5 Health Benefits of Being Present in the Moment

We’ve seen a lot of buzz in the media in recent years about the practice of mindfulness as a way to boost our mental and physical wellbeing. The term describes the psychological state of being aware, which seems like a simple concept to implement, but many people struggle with living life in the moment, and our society’s fast-paced lifestyle makes this even more challenging.

The American Psychological Association defines mindfulness as the moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. Essentially, this means to take in life as it is happening around you without forcing your thoughts or being so wrapped up in them that you miss out. How many times have seen a sunset but you were too preoccupied to take in the changing colors in the sky, or stepped away from a conversation not knowing what was said because your mind was elsewhere? Learning to live mindfully is essential for staying connected to the world around you and for living a full, happy and healthy life. Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie and Oprah Winfrey are among the celebrities who endorse the health benefits of practicing mindfulness. There are numerous benefits to this practice, and outlined below are just 5 of the health benefits of being present in the moment.

1. Treating depression- A study at Oxford University found that mindfulness techniques such as focusing on breathing and refraining from judging thoughts served as effective treatment against depression.
2. Reduced ruminating thoughts- Many studies show that mindfulness greatly reduces the circular thoughts that play on repeat in our minds, and it serves as an approved cognitive therapy for reshaping these thought processes that are the root causes of many clinical diagnosis such as depression, anxiety and OCD.
3. Stress reduction- While we are stressing about the things on our mind rather than taking in the present moment, we are actually compounding our stress. You think you are helping yourself by planning and checking things off your list in your head, but you are creating more stress. Mindfulness is a successful stress-reduction cognitive therapy technique, which according to Health Psychology, decreases levels of the stress hormone, cortisol in your body.
4. Protects against mental illness- The University of Oregon found that mindfulness increased axonal density in the brain and the protective myelin tissue surrounding the brain. These changes serve as strengthening a wall against mental illness.
5. Decrease cold and flu symptoms – Studies found that people who regularly practice mindfulness miss less work from respiratory illness and experience milder symptoms and a shorter duration of sickness.

There has never been a better moment to practice living in the moment. Practicing mindfulness greatly improves your mental and physical wellbeing and helps you to better connect with and enjoy life while also keeping you healthier and stress-free.