Mindfulness is key to a better life | Hadonica's Photography

The way self-awareness and mindfulness are promoted can make us feel like we’re broken sometimes.

I would like to propose a perspective shift on this. Just because we call it healing doesn’t mean that you are broken, because conversely, nobody is 100% whole. None of us is perfect and perfection is not the goal.

We are a collection of learned behaviors and habits—some of which make it harder for us to deal with difficult situations, relationships, and conversations. The process to unlearn the unhealthy defense mechanisms we’ve picked up is one that never ends once you start, but you’ll be proud of your growth. The first step is believing that your peace of mind is worth shedding the person you were so you can become the person you’re meant to be and realize your dreams.

You can’t make everybody happy (trust me, I’ve been there) but the one person you need to wholeheartedly support is yourself. By trusting your intuition and drawing boundaries as needed, you see and feel the difference!

Here are some easy ways to help you get started:

1. Start your mornings with intention. Give yourself enough time to warm up with a walk, or journaling, or meditating. Develop a routine that you enjoy that will give you space to breathe and plan out the rest of your day. Intention can be a soothing and powerful form of self care.

2. Be aware of when you become reactive. Pause and check how your mood is shifting. Though knowing what triggered this reaction is good, try not to intellectualize your feelings. Instead, just notice how it feels, and where you feel it, and regulate your breathing. Meet your mood shifts with curiosity to learn more about how your body is wired to defend itself.

3. Look into breathing exercises. Breathing can be something we over look since it is so automatic within our daily lives. To help when you feel anxiety creeping up or to just help you sleep better at night, try the 4-7-8 breathing method.

   1. Breathe in deeply through your nose for 4 seconds.

   2. Hold that breath for 7 seconds.

   3. Exhale out of your mouth for 8 seconds.

   4. Repeat

You have the power to lead a positive change in your life. All you have to do is believe that you already have it in you to start growing.