4 Self-Care Techniques that Can Change Your Life
Our thoughts are powerful — for better or worse. Thoughts can set off chain reactions that build self-esteem or undermine it. Authority over the mind is the ultimate power. “Mind is everything. What you think you become,” said Buddha. Thoughts affect not only our mental health, relationships, and the ability to achieve our goals, but also our physical health — our digestion, circulation, respiration, immunity, and nervous system.
Next are our actions. Change begins in the mind, but is manifested and amplified by our actions. How we behave can change our thoughts and feelings. They change us. Spend 15 minutes doing the following each day, and watch your whole life change:
Mindfulness
Mindfulness brings awareness to our thoughts. It’s merely the ability to observe our thinking in a dispassionate, neutral way. Research has shown that mindfulness meditation has numerous benefits, including:
Reduced rumination
Reduced stress
Increased working memory
Increased ability to focus
Increased empathy
Increased self-esteem and self-compassion
Reduced reactivity
Increased cognitive flexibility
Increased relationship satisfaction
Increased speed of information processing
Other benefits. Mindfulness has been shown to enhance self-insight, morality, intuition and fear modulation, and other health and brain functioning benefits.
Shining the light of consciousness on our mental process differs from being caught up in thoughts and the stories we create and react to as if...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT Tags: Anxiety Memory and Perception Mindfulness Psychology Relaxation and Meditation Self-Esteem Stress Affirmations Gratitude negative self-talk Stress Reduction worry Source Type: news
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