The term mindfulness means a state of awareness or consciousness. Mental freedom means the liberation of your thoughts and decisions. Through mindfulness, you can achieve mental freedom if you are struggling with feeling bound by stress, trauma, or distractions. Here are three mindfulness practices to help you achieve mental freedom.
1. Take a Walk
We’ve all heard the phrase “stop and smell the roses.” Although we understand the sentiment behind it, how many of us regularly make time to do so? With demanding schedules and rigid responsibilities, mental health often gets pushed to the back burner, but not without consequence. To counteract the effects, try taking a mindfulness walk.
On your walk try being present and feeling in touch with your senses. What do you see, hear, and smell? Be grateful that you have the ability to experience those sensations. Reach out and touch the plants. Think about what it feels like to walk. Try to be as in tune with your body as you can. Think about all the capabilities that you have that others may not. Think about how that makes you feel. Being aware of that fact alone may grant you mental freedom to enjoy the life you’ve been blessed with. The point of your mindfulness walk is not only to smell the roses, but to notice everything you can about them and in turn be present in that moment.
2. Release Your Stress
Sometimes we carry mental burdens because we choose not to expel them in a healthy way. One mindfulness practice that addresses stress asks participants to grab a pen, and piece of paper, then find a quiet space alone. Take a few minutes to meditate and dwell on all the things stressing you the most. You can be as specific or vague as you’d like.
Start to jot a list of every item that comes to mind. Continue to write until you can’t come up with anything else. By the end of your writing session, you don’t want to have anything lingering. The objective is to clear your mind of all stress by putting it on the paper. You then have the choice to destroy your list of stress, save it as a to do list, or keep it locked away. By intentionally vacating your mind of stress, you’re giving yourself permission to mentally relax and experience freedom.
3. Enjoy Company Without Distraction
Can you think of the last time you sat with another person, sans electronics, and only focused on each other’s company? That type of engagement is rare in modern days. We have so many gadgets and things to distract us that we are rarely fully in tune with the people right in front of us. Fully engaging in conversation and appreciating the people in our lives is a form of mindfulness that can lead to mental freedom. Sometimes we can feel unsatisfied with life because our minds are racing. We fail to slow down and talk things through with the people who know us best. We also fail to actively listen when others offer us advice. By being mindful and present in the presence of company, we unlock another aspect of mental freedom.
Being mentally free is a part of the larger picture of feeling emotionally and spiritually free. Those three elements combined are what make you feel holistically well, allowing you to live the life you’ve always wanted. Implement these three mindfulness practices to improve your mental freedom and your overall wellbeing.