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“When the weight of the hardships of life threatens the stillness of the mind, I find solace in the profound beauty of the simple act of being.”
In this article, we delve into:
- The concept of mindfulness and its benefits
- The neurological processes involved in habit formation.
After reading this article, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of:
- Strategies for turning mindfulness into a habit
- Practical techniques that make mindfulness stick, turning it from a deliberate practice into an unconscious behavior.
- The benefits of mindfulness for maintaining mental clarity and emotional balance.
Do you ever zone out and become completely oblivious to what’s going on around you?
Do you recognize when you are intentionally engaging in mindfulness or effortlessly existing in the present moment?
Imagine if mindfulness was as effortless as breathing.
Turning mindfulness into a habit is not only possible—it’s transformative.
My journey began with understanding the essence of mindfulness and the mechanics of habit formation.
Let’s start by defining these two crucial concepts and explore how to make them work together to make you more mindful.
Definition: Mindfulness
“Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and aware in the present moment, observing thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. It involves paying attention to our experiences intentionally with acceptance and a non-reactive attitude.”
Definition: Habit
“A habit is a behavior or routine that becomes automatic and unconscious through repetition. It occurs with no, to minimal conscious thought or effort, often triggered by specific cues in our environment or internal states.”
Transforming Mindfulness: From Practice to Ingrained Habit
You’ve likely heard the saying, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.”
Neuropsychologist Donald Hebb coined this phrase in 1949 to explain how neural pathways form and strengthen through repeated activation.
If you want to be more mindful in order to stop suffering, it’s important that you understand this simple, yet profound concept.
Frequent repetition of thought patterns and emotional state has a significant impact on the neural pathways in the brain.
Behind every action, there is a desire to change or alter our emotional or physical state.
What seems like anxiety building upon itself, leading to more intense anxiety, is an unconscious repetition of thought patterns or emotional states that strengthens the neural connections associated with those experiences.
We often say “I have anxiety” or “I am depressed.” However, what’s really happening is that we keep firing the same neural pathways, perpetuating our anxiety or depression.
Over time, any repeated patterns become automatic, requiring less conscious effort, regardless of their nature.
Most of us have experienced this when learning something new.
Initially, there is a steep learning curve, and you experience a state of mental exhaustion.
Before any behavior turns into a habit, the prefrontal cortex (responsible for decision-making and impulse control) is doing the heavy lifting.
Anyone who’s dieted, quit smoking, or started exercising knows how challenging it is at the beginning.
Initially, you rely solely on willpower. However, as you repeat certain thought patterns and behaviors, the brain’s activity shifts.
A part of the brain called the striatum (which controls habits and automatic behaviors) takes over.
This is what neuroplasticity is – the brain’s ability to form new neural connections.
In the context of mindfulness practice, this means that the more you engage in mindful awareness, the more your brain will adapt to this state. Eventually, it rewires itself to automate this new pattern of thinking and perceiving—; it becomes a habit.
Understanding and Reinforcing Habit Formation
After I understood how neuroplasticity works, I turned my attention to learn how to speed up and reinforce a habit.
Four key elements form a habit:
1. The Trigger
A trigger or signal that starts the behavior. No trigger = no habit.
For example, I don’t drink coffee, so the smell of coffee doesn’t trigger a desire for it.
2. The Habit
A habit is a specific action or behavior. Without consistent practice, the habit won’t take root or will eventually cease to exist.
For many years, I ate at McDonald’s twice a day. But I haven’t done that for the last 20 years. Now, it’s unimaginable for me to eat at McDonald’s.
In the same way, my default response to most situations in the past was defensiveness and anger. Today, I take full responsibility and rarely get angry. Instead, I have learned to express my needs and set boundaries.
3. The Benefit
If a behavior doesn’t serve a functional purpose, we won’t maintain the habit. Keep in mind that even destructive behaviors serve a functional purpose.
We procrastinate because it provides a temporary relief from stress, or to avoid the anxiety we associate with potential failure or criticism.
We sacrifice years of our lives for the fleeting comfort of scrolling on devices, well knowing that it’s hindering our personal progress.
We continue to eat comfort foods to combat stress or boredom, even long after we’ve developed diabetes.
It is crucial to recognize the underlying benefit or functional behind our seemingly irrational habits if we want to stop suffering.
4. Repetition
This is perhaps the most crucial element that most, myself included, overlook in the beginning of forming a new habit.
Many factors shape habits, not just repetition..
