Certain things tend to make all of us nervous. For example, tests, the dentist, first day at school or on a job, or any anxiety. We can become so anxious that we have both emotional and physical responses. We can experience an inability to focus, ruminating thoughts, even abject fear. We can also experience sweaty palms, feeling shaky, dry mouth, among many others. Mindfulness meditation Is one way of combatting the negative impact of anxieties.
Mindfulness meditation is a very simple process allowing us to redirect our thoughts from the source of the fear. The name refers to the ability to become aware of the present. The process begins with 3 deep cleansing breaths. After this it is simply a Check in with each of the five senses, beginning in no particular order.
Ask yourself, what do I hear? And listen, listing each sound. As you identify each sound, notice which direction it seems to originate and note how loud it is. And anything unusual about the sounds.
What do you smell? Try to determine different smells. Note if you can’t smell anything.
What do you taste? Do you taste the soft drink you have with you? Do you taste the gum you chewed? Note if you can’t taste anything.
What do you feel? Are you sitting in a soft seat or a hard wooden seat? Are you standing? Do you feel any constrictions with your clothes?
What do you see? Note the variety of color in things surrounding you. Note the objects surrounding you. Are there any people present?
You can spend as much time as you like on each sense evaluation. You can also go back to any at any time. The successful part of this is that while doing this you were not thinking about the dentist or the test, giving your mind a break, even for just a moment, from the stress.
