Eastern cultures have always cultivated mindfulness, while in the West its importance is only just being discovered: there are currently more than 300 research articles devoted to mindfulness. What exactly is behind it, what consequences does it have for our dealings with one another?
From reacting to acting
Most of the time events automatically draw our attention this way or that. Only those who can consciously control their own attention slow down the mind and essentially determine how they experience themselves and the environment. You can learn this conscious attention with the help of access concentration: For example, you focus on the beauty of a flower.
Enjoy the here and now
The goal is to stay in the present. Not so easy at all, because most of the time our mind oscillates back and forth between the past and the future at breakneck speed. He rarely deals with the present, with the here and now – although we only exist in the present and can only experience and influence the present moment.
Accept what cannot be changed
Almost all people have been used to being praised and blamed since childhood. Quick judgment has become automatic in our society. One tries to avoid negative feelings and events, and often the unattainable seems particularly tempting. Acceptance means accepting the present moment as it is. That doesn’t mean having to endure change. Anyone who recognizes an annoying situation as changeable should look for solutions. But: Don’t fight against the unchangeable. This saves you frustration and, above all, the senseless wasting of valuable energy – which can quickly lead to a spiral of stress.
