How to Practice Mindfulness: A Therapist’s Take On Being Present
Written by Cassandra Rampino, LMSW
KEY POINTS:
Mindfulness practices help lower reactivity to stress.
Mindfulness is a way of being and learning to live in the present.
Learn the steps to do a mindfulness body scan.
Incorporate breathing techniques such as 7/11 breathing.
Become a better version of yourself by practicing to be mindful.
Close your eyes and imagine you’re preparing for a networking event…
Thoughts of “What if I don’t get the job? What if I get it and it’s not what I hoped? What if I get there late, it’s too crowded, or they think I’m underqualified?” run through your mind. Although you rehearsed your elevator pitch and the “This is why I’d be a good fit for your company” speech hundreds of times, you’re still nervous, possibly even panicked.
You arrive at the event and have nearly convinced yourself to leave before it begins because you don’t know which, if any, of the multiple scenarios of tonight’s conversation will come true. After approaching two recruiters, you realize your heart is racing, and your palms are sweating. You push through your elevator pitch but don’t remember if you’ve introduced yourself or their names. Did you even remember to breathe?
After the event, you grab a cab home and begin to analyze how the night went. You should have brought up the project from last summer! How did you forget to mention that? You hope you gave off the “I’m prepared but not too prepared” vibe. Your heart starts racing again, and a headache is coming on…
Failing to Be Present Has A Negative Impact
Even if you haven’t attended a networking event recently, we’ve all been in this headspace at one point or another. You know, that place where one singular social interaction takes over your thoughts entirely. We spend more time thinking about the “before the event” and “after the event” that we likely don’t feel very present during the event itself. Although a networking event isn’t the most exciting thing to be present for, what about when it’s a date with that cute person you met on the subway or the first time meeting your boyfriend’s parents?
As a psychotherapist, I see a diverse set of individuals who come to our practice wanting to learn about themselves, their symptoms, and how to make changes in order to live life to the fullest. Often, clients enter a therapeutic relationship at a time when something feels particularly emotionally heavy or bothersome, like a networking event. When a client is in more immediate need of relief and de-escalation, I first teach mindfulness practices to help lower their reactivity to stress.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a way of being; it means living in the present moment and focusing on the here and now instead of worrying about the future or overthinking the past. Mindfulness can help us get out of our heads and into our bodies in a non-judgmental way. According to clinical research from hundreds of doctors and licensed psychotherapists, mindfulness practices are proven to:
Reduce stress
Improve focus
Regulate emotions
Mindfulness Isn’t Easy.
You may wonder, if mindfulness is ‘so great,’ why doesn't everyone practice it daily? Why are we still spending time romanticizing or regretting the past and anticipating the future? Truthfully, although mindfulness is essential, it goes against the very evolution of the human species. Humans are wired to time-travel mentally, mainly into the future, to think about how danger can find us–so that if and when that danger comes, we know exactly how to protect ourselves. Unlike in our cavemen and women days, there is often no physical threat or imminent danger we must fight off.
Ways to Practice Mindfulness:
Mindfulness isn’t easy, but it doesn’t require long practice sessions, and you don’t have to become a meditation guru to feel like it’s working. My favorite and most commonly used mindfulness practices are a body scan and the 7-11 breathing technique. Both take less than a few minutes.
How to Do a Mindfulness Body Scan:
Sometimes, all we need to do is bring awareness to our feet and remind ourselves that we are present in the here and now.
Start by closing your eyes and bring awareness to your feet. How do they feel?
Wiggle your toes and notice any tension or sensations in your feet. Send your breath there, and observe what is coming up for you.
Complete this with each part of your body, starting from your toes and ending with your head.
How to Do Breathing Exercises for Mindfulness:
Breathing is the first step to regulating our body’s stress response. Mindfulness breathing exercises are an easy way to regulate our nervous system. We often don’t think we can calm down by taking deep breaths when our minds are stressed or overstimulated, but we can!
Consider implementing counted breaths, such as 7/11 breathing:
Breathe in while counting to 7 and breathe out while counting to 11.
Our body doesn’t naturally breathe out for longer than we breathe in, so our mind can help us focus on lowering the stress response.
Mindfulness can help us be more present in the moments that really matter and bring out the best versions of ourselves in all the areas life asks us to show up for.
—
Cassandra
Cassandra Rampino, LMSW, is a therapist in NYC with a focus on adolescents and anxiety management.