It’s a change in the way I think and behave, a complete restructuring of my internal and external personal environment.
In my case transitioning from angry and anxious person to a mindful one required a fundamental shift in identity.
It is much like entering a new relationship with someone.
The first 30 to 90 days is a period of trial and error.
Do not—I repeat, do not—include these initial 30 to 90 days as if they were part of the habit. They are not. They are an evaluation period for you to find what works for you.
Once you’ve found what works for you, the repetition period begins.
The focus from that point is like Nike’s slogan: “Just do it.”
Consistently perform the desired behavior until you notice you are using less and less willpower to be mindful.
Rock Climbing: Mindfulness in Action
In rock climbing, there’s a saying: “Put your weight on your feet while climbing.”
Climbing happens one step at a time. Remaining present and focused on the weight on our feet enables the rock to properly bear our weight.
This insightful analogy isn’t just for thrill-seekers; it applies to anyone wishes to practice mindfulness.
When I first started practicing turning mindfulness into a habit, I failed miserably.
After some trial and error, I began treating every moment, every thought as obstacles standing in the way of safely climbing the mountain.
Counterarguments
Recent discussions surrounding the practice of mindfulness have sparked a nuanced debate regarding its universal applicability and transformative potential.
In my observations, critics raise some valid concerns about limitations and oversimplifications related to mindfulness and habit-formation.
A key controversy concerns the possibility of mindfulness eliminating judgment and reactivity.
It’s inherent in human nature to subjectively judge and react to stimuli. Therefore, the complete elimination of judgment is both unrealistic and undesirable in certain contexts.
My thoughts on this are that we need to discuss the meaning we attribute to “judgment.”
As a nurse, I form opinions based on judgments to evaluate patients every day.
While judgment is necessary for constructive assessments, decision-making and safety, excessive or unwarranted negative judgment is more often than not harmful to both ourselves and others.
The Rise and Future of Mindfulness: Broader Societal Impact and Integration
Mindfulness practices have gained traction in recent years, especially within fields like CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) and self-help.
Mindfulness is becoming increasingly recognized as a tool for fostering self-awareness and emotional regulation.
As more and more of us experience mental health issues, we turn our attention to practices that emphasize present-moment awareness and intentional living.
For 2500 years, the wisdom of mindfulness has resonated within Buddhist traditions, as a comforting embrace against the storms of life.
Now, its intersection with neuroscience feels like a bittersweet homecoming, tinged with the sorrow of a forgotten language finally being recognized and understood.
Rewiring the brain through mindfulness is a bold challenge, even for the most inquisitive minds.
The future of mindfulness is a call to action against the anger and frustration that has shaped our neural pathways since the dawn of time.
Mindfulness is a yearning for a better world that often feels far away, an optimistic plea for a change.
In my experience, mindfulness is as essential to our collective well-being as the air we breathe.
As research in neuroscience progresses, we will gain a more nuanced understanding of how mindfulness practices affect specific brain regions and neural networks.
In time, breakthroughs will lead to more targeted and personalized mindfulness interventions for various mental health conditions.
Workplace mindfulness programs will become a standard part of mental health initiatives, leading to improvements in mental and cognitive well-being and overall job satisfaction.
The whisper of worry and anxiety will be replaced by a calming breath, as schools teach children to navigate the storm within from their earliest days.
Sharing my journey of rewiring my brain, once so heavily ingrained with patterns of sadness, fills me with tremendous optimism for anyone struggling.
As we face more and more global challenges, debilitating anxiety, depression, burnout and social polarization, the mental health consequences are no longer debatable.
The future of mindfulness holds the potential for a more conscious, compassionate, and resilient society.
Final Thoughts
When I started treating mindfulness as a guardian of my mental and emotional well-being, I saw the ripple effects it had on my relationships.
Mindfulness is not about perfection, it’s about observing and accepting the vulnerability and our shared humanity.
Every situation, interaction, or relationship improves when I approach it mindfully.
Instead of seeing mindfulness as a chore or obligation, I know frame it as a beneficial protector that helps me maintain mental clarity and emotional balance.
Imagine developing a habit where mindfulness becomes your unconscious and automatic primary state of reacting to internal and external stimuli, replacing judgment and reactivity.
You don’t judge; you simply observe and accept by default, acting in accordance with your needs, values, and purpose.
While this may seem like an unattainable state at first, with consistent practice, mindfulness can become as natural a habit as walking.