Your friends say you’ve been on pins and needles for weeks. And your husband has been avoiding you like the plague. An Internet search on relaxation reveals the obvious tips: yoga, bubble baths, nature walks and soothing lavender oil. But later that evening, a Facebook post catches your attention. It says four words: “Practice Mindfulness Meditation Daily.”
“What is that?” you think. “Is that just regular meditation?” The answer isn’t as complex as you would think. Mindfulness is an age-old concept that has gained massive popularity in recent years. That’s because we are living in a society that simply can’t slow down.
“Mindfulness is simply keeping one’s attention focused on the present moment,” says Dr. William R. Marchand, a psychiatrist, author and mindfulness teacher. “The concept of mindfulness is really quite simple. It’s the now.”
You would think that mindfulness involves some kind of supercharged effort. But it doesn’t.
“You don’t have to have a formal practice to be more mindful. In fact, you can be mindful at any time or in any place,” Marchand says. “For example, mindfulness can be practiced by focusing one’s attention on daily activities like driving, taking out the trash or checking e-mail. In other words, anything can be done mindfully.”
That said, how does mindfulness relate to meditation? And are mindfulness and mindfulness meditation the same thing?