Mindfulness is something I have practised throughout my life, and you probably have too, without giving it a name. It is neither obscure nor exotic, and it doesn’t require us to change who we are. We already have the ability to be in the present and observe what is going on around us.

If we make the effort, we can understand ourselves and other people. It’s when we focus our thinking honestly on ourselves and how we live life, with a view to improving ourselves and our world, that we practise mindfulness.

Where Mindfulness Was First Recognised

Originally from India, and expressed in classical Vedanta Hinduism, the idea of mindfulness spread into Eastern thinking and culture. The word itself derives from sati, a Buddhist tradition. Sati translates from Pali into English as “mindfulness.”

Hinduism explains that on achieving moksha, meaning realisation on a deep spiritual and emotional level of one’s union with the Brahman – that is, the Great Spirit, the Universe – one becomes tranquil and accepts life as it is. We are all part of the Life Force, and the universe is as it should be.

Relax and Let Life Flow as It Will

Life becomes less stressful when we realise that we don’t need to control anyone else or the world around us. We let the world unfold as it should, and we let other people develop fully into being truly themselves. We understand that we have our own small part to play in the great drama, as has everyone else.

We accept our responsibility for ourselves and give others the responsibility to work out their own part. Within the framework of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism, advice is given as to the best way to live within dharma, meaning in harmony with nature. This includes the idea of mindfulness: living life mindfully, examining one’s own behaviour in the light of moksha and dharma.

Mindfulness in the Western World

A good book to read on the subject is Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1993). Kabat-Zinn is recognised as being the westerner who has had the most influence in promoting mindfulness outside of its original religious framework.

He moved it into the secular world as a scientific practice. It was around this time, living in Vancouver, that I became interested in the ideas of mindfulness. I found it useful to be able to put a scientific slant on what I had always done naturally but in not such a focused way.

Mindfulness in Maturity

As Socrates said over two thousand years ago, “An unexamined life is not worth living!” The basic ideas are to live in the moment, accept life as it is, and live life to the fullest in harmony with ourselves, with the people around us, and with nature.

In other words, we must develop the attitudes of a mature human being.

We can begin to cultivate these innate qualities with meditation, a practice that has been used in Eastern cultures for thousands of years and is now being used in the West. As we begin to experience it, we realise its benefits. This process is a way of quieting the mind, and by using guided meditation and lucid dreaming, we can direct our thinking towards the positive side of life.

No Need to Change Belief System

Mindfulness is a practice that cultivates universal human qualities and doesn’t require people to change their belief systems. It’s being aware of every facet of one’s life honestly, with acceptance of reality. We gain self-awareness by observing our own minds in action, and this increases our understanding of ourselves and other people.

Mindfulness Makes Us More Caring

It’s a way of living that brings awareness and caring into everything we do, as we strive to live in balance with nature. It cuts down needless stress, and makes our lives better for ourselves, our families, our friends and neighbours, the people we work with, and the institutions and organisations of which we are a part.

Mindfulness Could Transform the World

Mindfulness has the potential to transform societies that embrace it. Wouldn’t the world of the human primate, filled with mature, kindly people, be a wonderful place?

Are you mindful in your life? Do you observe and analyse your thoughts and actions? Do you consider your actions towards others?

As a hospice volunteer, one of the
many things I’ve come to understand is that everyone faces serious illness and
the prospect of death differently. There’s simply no “right way” or “wrong way”
to approach it.

But I’ve also come to understand that
it is possible to be at peace with oneself through the end of life, having
experienced moments of real joy along the way.

I’ve certainly seen ample examples of
the alternative, though, and it is heartbreaking. There was “Bobby,” who was
suffering with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), who railed angrily about the fact
that there was no hope for him, and for whom there was no pleasure to be found
in day-to-day life.

He lived his last months in his
brother’s home, where he didn’t have the company of his three beloved dogs, and
he died without having a chance to say goodbye to them.

And there was “Jane,” a widow declining quickly from cancer that had spread to her bones, who was in a literal race against time, trying to make living arrangements for her two adopted teenage daughters.

