3 Great Benefits of Mindfulness
3 Great Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is nothing new, but it has become more popular in recent years. Frazzled Generation Xers and Millennials are constantly searching for the ultimate release from their fast and busy, tech driven lives. Mindfulness seems to offer that answer in a perfectly simple way. Simply put, Mindfulness is the practice of being in the moment. Taking time to stop and feel everything around you. When you are being mindful you acknowledge everything; sounds, smells, feelings. It’s a way of re-connecting all of our 5 senses and using them in the way that nature intended.
There are many benefits to the practice of Mindfulness, but this blog post focuses on 3 core benefits: stress reduction, treatment of depression and improvement of overall health.
Mindfulness can have positive results when its principles have been applied to those suffering with stress. Stress seems to be a disease of modern society and many of us have had times when life becomes overwhelming. Mindfulness practice has been proven to lower stress hormones, stops us having spontaneous reactions to situations and gives us an increased ability to focus. All of these changes bring about a greater feeling of wellbeing meaning that we are less prone to stress. An important characteristic of mindful living is that it teaches us to live in the moment. When we are under stress we tend to worry a lot about the future, but we are taught to think about the moment we are living in and embrace that. Another aspect is that by tuning in to our own emotions and what we are feeling means that we can identify feelings of stress before they take hold and take action to deal with them.
Treatment of Depression
Mindfulness can be really beneficial for depression for a number of reasons. Being present in the moment means that we develop a deeper understanding of our own emotions and we can deal with them, rather than ignoring them and letting them get worse. Mindful living enables us to relate to others and have a greater compassion and empathy for how they might be feeling. This is important because often when we are depressed we tend to distance ourselves from society, when in fact human contact would be more positive for our mental state. Just like with stress relief, our deeper understanding of our emotions means that we can recognise feelings of depression before they become more acute. When we are depressed we often focus on the past, either on a time when we were happier or a time of regret. Mindfulness helps us to break that cycle and live for the present moment.
Overall Health and Wellbeing
If mindfulness takes care of our mental health helping us to deal with stress and depression, it will have a beneficial effect on our overall health. Stress not only has emotional consequences, but can affect us physically too. In general practicing mindfulness reduces the incessant chatter in our minds meaning that we are more alert, we can focus more on what matters and we have more energy. Mindfulness helps us to sleep better and when we sleep better we are better equipped to deal with everyday life. A proper night’s sleep means that we are less susceptible to a number of ailments and conditions such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Another interesting development is that by applying the principles of mindfulness to our eating habits, we can eat more healthily and lose weight. This has incredible benefits for our overall health. The reason why mindful eating works is because we take our time, we live in the moment and this extends to how we eat our food. We eat slowly and savor every bite, this gives our body the chance to recognize that we are full earlier, meaning that we tend to eat less. As we feel better about ourselves we also tend to make better choices about the food that we eat, choosing to nourish our bodies rather than give in to calorie laden, empty junk food.
So this has just been a short introduction into the benefits of mindfulness, for us it fits in with the general philosophy behind Rue and Rose Botanicals. We believe in living a simple life nurtured by natural products from nature’s finest ingredients. In your quest for a peaceful and fulfilling life living in the present moment, why not take a look at our products and find some beautiful additions to your skincare and wellness routines.
You can also find some further resources on Mindfulness here:
About Rue and Rose Botanicals:
Rue and Rose Botanicals is a California based health and beauty company. Founded in 2015 as a modern-day herbal practice, our products are medicinally focused and remedy-based. Rue and Rose products are thoughtfully created and fueled by the healing power of flowers and herbs. At Rue and Rose Botanicals we seek balance between functionality and indulgence throughout our entire product line.
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