Zenlama Holistic Wellness and Healthy Living for Body, Mind and Spirit
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
~Wayne Dyer
Every New Year brings with it a fresh boost of energy. Each of us has our own way of assisting how we will take that energy and use it to initiate a change in our lives and make New Year resolutions.
Most of us have a long list of things to change, adopt and accept.
Our members her in ZenLama.com have told me that over the years their average time to break their New Year’s resolutions is between two days and six weeks. They start out with good intentions, they feel that their commitment to change is solid but as the time ticks by they cannot hold to their own promises.
This video offers you a guided meditation for success in your New Year Resolution
So, why do New Year resolutions fail?
The reasons are many and common to all. It’s tough to changing priorities. Maybe we don’t prepare thoroughly or we don’t get enough support. Perhaps there are too many demands on our time and we simply forget, or we are tempted by stronger desires. Maybe the leap we are trying to take is too big, or more of a fantasy than a practical reality. For all these reasons and so much more our resolutions fall by the wayside.
Why Mindfulness and meditation help your resolutions stick
Meditation helps us stay on track with our resolutions, and according to Angela Mulholland a journalist at CTVNews.ca it is a very powerful, and effective strategy.
In a recent article is titled “How mindfulness can help with making New Year’s resolutions stick” Mulholland explains that breaking habits is never easy because, by their nature, they are ingrained in us until they have become automatic reflexes.
It’s easy to mindlessly reach for snacks when we’re bored, or sit down after dinner rather than go for a walk if that‘s how we‘ve done things for years. The key to ending unhealthy habits, she suggests, is developing a skill called mindfulness.
So what exactly is Mindfulness?
To psychologists, mindfulness means being fully aware of what is happening at this very moment. And one of the ways of maintaining this awareness is through mindful meditation.
In practical terms, mindfulness meditation involves sitting quietly and focusing the mind on one thing – often the feel or sound of one’s breath. Then, as thoughts enter the mind, the idea is to take notice of the thoughts but not react to them; simply return the focus to the breath.
On the surface, it’s a simple technique; but it’s a skill that takes time to learn. Yet once mastered, mindfulness can have powerful effects, as a growing number of studies show.
Her article goes into more detail, so rather than talking about it here, we recommend that you take a look at the complete post here.
Now, why does Mindfulness work?
The reason Mindfulness meditation helps is because most of us are worry warts. Our minds wonder about worrying about the future or stressing about the past. Our internal dialogue is scattered, critical and often judgemental, which undermines our progress.
What this means is that we are not grounded and present in the moment. We are not fully aware of what we are doing or experiencing or how we feel about it.
Mindfulness meditation is not about emptying your mind, achieving bliss or avoiding stress or pain. It is a practice that helps you to be with yourself and be in the world without fear.
When we slow our mind down and focus on NOW, we are instantly aware of how we feel and what we doing. In that moment of self-awareness, we can choose how we behave and respond. We increase our effectiveness. We become the master of our thought and emotions and the conscious conductor of each moment.
When it comes to making a change and breaking old habits, that’s a powerful position to take, wouldn’t you say?
So now it’s your say. What do you think?
Is meditation or Mindfulness something you have tried to help achieve your goals? Has it been a successful strategy for you? Would you recommend it to others? If so, why?
As always, your interaction with our posts creates a reservoir of wisdom for all our readers to benefit from so please share your thoughts, stories and questions in the comments box below and remember to tweet, like and +1 ~ thanks
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