How many times a day have you obsessed about the past or worried about the future? How many times have you been too distracted to function or have become too caught up with your thoughts to sleep? Do you usually find yourself spending a lot of time fixated on trivial and unimportant nuances of life?
When life becomes too much to bear, it’s time to take a break; focus your mind on the present, and be aware of yourself. You will realize that stopping and smelling the flowers really helps in making you feel better and relaxed. This is what your therapist would call mindfulness.
Any behavioral health service in New Jersey would teach you different mindfulness techniques to help you improve self-awareness and well-being. With Buddhist meditation roots and origin, mindfulness teaches you to pay full attention to what is going on around you and inside you.
In counseling, you are taught to focus on every moment, without any judgment, focusing on your breathing and emptying your mind. You observe your thoughts, feelings, your senses—taste, touch, smell, sight, and hear. Then, you become fully aware of your surroundings.
However, you also have to understand that mindfulness is not a one-size-fits-all treatment. It’s not a panacea, but it’s a start towards a better you. Shirley Court Gonzalez LCSW BCD offers mental health service in West Orange, New Jersey to help you get the best treatment suited to your needs.
If you or someone you know needs mental health support, call the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Hopeline at +1-855-654-6735 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).