations for certain behaviors, understanding what’s behind your beliefs and values, realizing the actions that cause you to have certain reactions, and the ability to anticipate or perceive the effect your actions may have on others.
Social awareness is the ability to see yourself as a social being and to observe and interpret what is happening in a variety of social situations, responding appropriately to cues based on an ability to read the room. Social awareness also includes an innate understanding of established societal norms – what is considered acceptable and unacceptable. The term “know your audience” is based on the concept of social awareness.
A person can be socially aware without being self-aware. The opposite may be true too. They may be self-aware but not socially aware. Maybe you can identify some people in your life who fit these criteria.
Many introverts (like yours truly) are self-aware but lack social awareness, for example. I should point out something important —there’s no right or wrong, though.
Most of us are combinations of genetics and our own unique experiences. The good news is, awareness can always be heightened. It’s considered to be one of the foundational soft skills and can be practiced, just like confidence.
But mindfulness is something independent of personal make-up. It’s equally available to everyone. Also called “mindful awareness,” or “mindfulness meditation” is simply the exercise of practicing objective, heightened awareness without reactivity.
Personally, I believe with all my heart that mindfulness meditation is the most important skill a person can learn when the goal is to be happy and live a fulfilling life.
If you looking for a way to transform your life and improve your baseline of happiness, this is it–you’ve found it.
There is nothing that I know of that comes close second in terms of how much it improves and changes your life and how you feel and how much time it takes to get there. It’s mind blowing. If you think exercise and nutrition are the best, wait till you try this.
From the very moment I’ve sat down to meditate for the first time over three years ago, I knew this was it —I’ve been doing it every single day ever since. It’s astonishing. It’s simple, it’s free, and it can be done any time anywhere by any one. There is a thousand free videos on YouTube that show how to meditate.
One of the people I admire, an author and meditation teacher, Sam Harris, describes it best. He is also the author of my favorite meditation app – Waking up.
Much of our thinking about ourselves and the world is either pointless or actively harmful, because it’s so often borne of anxiety, envy, self-hatred, or other negative emotions, and in turn, it perpetuates those states of mind.
Mindfulness allows you to experience your life in the present, without ruminating about what just happened, what should have happened, what almost happened, what might yet happen, etc. So the connection to happiness is very direct. At bottom, mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to what actually matters. It’s hard to imagine a more powerful productivity tool than that. — Sam Harris
Think about your day. The average person in today’s society probably has to tune out quite a bit of distraction in order to accomplish a certain set of tasks. Whether at home, at school, or at work, I’d bet that we’ve grown so accustomed to filtering out distractions and muting the world around us that it’s counter-productive to achieving a state of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is allowing your senses to experience the present, moment-to-moment, in a neutral, non-judgmental way. It is simply observing, without reacting.
It is noticing the details of a moment and then letting it pass, redirecting your focus if necessary while being fully open to the possibilities of the next moment. To prepare yourself for a mindfulness exercise, you might stretch and take a few deep breaths.
Types of Mindfulness You Can Practice Right Now
Mindfulness can be applied to common daily functions, like eating. Mindful eating might look like this:
You hold a raisin in the palm of your hand. You notice the raisin’s appearance, weight, and texture. Does it have a smell? You roll the raisin gently between your thumb and index finger. Is it soft? Does it respond to the pressure of your fingers? Is it oily?
Then you turn your attention to your physiological response. Is your mouth watering? Do you want to eat this raisin more or less after studying it? You put the raisin in your mouth, but you don’t immediately start to chew. You notice how the raisin feels and tastes on your tongue.
You chew slowly, paying close attention to the raisin’s texture and flavor. Gritty or smooth? Sweet or tart? Then you swallow the raisin. Do you want another? Do you like raisins more, less, or the same as before?
Mindful eating is said to help promote weight loss because it slows down the process of food consumption and helps individuals get in tune with what they’re eating, and why. Eating can be an automatic and hurried behavior. It certainly is, in my case, as I struggle a lot with binging. Most of us normally would not study a single raisin before eating it – we’d probably toss a handful into our mouth without thinking about it.
Mindfulness can be applied to any habit, routine, or ritual so that it becomes a conscious behavior instead of a stressful or boring response. Thats, personally, my favorite thing about it as you can practice it absolutely anywhere at any time. Even the most mundane parts of your day can become practices in mindfulness.
