The exercises of awareness it can be understood as the pursuit of attention or full awareness. In fact, they could be defined as the ability to return to the “here and now” when the mind has traveled to the past or the future. AS, you can really be aware of where you want to go and what are the goals themselves.
If you make a mistake, you can decide not to repeat it. The problem is that most of the time we get lost in a stream of thoughts which correspond to a moment that, unfortunately, cannot be changed.
Therefore, mindfulness helps focus on the one thing that is real: Now. It is in this context that there is only room for action. The rest is beyond your control because it is something that hasn’t arrived yet -the future- or that no longer exists -the past-.
Some mindfulness exercises for anxiety
To practice the awareness it is necessary to design concrete exercises that It is recommended to do them daily to gradually make them a habit.
Second This study by a team from Boston University, this practice could be very helpful in dealing with problems such as anxiety. As you already know, this is an emotion that prepares you to act when faced with a threat. It is a defense mechanism that helps to survive, to make decisions quickly and efficiently in the face of possible damage that may be suffered.
Therefore, the first thing is to realize that anxiety is not bad. It shouldn’t be judged that way, but rather Know its function and try to use it to your advantage. The five exercises awareness proposed to manage this anxiety are as follows.
1. Take a shower
A good exercise to start practicing awareness could be, for example, take a shower paying attention to the activity. Thoughts must be concentrated solely on the act itself.
Focus on everything involved in the shower: getting soap; spread it on your body; feel your skin…
It’s about putting on a “beginner’s mind”, as if you’ve never taken a shower, letting yourself be seduced by all the elements of a shower, not wanting to rush to finish it, not thinking about what you have to do next.
2. Plasticine dolls
This exercise will take you back to childhood. Children are the best teachers of awareness. They live continuously in the present, everything surprises them and seems wonderful to them.
Try to be a kid, take some colored clay and get ready to make dolls or whatever comes to your mind. Think about what you want to create and do it with care, patience, putting all your effort and attention.
Don’t get up to do anything else until you’re done. Devote yourself to your plasticine doll, letting your thoughts be only about it.
3. Blowing bubbles
With this exercise, in addition to practicing breathing-based relaxation in an alternative way, you will also increase your ability to pay attention to a single activity present.
Grab a pompero and start blowing bubbles. Take a look at what they look like: some smaller, some much rounder. Feel how the light reflects off them and creates beautiful colors.
Experience how some explode when they reach a certain height and how others advance very far.
4. “Empty Hard Drive”
When you’re feeling anxious, you can grab a pen and paper and “empty your hard drive.” This is, put all your thoughts on paper. Write them as if they were telegrams. Don’t rate them, don’t reject them, and don’t judge them. They are just thoughts.
5. Wash the dishes
Washing the dishes is a good way to practice mindfulness exercises. awareness. It’s about connecting with all the sensations that the act of rubbing entails: cold or hot water; soap and its texture; observing how the dirt falls and the soleplate becomes cleaner…
The key is to focus your mind on the activity itself, seeing the rest of your thoughts as mere “noise”.
benefits of mindfulness
The exercises of awareness take you away from assessments based on your deepest and most deeply held beliefs, and they bring large doses of calmness and serenity into your life.
Moving away from the judgments of others signals greater well-being, both with oneself and with the environment. Thus, they will not only improve your self-esteem and help you deal with anxiety, but your social relationships will also be strengthened.
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