What Is Mindfulness? What Are It’s Benefits?

Hi, folks. How are you? I am Nick the poet. Welcome to my live stream tonight. It is Tuesday, November 15, 515 pm central time, 615 pm eastern time. And what do we got? 315 pm Pacific. m. But wherever you are in the world, I'm so thankful that you're taking the time to be with me here today. As I talk about what is mindfulness? What are its benefits? So if you're like most people, your to do list is a never ending source of stress. You're always running from one thing to the next without taking any time to just breathe and relax.

You might have emails coming in, work messages, Instagram messages, Facebook messages. You might have a to do list that's a mile long. Maybe it's. Who knows what it is. We all have the busy here and now, and we also have the lives on our phone and our work lives and all of these things. So it's so difficult to be present. And yesterday I just had a great day. I had so much energy and. But it can be hard when I'm excited to be mindful as well. Today, you know, I had less energy and that can be harder to be mindful then, too, because we get maybe a little more anxious about, you know, whether we're able to accomplish, you know, what we need to accomplish.

But what if I told you that there is a way to calm your mind and be more productive at the same time? It's mindfulness, right? com says that mindfulness meditation is as effective at reducing anxiety as a commonly prescribed antidepressant, Lexapro, according to a study published in a major journal on Wednesday. The study, led by researchers at Georgetown University Medical center, is the first randomized clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation with the antidepressant escitalopram.

I may not be saying that, right, but this is the commonly sold Lexapro and ciprolex. The results were published in Jama Jama Psychiatry, a peer reviewed journal. So just a huge disclaimer. I am not telling you a to go off your medication. I'm not saying that medication is bad. I'm not saying anything like that. I'm just saying that mindfulness can be super, super beneficial. And, you know, whether you are taking medication, whether you're going through mental health challenges, whether you are, you know, going through addiction issues, whether you're just someone who wants to be more present, the great thing about mindfulness is it's something that can help all of us.

So mindfulness is just the practice of being present in the moment and focusing on your breath. It sounds simple, but it's actually really difficult to do. Our brains are worried, are wired to constantly worry about the future and then dwell on the past. I don't know if you can relate to that. That's certainly the way that my mind works. It's jumping ahead, it's jumping behind. What if this goes wrong? Did I say something stupid in that Zoom meeting? You know, whatever it is, you know, our minds can really, you know, work against us in this way.

And so it takes a lot of practice to learn how to be mindful. But once you get the hang of it, mindfulness can be a powerful tool for managing stress, improving your overall well being. And here's just a couple of tips for you to start practicing mindfulness. So set aside some time each day to practice mindfulness. The best time to do this is first thing in the morning or right before bed. You can also try doing it during your lunch break or while you're walking to work. We don't necessarily need to think of mindfulness as sitting completely still and quietly.

We might find mindfulness in a lot of different ways. I made a video the other day about mindfulness while doing the dishes. One of my favorite mindfulness teachers is this guy named Doctor John Kabat Zinn, who wrote a book, wherever you go, there you are. And he really, he has this great, you know, topic about when you're doing the dishes, really do the dishes, you know? And when you get in that, that flow state, and you're not thinking about being here or being there, but you're just doing the task, the mind relaxes, you slow down, and we enter that, that flow state that we're all familiar with, but that can be very elusive.

So start by just closing your eyes and taking deep breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you breathe, try to focus on the feeling of the air moving in and out of your lungs. If your mind starts to wander, that's okay. Just gently bring your attention back to your breath. So once you've been focusing on your breath for a few minutes, start to pay attention to the sensations in your body. We're also centered in our mind most of the time that we forget about what our body's doing.

Maybe we've got a. A hip that's hurting a little better. My stomach hasn't been feeling good. Maybe I should be eating better. You know, what is this little twinge here? You know, what is this anxiety? We start tuning into the body more and listening to its needs instead of our mind. Because you know what I say about the mind? The thing about the mind is when it's on the grind, it might never stop. Now, what I didn't know, and I've learned through recovery, through all kinds of different tools, is that we can stop the mind.

You know, we can. And there's so many different ways to do it, and mindfulness is one of them. So if you can start to expand your awareness beyond yourself and notice the people, you know, maybe who are with you, notice that. Maybe if you're. If you're walking, take note of the surroundings, the sound of traffic, the environment of birdsong, let yourself become fully aware of everything that's happening around you in the present moment. And if you want some absolutely amazing guided mindfulness meditations, Cadre creator Evan Lieberman has some that are going to be coming to the app really soon, and I did them and was really amazed.

And there's always something new we can learn, and I really believe that when we're ready, you know, the teacher will appear. And so if you're ready to take on some mindfulness, you know, I just recommend getting started. And it just starts with that one breath. And also, you know, find an activity where you can be mindful. You might take that one to three minutes in the morning, and by establishing that mindfulness, then you're able to cook dinner mindfully at night or go for, you know, a walk or do a painting.

I like to play the guitar, and I'm not a great guitar player, but. But, you know, there's something about the mindfulness of playing that guitar, not being on my phone, not being on my computer for work, that really, you know, helps me to get, you know, mindful. And obviously, nature is a great place, you know, to practice mindfulness as well. And connecting with others, a great conversation over coffee or tea is a way we can be mindful. And, you know, you can talk to your friends about it because we're all going through the same thing of this, you know, very fast paced, modern digital age.

And so the more that we can practice being mindful, that mindful, you know, the better off we are going to be. So, of course, it's not always possible or even desirable to be in a state of mindfulness all day long, and that's okay. The important thing is that you take some time each day to recenter yourself and focus on the present moment. So with regular practice, mindfulness is going to become easier and more second nature. And who knows? Maybe one day you'll even be able to, you know, go 1015 minutes really being in the zone.

Maybe an hour or a day will pass by where you're feeling that, that total mindfulness. And that's really a magical experience. So that's something to look forward to. We also have some awesome Cadre live streams coming up the rest of the week, so make sure to stay tuned into your app. And if this live stream tonight helped you, please write me an email. Nhanson n h a n s e nre IO. I'd love to hear your experience. Give mindfulness a try and let me know how it goes. Okay, everyone, have an awesome night.

I'll catch you on the flip side, wishing you peace, positivity, and prosperity while reminding ourselves that we all have a lot of work to do together. Okay, bye.