Often refusing pain medication
because she hated the way it made her feel, refusing family and friends’ offers
to help until she was desperate, “Jane” badly wanted to tie up all the loose
ends in her life but fell into a coma before she could.

Anger, sadness, resentment, shock,
denial, resignation, isolation – or some combination of all of these intense
reactions – are not unusual when people learn of a life-limiting illness.

And, just as we cannot simply advise
anyone suffering depression to “snap out of it,” we cannot simply persuade
those, like “Bobby” and “Jane,” that there still remain moments worth savoring
and life is yet full of meaning.

Changing the Personal Narrative

In spite of much evidence to the contrary though, I believe that repair, resolution, reconciliation, and even redemption are possible through the end of life. And working to achieve them is an important way to enable us to live emotionally and spiritually well in the face of serious illness.

For those whose lives have been
particularly difficult, it can help to work on changing perspectives on old,
painful narratives that continue to hurt and haunt the present. Toward that
end, consulting with a geriatric psychiatrist or psychologist could be
especially fruitful.

The best example of how a person can live so emotionally well is writer Ronni Bennett, who blogged at Time Goes By. In her late 70s, Bennett learned that her pancreatic cancer had metastasized and that there were treatment options but no cure for her condition.

So, Bennett decided to write about it and to keep on writing as long as she could, because for her that was a way of better understanding herself.

Her hope was to approach the last chapter of her life “alert, aware, and lucid,” she said. Besides being great company on the page, she was honest above all, sharing the good, the bad, the ugly, and the amusing elements of her life.

Finding Ways to Express Yourself

Writing is certainly one way to understand
and express who we are. But we can also choose other invaluable creative
outlets: doing audio or video messages for family or friends; reviewing photo
albums and talking about those special moments and memories; listening to the
music that pleases us.

Or we can quietly reflect about our
life, about what has given it meaning and purpose.

The hospice and palliative care
pathfinder Ira Byock, founder
and chief medical officer for the Institute
for Human Caring of Providence St. Joseph Health, often says, “Death has a lot to teach
us, if we let it.”

Specifically, he advises focusing on
what matters most and communicating it to your loved ones. That can be
summarized in four key phrases: I love
you. I forgive you. Please forgive me. Thank you.

In other words, to quote the singer
John Mayer, we should say what we need to say to the people we need to say it
to – while we can.

Whatever form of creative expression
or communication we choose, let’s keep in mind Ronni Bennett’s basic insight:

“However short or long my remaining
days may be, it is a great gift I have received, knowing my death is near. It
led to what I think is the most important question in the circumstance: what do
you want to do with the time that remains?”

That’s a great question for all of
us. If our aim is to reach the end of our lives feeling at peace, then asking
that question is the first step we need to take.

What do you want to do with the rest
of your life? Are you, or a loved one, living with serious illness? How do you
express yourself knowing that life’s end is drawing near? Please share your
thoughts in the comments below.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

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If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

If you want to know the truth about a product, head to the reviews. You can always tell the difference between someone who’s, well, a bot, versus someone who’s genuinely excited about the product and just had to share it with the rest of the world. The latter is definitely the case with RoC’s five-in-one anti-aging moisturizer that has SPF built right in.

“I’m 47 and get told repeatedly that I have a baby face and look younger as I get older,” wrote one shopper. “This cream is my base and a staple.”

As if that review didn’t already sell me, there’s an even better one right underneath it: “This magical potion has single handedly done more for my middle aged, sun damaged skin, than anything else I’ve ever tried.”

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Sutton Stracke’s Purple Quilted Bag with Kyle Richards

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 12 Episode 15 Fashion

Sutton Stracke’s purple quilted bag is obviously fabulous considering it’s a whopping $7k. But don’t worry if that’s a lil too much (same). You can scrape saying “help me I’m poor” because I read your mind. I’ve rounded up some equally as fab Style Stealers below that will have you looking like $7,500 a million bucks.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to See Her Chanel Bag

Originally posted at: Sutton Stracke’s Purple Quilted Bag