HEALTH | WELLNESS | MINDFULNESS
How a Mini-Mindfulness Habit Can Help You Sleep, Relieve Stress, and Ease Pain
Sleep deprivation, stress, and unmanaged pain can have serious health consequences so it’s a good idea to fix these issues before it’s too late
It’s so easy these days to get wired sometimes before the day even begins. You get that frazzled feeling, especially as the day goes on, and you take on more responsibilities, pressures, and stress.
But instead of constantly focusing on what’s making you feel that way, you can just take a few strategic minutes out of your day to participate in mini-mindfulness practice.
What is mini-mindfulness?
It is the practice of consciously investing small amounts of time to focus the mind on being in the moment and fully realizing the present at any given time.
Research studies show that mindfulness can improve sleep quality, ease pain, and reduce stress, which all help with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction quotes the following:
“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.”
“Wherever you go, there you are.”
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”
“Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.”
He is so spot on!
Mindfulness is about nurturing your awareness of the present moment, including focusing on your emotions, thoughts, and body sensations without letting them be anything other than what they are, without judgment or reaction — That is mindfulness.
How to Practice Mini-mindfulness Techniques
The main key to successful mindfulness practice is focused breathing. You need to pay close attention to your breath as a sensation in itself. By practicing focusing on your breath, you will train yourself to focus more on the present moment.
Here is a 60-second deep breathing exercise to get you started on your mindfulness journey:
1. Dedicate One Minute
Set the timer on your phone or clock for one minute (or more time as you get more experienced), so that you don’t have to worry about whether a minute is up or not. Minimize distractions as much as possible. Or you may be some place where you don’t have control over the distractions. That’s ok. Just stand, sit, or lie down and assume a relaxing mood.
2. Focus Your Attention
Now, choose and focus on one sensation of your breathing, such as feeling the air move in and out of your nostrils or consciously noticing how your chest or belly rises and falls when breathing. Just concentrate on the physical sensations of the breath as your “anchor”.
3. Control Your Thinking
It’s normal and common for your mind to wander while practicing mindfulness. So, if a thought, sound, body sensation, or anything distracts you, just consciously redirect your mind back to your anchor, which is focusing on your breath.
4. Do it All Again
Practice mindful breathing in one-minute intervals until you feel comfortable enough to work up to longer times, like 10 or 15 minutes each day. But the mini-mindfulness practices of one minute here and there throughout the day can be effective enough to reap the benefits of the practice.
5. Make a Commitment
Decide to do yourself the favor of committing to focusing on mindful minutes every day. It doesn’t have to be a big undertaking. You can do it while you wait in line, at a stoplight, at your desk, at the doctor’s office, at school, during TV commercials, in bed before you get up or fall asleep, or just whenever and wherever.
Another good idea is to actually schedule time in your calendar for mindfulness minutes or put it on your “To Do” list. The point is to find ways to ensure that you make time for daily mindfulness.
The Takeaway
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that releases good chemicals into the brain, which is backed by thousands of research studies. This is why mindfulness is effective in the realization of many health benefits like decreasing stress, treating heart disease, lowering blood pressure, reducing chronic pain, improving sleep, alleviating gastrointestinal problems, regulating emotions as well as relieving anxiety and depression.
Good Brain Chemicals Released During Mindfulness and Meditation Practice Include:
- Boosts serotonin which is a neurotransmitter for the mood of happiness
- Reduces cortisol which is the stress hormone
- Boosts DHEA which is linked to a longevity molecule for longer life spans
- Boosts GABA which is a calming chemical
- Boosts endorphins which are pleasure chemicals
- Boosts growth hormone which acts like a “Fountain of Youth” chemical
- Boosts melatonin which is the sleep molecule for more restful sleep
These all look like good benefits that could make all the difference in one’s health and wellness physically, mentally, and emotionally. And it could be due to simply practicing mini-mindfulness techniques every day.
Note: The information in this story is not medical advice. It is a product of my own personal research, opinions, and experience. I am neither a psychologist nor a physician.
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