There’s one exercise most of my therapy group hates. No, it’s not burpees, pull-ups, or going up that hill to Diffenbaugh. The exercise is closing your eyes and sitting in silence. “Mindfulness” is what our therapist called it. The idea is to become intensely aware of your present sensations while letting any thoughts that pop up float by without interpretation.
But why even do this? It’s because the world is now built for you to be able to do a million things as quickly as possible. You could have the TV playing the newest season of The Bachelor, while a tablet is playing a YouTube video, while you’re on your phone sending a Snap as you’re waiting for your DoorDash delivery. Or maybe you’re driving with the radio on while checking your phone during red lights.
Our attention is spread wide and becomes brittle and thin. In our fast-paced world, we’re conditioned to constantly look for what’s next before we’ve even processed what’s happening in our present. What you’re left with is a tired, overstimulated mind that has consumed so much yet still feels like it holds so little.
So, what does mindfulness look like in practice? Although you don’t have to, my group was instructed to close our eyes. Some opt for fixating on an object or just keeping their gaze in one place. Then, a one-minute timer started.
During this minute, I focused on my breathing. Yes, I know. It’s cliché. But in that moment, I realized just how absurd it is to have lungs. And how these said lungs, according to the National Institute of Health, have a surface area as big as a tennis court. And how the oxygen I inhaled went to my blood and circulated through my blood vessels. And how these blood vessels, according to the British Heart Foundation, are 60,000 miles long. Breathing, something we don’t even have to think about doing, became a spectacle. I noticed how the air coming in felt cooler than the air I exhaled. I felt the fabric of the chair under my hands and noticed the hum of the air conditioner. I was doing something I typically don’t: living in the moment.
After the timer beeped, our therapist asked, “How was it?” While I stated how I enjoyed it and felt calm, others had a completely different experience. This demonstrates that mindfulness can be daunting. Silence can give your mind the space to spiral and go to unwanted places. But when your mind does inevitably wander, mindfulness encourages you not to fight your thoughts. As our therapist stated, “Let thoughts come, but don’t judge them.” Then, you can ask your mind to refocus on your breathing. By doing this, I practice detaching myself from my thoughts. Thoughts are not facts, and therefore, most of them don’t deserve your energy or stress.
If you want to try mindfulness, don’t worry about doing it “wrong” or “right.” Just focus on being here. Now. If you do try this exercise, you might feel silly or antsy because you have this and that to do. I know I did. I hope you allow yourself to do nothing for just a moment and to enjoy the present — a fitting name, because it really is a gift.
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