02 Feb How Therapy Improves Mindfulness
By Kara Ferreira
Mindfulness is an important tool for maintaining mental health. It helps us to be more aware of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors, so that we can better manage them in a healthy way. Mindfulness also enables us to stay present in the moment and not get caught up in worrying about the future or ruminating on the past.
Mindfulness and meditation are often confused as being the same thing, but they are actually two distinct practices. Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the present moment with an attitude of openness and curiosity. It’s about developing awareness of what we’re experiencing without judgment or criticism. Meditation on the other hand is more focused on calming down our mental chatter and achieving a sense of inner peace. It involves sitting quietly while focusing on breath or another object like a mantra or visualization. While both mindfulness and meditation can be beneficial for mental health, it’s important to understand that they serve different purposes; mindfulness helps us become aware of ourselves while meditation helps us relax into stillness.
When practiced regularly, mindfulness can reduce stress levels, improve emotional regulation and help prevent depression, anxiety and other mental health issues from developing. Additionally, mindfulness can help us gain insight into ourselves as well as develop greater empathy for others. All of these benefits make practicing mindfulness a valuable tool for promoting good mental health.
Working with a therapist can help improve mindfulness in several ways:
- Therapy can help us better understand and manage our thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
- It can provide a safe space to discuss difficult emotions or experiences in order to gain insight into them.
- Therapists can teach techniques such as deep breathing or visualization for managing stress levels more effectively.
- Therapists can help build self-awareness through reflecting on our own thoughts and motivations, which helps us gain insight into ourselves as well as empathy for others.
- Through therapy, we can develop skills like problem solving so that we are better able to address issues before they become overwhelming or cause negative mental health consequences down the line.
- Therapy helps us learn healthier coping strategies for dealing with stressful situations which may arise in the future, making it easier to stay present in the moment when faced with challenging circumstances.
- Finally, therapy allows us time and space away from distractions of everyday life in order to focus solely on ourselves – something that is often hard to do without guidance.
If you’d like to work on creating more mindfulness with a therapist, contact us at (734) 323-4897 or info@galvingrowthgroup.com for more information. Our practice, based in Novi, Michigan, is home to a variety of psychologists with a wide range of expertise, and our intake specialist will help to match you with the right one. We also offer teletherapy and can see anyone in the state of Michigan.
Kara Ferreira is a G3 Contributing Writer.
Sources
American Psychological Association, What Are the Benefits of Mindfulness
Chopra.com, Explaining the Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation
Positive Psychology, What Is Mindfulness Therapy & How to Do It
