Mindfulness in the Spotlight

Mindfulness is not just a trend or buzzword, but rather a lifeline for people seeking emotional balance and peace. It’s the practice of being present and fully engaged in the moment. In a world that sometimes values popularity over peace or bling over balance, taking care of our mental health is paramount to who we are and who we are to become. Mindfulness offers a pathway to achieving emotional balance, even while being in the spotlight. This brings me to why I titled the article, “Mindfulness in the Spotlight.” I am a champion and advocate for mental wellness, which also includes being a champion for self-confidence. I believe in the importance of discovering your best self so you can live out your authentic self. This means you get to take up the space you are meant to be in and show up in a big way. But for this to happen you must be self-aware and mindful of who you are. Showing up for yourself in a big way also means that you feel emotionally balanced and in control of your emotions. When we are in control, we can be fully engaged and present in our environment. This correlates with us being more productive at our craft, more insightful with our knowledge, and more positively impactful to those around us. Mindfulness can create simplicity and clarity, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Some common strategies for mindfulness include deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga/stretching, counting, positive self-talk, mental tracking, and utilizing positive visualization. Mindfulness is a mental health and wellness strategy that requires consistent practice to be effective. What does practice mean? Simply put, the word practice means performing an action. It is an action that is performed in a sequence or routine to help gain a more dominate outcome (my own definition). We must manage our mental health by practicing healthy coping skills on a routine basis. Sometimes, it’s easy to think that we should only implement the coping skill when experiencing some form of distress that is causing emotional discomfort. When in fact, we should be practicing coping skills on a routine basis to help train our emotions on how to respond when faced with a challenging stressor. Since we do not have 100% control over our external environment, we will eventually have to confront some form of stressor in life. So, it’s not a matter of if the stressor will come, it’s a matter of when the stressor will come. We live in a demanding world where we are all susceptible to emotional distress. Knowing this helps us prepare for the days ahead by equipping ourselves with coping strategies for faster emotional recovery. By consistently practicing mindfulness, we help our mind and body stay in sync, building emotional confidence and ensuring we are always ready to shine in the spotlight.

*originally published in Success Savvy, August 2024 “Mindfulness Achieving Balance and Self-Awareness”