You can be mindful when you brush your teeth, observing the feeling of the bristles on your toothbrush. You can be mindful when you get dressed, noticing whether the fabric of your shirt glides gently over your skin or if it’s slightly scratchy. Things we don’t normally pay much attention to can all be infused with mindfulness.
Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is frequently promoted in wellness circles as a component of a holistic approach to a wide range of health issues, or as part of an integrative treatment plan. Some of its benefits are said to include:
- Greater overall sense of well-being
- Increase in baseline of happiness
- Stress relief
- Reducing pain
- Lower blood pressure
- Better sleep
- Improved mood
In my personal experience, all of these are true. And there are many more benefits. My absolute favorite change has to be the pain and anxiety reduction.
I’ve struggled my entire life with chronic pain and anxiety. On the scale of 1 to 10, it was a constant 6.
It took me less than a year of mindfulness meditation to almost completely get rid of any pain. Nowadays, I experience it once or twice a month, and on the same scale it doesn’t go above 2 out of 10 anymore. It’s mind blowing! The moment I realized that, I could not believe it. In his meditation app, Sam Harris has a lesson on working with pain that I used to meditate. I’ll be forever grateful to him.
I’m not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored in any way to promote the App. I’m a regular, paid customer of his. I simply love the app, that’s the one I used to learn how to meditate. By the way, even though his app is a subscription based service, If you truly can’t afford it, you can contact their customer support and say that, and they will give you access to it FOR FREE. This is the link for FREE account. I love Sam Harris, he’s such a good man—he’s changed so many lives, mine included!
I’ve done a physical therapy for over a year and had no improvement at all to the pain level and the duration. When I started to meditate, I was not aware that this was one of the benefits I’d be getting. I cannot be more grateful for this change. That benefit alone has completely transformed my life. But there are so many more others.I
Mindful awareness also helps to improve focus, productivity, and gratitude. With a list like that, who wouldn’t want to practice mindfulness? So often in our day-to-day lives, we can be hyper-aware. We’re constantly flooded with information. But mindfulness can help calm things down and allow you to take a breather.
How Can I Learn to Practice Mindful Awareness?
If you want to learn it for free, I recommend Youtube. Or you can use any of the meditation APPs and just do the starter lessons that they provide. That’s how I learned to meditate. I did that before I purchased my first subscription. My favorite apps are Waking up, Calm, and 10% happier.
I’ve been a paid customer of these 3. I love and use the Waking up more than others. But you gotta find what works for you.
Youtube is great, and it’s free. You can get a quick glimpse of the process, and get started right away.
Or you can check out this article 5 Steps to Mindfulness:
- Mindful breathing
- Concentration
- Awareness of your body
- Releasing tension
- Walking meditation
Where is Mindful Awareness Practiced?
Lately, mindful awareness is becoming popular in corporate and academic settings. Many schools are using mindfulness techniques in elective courses or in the guidance counselor’s office as an alternative way for students to process trauma, avoid disciplinary action, be kinder to their peers, de-stress, and be better equipped to handle their coursework.
In the workplace, certain organizations host seminars on mindfulness where a guest may lead a group in an exercise so that professionals can learn to incorporate mindfulness techniques into their workday in order to increase focus and productivity.
What Are the Origins of Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is said to have come from the eastern regions of the world, with origins that can be traced to the Hinduism and Buddhist religions. Now, it has spread to the western world and is a hot topic with people of all ages and backgrounds.
Are There Different Types of Mindfulness?
There are different types of mindfulness, sometimes labeled “The 4 Foundations of Mindfulness,” which you might find similar to types of awareness you already have. Categorically speaking, they are:
- Mindfulness of the body
- Mindfulness of feelings
- Mindfulness of mind
- Mindfulness of Dhamma (“where we pay attention to what is arising”)
Mindfulness can be practiced by anyone, regardless of their level of self-awareness. There are many things that can improve your life and make your happier. And life is all about balance, and finding what works for you. But if there was just one thing you could do for yourself to greatly improve your life, I believe meditating takes the cake. Try it, even if you are just as skeptical as I was, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The best part is, that it works, regardless if you believe in it or not. I didn’t. And now it changed my life.
