The dichotomy of life is that in order for there to be light, there must be dark. It is vital to understand that if everything were to be great all of the time then the appreciation for it would dissipate entirely. When darkness is around us we will always have one thing to keep us affixed to help us with struggling through the journey, hope. The practice of mindfulness shows you that there are a tremendous amount of things in your life that are going well, this will help you to center your current perspective.

Starting your journey to living a mindful life will be arguably the hardest part. Shifting your train of thought from only seeing the negative to positive can be achieved in various matters. One is meditation, this will help you identify with your problems in a more objective sense. When ideas enter your mind pretend like you are observing clouds moving in and then out of your mind. Recognize they are there but just let them pass through and out making way for others to enter and pass. Meditating can be performed adequately with only 5-10 minutes and you will be surprised how many thoughts you actually have in that time span.

Intimately knowing the cause of your emotions is important for you to deeply understand on your journey to mindfulness. Anxiety is the response of being too caught up in future events, depression is caused by being too worried about past events. When you are at peace, you have achieved clarity of being in the moment. It is important for us to learn from our previous mistakes and have some ideas of goal planning for the future but it is vital for our mental health to appreciate what we have going for us now. When moving into this state of mind look at your surroundings; see the trees for all their beauty, feel the clothes on your body, and focus more of your vision out of your primary focal point and into your peripheral vision. This state of being pulls anxiety out of your life and centers you in your current situation.

Mindfulness can be one of the greatest tools we have in our toolbox, but it is important to keep it sharpened for those challenging times. Over time you will see a dramatic shift in your perspective as well as prosperity in your life. This is not a superpower but you will feel like you have one after you are done though.

Having a hard time with mindfulness? Check out the link for some extra tips.