Mindfulness is an ideal I aspire to, but always fail to completely embody. It is based on Buddhist philosophy, as in the teachings of Thich Nhat-Han and the works of authors such as Jon Kabat-Zinn.
I also think of mindfulness as being instinctual and almost commonsense. It is the path of least resistance, and yet it is a path that is difficult to find. It means living deliberately and acting rationally, but at the same time, it means being open and non-judgmental. It always entails having love and kindness at your core, and existing in each moment in a warm embrace of yourself and the world around you.
For me, mindfulness is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that can allow me to become a happier person. If I could just relax and get to it!
Trying to live a life of mindfulness can make it difficult to “fit in” with family, friends, and colleagues when the norm is being stressed out, distracted, and constantly seeking immediate gratification. To fight to be mindful in all things takes a conscious effort, and is a battle for one’s freedom, peace of mind, and well-being. It is an all-out war on stress.
The central theme of this blog is using mindfulness as a means of battling against stress and improving my life. My posts will be about mindfulness in relation to ordinary, every day decisions and actions, including health choices, teaching, spending habits, and relationships. I will NOT be regurgitating Kabat-Zinn and others and teaching you how to meditate. I will be instead writing about situations and strategies in which mindfulness can be applied in a more general, real way, maybe even in hindsight!
Disclaimer: I don’t pretend to be in any way enlightened or better than anyone else. I’m just an average gal who is trying to improve herself by embracing her inner Buddha and find ways to become a shiny, happy, free individual.
