The Socialist Future: Being Mindful

Everyone these days is talking about mindfulness, you hear it on the news, you see it in popular culture a lot now. What exactly is being mindful? Mindful means both being aware and being inclined to be aware. Paying attention to what is going on, both in the physical world and in your very own private world. People have been using this word in many ways as early as the 14th century. There are many benefits to being mindful. Awareness of your situation can shed new light on problems you encounter and how you react to these either positive or negative problems. Because where your power lies is in how you react to each situation. There are many ways to introduce mindfulness into your life. It can be as simple as noticing and appreciating your food as you eat it, brushing your teeth with awareness and concentration, or washing the dishes and noticing the water and soap suds as you clean. It can be as elaborate as religious rituals. You can also use mindfulness to help you cope with very stressful and traumatic experiences, with anxiety and depression, sleeplessness, and the daily aggravations of life. Mindfulness is a form of meditation, but it is helpful to add in a meditation practice each day. This does not have to be sitting up straight with your legs crossed for an hour or more. You can sit in a chair, lie on the floor or couch or bed. It is your choice. How do you relax easiest? For me it is lying down. I can sit crosslegged on a pillow for an hour, but then lying down is so much better.