September 16, 2024
Mastering Mindfulness,
Calm by Design
One of my favorite books as a child was Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Jo was my heroine. She was unconventional, high-spirited, and pushed societal limitations. Even at a young age, I knew I wanted to be just like her.
The last chapter of “Little Women” still stands out in my memory. In this scene, the little women are gathered with their mother under a large tree and set out a picnic lunch as their children run and play. Jo surveys the scene and comments on the calm and peaceful emotions she has merely sitting in that space.
When I pictured who I would become at the age of 30, I imagined feelings of joy and peace. I envisioned this time in my life as enjoying nature and connection with family. I would be balanced, joyful, and settled. My imagination dreamed of life enjoying my children and family, working as a physician, and caring for patients.
The future would be pure bliss.
Fast-forward to the reality of who I was at age 30. I was working as a physician, caring for patients, and being on call every third night and every weekend. On top of my busy office schedule, I was also struggling to get pregnant. In fact, it wasn’t until I turned 30 that I was able to become pregnant with our first child. At the same time, my mother-in-law was ill, so we were caring for her along with her full-time in-house care companions.
Our home was anything but calm and peaceful.
My hectic life at that time is why I started to look at how I could a create a space for myself to practice being calm and centered. I knew that if I flew into the office feeling stressed and behind, the rest of the staff would follow my lead. They, too, would rush around and be more stressed.
On the flip side, if I took a deep breath and walked into the clinic with a smile and calm attitude, the staff would follow my lead. They would be settled and dive into the work with smiles for each other and our patients.
Once I had this realization, I learned how to be calm by design and began to master mindfulness.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is being intentional about existing in the moment and being actively in the right here and right now. It is a practice that can easily be incorporated into your daily life. To practice mindfulness, slow down while using your five senses to experience your world fully.
Be present and enjoy the here and now.
When we focus on the future, it can lead to feelings of anxiety and uneasiness. Being focused on the past can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and even depression when things do not go the way we had planned.
By being present, we can fully experience our emotions through feelings of happiness, joy, sadness, or upset. We can fully be in our life here and now.
Truly experiencing life is fantastic, but it does not happen without some intention or focus. That is why we need to be calm by design. We need to have a plan and create space in our lives to master mindfulness.
When I began my mindfulness journey, I started with meditation, which I failed at. I could not sit at that time without my overactive mind running wild. Next, I tried conscious breathing, which worked much better for me.
After I embraced conscious breathing, my next step was to begin expressing daily gratitude and trying to be more present in my daily life rather than on autopilot.
Since I love to walk in nature, I used that time to be more present and allow myself to practice meditative walking. During those times, I simply let myself be quiet while experiencing the beauty around me.
Mastering mindfulness and being calm by design are not only helpful in quieting an overactive mind and making life less chaotic, but it also offers health benefits as well.
Research has shown that mindfulness practices alter brain functions. In one study, participants were introduced to mindfulness practices for the first time and then practiced daily for eight weeks. The results showed alterations in their brain structure and brain wave size.
Other studies have demonstrated how practicing mindfulness improves awareness, enhances listening skills, and increases energy levels. Mindfulness can also improve sleep, help you cope better with pain, reduce blood pressure, and support a healthier immune system.
Mindfulness is super cool, right?
Even after all these years, I still must work at being mindful. And with all my years of practice, I never quite made it to the scene I had in mind where the characters from Little Women are sitting peacefully and gracefully together in the shade of a beautiful tree.
But that’s okay. I am a work in progress, and that is good with me. Life is a journey, and our world is far from peaceful or calm. Every day, I remind myself to stay centered and do my best to be calm by design.
Love and Light,
Jackie
Want to learn more about mastering mindfulness and designing your calm? Check out our website www.deleaninstitute.com, or join us for our Mastering Mindfulness Yoga Workshop on September 28th at 1 PM at Yoga Village in Clearwater, Florida. You can register for the event on our website.
Sources
Chopra, Deepak, ‘Quantum Body, The New Science of Living a Longer, Healthier and More Vital Life,’ Harmony, New York, 2023
Kabat-Zinn, Jon, ‘Mindfulness for Your Health,’ 1979, mindful.org
National Institute of Health, ‘The Benefit of Living in the Moment,’ NIH News in Health, nih.gov
Yang, C., Barros-Loscertales, A., ‘Alterations in Brain Structure and Amplitude of Low Frequency After 8 Weeks of Mindfulness Meditation Training in Meditation Naïve Subjects,’ 2019, Nature, nature.com
