Getting Started with Mindfulness

Five exercises to bring you back to the present

SourceL: Upslash.com

One of the best suggestions I have ever gotten for controlling my anxiety and panic attacks was to try mindfulness exercises. According to Dictionary.com, mindfulness is: a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. At first, I resisted the idea of using these exercises because the recommendation seemed too simple and complicated at the same time. I eventually learned that taking a few minutes to put myself back into the here and now was very helpful with being able to detach from anxiety, panic, and other overwhelming emotions.

Here are some of the mindfulness exercises I’ve used:

1. See it with new eyes — Take something around you (food of some sort is a common suggestion) and pretend to look at the object as if you are an alien who has never seen it before. Using all your senses, describe the item in detail starting with your vision. Notice everything about the object rather than just taking it for granted.
2. 5,4,3,2,1 — This is one of my favorite exercises because you can easily do it over and over again if your first attempt didn’t work. Look around you and find five things that you can see, four that you can hear, three that you can touch, two that you can smell, and one that you can taste. The nice thing about this exercise is that you can mix up what you’re experiencing as works for your environment. Maybe you’re feeling more than you can hear. Maybe you taste more than you can feel. Make the exercise work for you.
3. Feel your body — In this exercise, you turn your attention on your own body. Close your eyes and concentrate on what you’re feeling starting with the tip of your toes and working slowly up to the top of your head. Go slow through this body scan. Don’t forget places like your knees, elbows, jaw, and other less obvious areas. Look for tense spots and attempt to relax each one individually. You may have to do this exercise multiple times before it begins to work the best.
4. Window exercise- In this exercise look out a window or at a spot nearby and notice everything you can see. Observe as if you’re experiencing these sights for the first time. Rather than giving names to objects, focus on smaller details like colors, patterns, or the way things move. Don’t spend too much time on any one object or detail.
5. Breathing exercise — In this exercise you close your eyes and try to clear your mind of any thoughts. Turn your attention on your breathing and breathe slowly and calmly. Any time your thoughts are pulled away from your breathing, gently bring your attention back. Don’t judge yourself if you’re struggling with holding your attention on breathing. Start slow with half a minute and gradually work your way up to longer periods as you meditate on your breathing.

Mindfulness is a great way to help change your thought processes while you are struggling with anxiety or other strong emotions. Taking a few minutes for simple exercises can ease these strong emotions and help you begin to think more clearly. The next time you are feeling overwhelmed, take a few minutes to try a mindfulness exercise. If one doesn’t work for you, try another. You may find taking just a few minutes will help you cope better.