Self-Care and the Power of Mindfulness

Every time February rolls around, it brings thoughts of how we celebrate love and appreciation for the special people in our lives. Valentine’s Day is, without question, a holiday designed to celebrate connection.

But as we grow older or experience loss, this month’s holiday may not always be about cards, or roses, or special evenings out with someone we cherish. Sometimes, this holiday is one we might dread if we find ourselves in a season of life where we don’t think we have any special love to celebrate.

In either case, it’s important to be at peace with who and where we are, wherever that may be.

Being aware that we all experience life differently at different times is essential to how we connect with others, but also with ourselves. Why ourselves? Because it is how we can know that we are always living from a place of compassion and grace. And isn’t that what self-care is really about?

In the end, it comes down to being mindful as part of our self-care practices.

But first, we need to realize that there are many misconceptions about what it means to be mindful.

Here are a few you might recognize or even have thought yourself (I know I have!):

• Mindfulness Requires Meditation and Isn’t For Everyone

Mindfulness is not limited to only certain types of people or someone with special skills. In reality, mindfulness is a universal practice that anyone can learn. It doesn’t require you to change who you are but encourages awareness of your present experience. Traditional meditation can be part of your practice, but it is not required.

• Mindfulness isn’t Just Relaxation

While relaxation can be a byproduct of mindfulness, they are not synonymous. Mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment without judgment. That is the key – being aware without judgment.

• Mindfulness Takes a Lot of Time

Many people believe that mindfulness requires lengthy meditation sessions. However, we can all practice mindfulness in just a few minutes a day or integrate it into daily activities, such as eating, walking, or any other routine activity. The key is the quality of attention, not the quantity of time spent. Over time, it becomes engrained in how you live, not a separate time you must set aside. It is about tuning in, not tuning out.

• Mindfulness and Thoughtfulness Are the Same Thing

While being mindful can be a guide for how we interact with others, it is essentially about how we interact with ourselves. It is about how we experience life. Thoughtfulness may be how that extends to others, but they are different. One is internal, and the other is external.

So, then, what is mindfulness? How can we embrace it as a part of our self-care?

• A Practice of Presence

Mindfulness involves being fully present in the moment, paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and the surrounding environment with curiosity and non-judgment.

• A Way to Cultivate Awareness

It helps cultivate a heightened state of awareness that allows you to observe your thoughts, patterns, and emotional responses without getting caught up in them so that you can recognize where you may need to take back the reins and respond differently.

• An Approach to Acceptance

Mindfulness encourages acceptance of our present experience, fostering a compassionate stance in all situations, including those that may challenge us.

By clarifying these misconceptions and outlining what mindfulness truly entails, we can demystify it as a practice unique to each of us. It fits every person, lifestyle, and schedule. And, while the practice may be individual, the results are universal.

Mindfulness is the key to truly experiencing our lives at their best and the cornerstone of everything we do in our self-care practice.

In this month dedicated to love, let self-love be where we begin and let mindfulness lead us there.

“We are all mindful to one degree or another, moment by moment. It is an inherent human capacity. But it is only when the mind is open and receptive that learning and seeing and change can occur. The richness of present-moment experience is the richness of life itself.” (J. Kabat-Zinn)