How does mindfulness help me?

Mindfulness is a way to stay focused in the present because too often our minds become cluttered with the distractions of modern life. Just like Harrison, many people may feel overwhelmed at times. Ask yourself: How much time do you spend thinking about the past? How much time do you spend worrying about the future? A lot? Well that’s totally normal!!! But we don’t want to forget about the present because the present matters too. We want to be able to enjoy and live fully in the present moment and this is what mindfulness helps us to do.

People who regularly practice mindfulness will tell you how much more in control of their lives and calm it makes them feel. But don’t just take their word for it. Scientific research shows that mindfulness makes people happier and healthier; it lowers blood pressure and cortisol levels, increases immune response, improves sleep and even enhances creativity. (source: https://mindfulnessinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/MiSP-Research-Summary-2012.pdf)

In fact for people suffering from depression, when mindfulness was combined with CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy – the best known counseling treatment for depression), the combination resulted in the same improvements that would have been seen from taking an antidepressant.

Not enough proof that mindfulness works? Well how about actual changes in your brain? MRI scans (Magnetic Resonating Images – like a super x-ray without the nasty side effects) show that meditating for a half hour daily can increase grey matter density (our brain cells) in an area essential for focus, memory and comprehension. Prior research showed monks (who have meditated for approximately 10,000 plus hours) had extraordinary growth and activity in this part of the brain.

But how exactly can mindfulness help you in your daily life? Mindfulness helps the average person to stay on task because it trains the brain to stay focused. Moreover, it helps the average person to be less controlled by his/her thoughts, which in turn causes a decrease in anxiety and stress.

In fact 163 studies show that mindfulness lowers anxiety levels. How? Largely by being able to stay focused on the present moment and to not be controlled by negative thoughts. Mindfulness teaches the brain that when a negative thought pops into your head, you don’t have to be overwhelmed by it. Instead, it becomes just another thought, one that you can choose to pay attention to, or one you can ignore. Settling the mind like this changes, for the better, the actual size of the brain area that promotes fear, anxiety and paranoia – the amygdala. Yes, you read that right – mindfulness helps shrink the area of your brain that promotes anxiety! (Source: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/)

Post Question:

What do you do to control the negative thoughts in your head?

Answer the post question here

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What's being said

  • wlkhs2404
    Posted at 17:00h, 27 February Reply

    I control the nagative thoughts in my head by just stop thinking those thoughts and try to focus on the better things in my life. For example, if i do bad on one test I try not to dwell so much on that grade and I just know that next time I need to do better and study harder for it. I also try and control my thoughts so that it does not result in me having a mental breakdown. At this point I usually step away from my phone or my computer, and everything I am doing at that moment and collect my thoughts.

  • WLKHS 24 21
    Posted at 16:59h, 27 February Reply

    I usually try to do something else like go on my phone and watch a video that I think might cheer me up but if the negative thoughts get to a certain level I try to call one of my parents on the phone and try to solve it that way.

  • wlkhs2411
    Posted at 16:59h, 27 February Reply

    In order to control the negative thoughts in my head, I like to think of all the positive things in my life when I do have negative thoughts. For example, if I feel down about something I will consider that I am healthy, have a home, a family and friends. This helps me to realize that there are way more positives than negatives in my life.

  • wlkhs2416
    Posted at 16:59h, 27 February Reply

    What I do to help control the negative thoughts is to think them threw and sometimes cry bout them but then I usually get over them I dont really stress on the negative thoughts.

  • WLKHS2417
    Posted at 16:58h, 27 February Reply

    I try to take my mind of off things when I have negative feelings and try to clear my head off of what I am stressing about.

  • WLKHS2419
    Posted at 16:58h, 27 February Reply

    I usually first identify the reason for all of these negative thoughts. Usually all of these negative thoughts are branching out from one common source and once I find that one common source I find it much easier to address those negative thoughts. After doing this I try to find something I can do to make the situation more positive and deal with it then instead of waiting and making it get to me.

  • wlkhs2406
    Posted at 16:58h, 27 February Reply

    I try to focus on what I’m doing in the moment and if that does not work, try to find the positive aspects of the negative thoughts I have. If I find myself worrying about an assessment or something coming up I try to make a plan for myself to study and prepare for it.

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