The Importance of Mindfulness
The Pandemic has caused us to stop and take stock, and pay more attention to the present moment – to our own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around us. Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help us enjoy life more and understand ourselves better. We can take steps to develop it in our own life.
What is mindfulness?
Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, says that mindfulness means knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment.
"It's easy to stop noticing the world around us. It's also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living 'in our heads' – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour," he says.
"An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means waking up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. That might be something as simple as the feel of a banister as we walk upstairs.
"Another important part of mindfulness is an awareness of our thoughts and feelings as they happen moment to moment.
The Importance of Sleep
If you’re a night owl and you’ve tried waking up early, you know it’s one of the most difficult habits. It’s a pain to deal with grogginess in the morning and to be in bed on time with all the digital distractions nowadays. You probably already read a few articles (or books) on sleep and early rising. In those, you see the usual advice: have a consistent schedule on weekends
don’t use electronics late at night
eliminate blue light
don’t eat late dinner
have a morning/bedtime routine
All these points are important and they’ve been discussed to death everywhere on the internet. Instead, I want to talk about some less known, “ninja” tips that will make you an early riser faster. I’ve been coaching people on the waking up early habit for more than two years now, and there are few of those that pop up constantly.