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Life

Have a Mindful Start to The New Year

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C of C chapter.

Ahhh…. 2019. A new year has finally dawned upon us.

We as a society love the beginning of a new year.  New Year’s resolutions. We love those. The whole idea of starting fresh, and developing a new and better version of ourselves.

This 2019 I challenge all of you to add mindfulness to the top of your resolutions list. Through practicing mindfulness you will your perception and the way you carry yourself throughout life will completely transform.

So what is mindfulness anyway?

Mindfulness is the idea of training our own mind to be completely present at the moment, free from judgment.

Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere at any time. It is a carried state of mind. You can be mindful in walking, in washing the dishes, in exercising, in anything you’d like.

Our minds are natural wanderers. You will find that training your brain to stay focused in the action of one specific activity can be extremely difficult.

How many times have you talked to a friend or loved one, and not actually listened to what they were saying? Or even read a book, and found yourself getting to the end of the page without even comprehending any of the content?

This is why mindfulness is transformative in orienting our brain to remain balanced and focused. If we dedicate one activity a day to staying mindful, that mindfulness we carried during our practice can transcend into everything else we do that day, including staying committed to our other resolutions.

To achieve any goal, we need to be aware and operate with intention. Only through complete awareness, can we operate more effectively in managing our thoughts, feelings, and actions, to consciously move towards completing our goals.

Awareness is extremely powerful, and mindfulness can help create this awareness.

Not only will it help de-stress your day to day routine, but it is proven helpful for a healthy mind and body, improved sleeping patterns, and better relationships.

The practice of mindfulness is still abstract to some people, as there is no rule book to practicing nor is there anyone specific method. However, implementing mindfulness and dedicating one activity a day to it, will turn the simple act of being present in what you are doing, into a way of being in life.

Chynna Chan

C of C '19

International Businesss major and Spanish minor at the College of Charleston. Originally from San Diego, CA. Lover of Hot Cheetos and Mexican street tacos. Meditation advocate. Traveler. Foodie. Interested in saving the world.