Mindfulness - How a Positive Mindset Can Fundamentally Improve Your Life

When American journalist Dan Harris arrived on set to film a standard news story, he had no idea it would fundamentally shift the course of his life. He ended up having a horrifying experience: a stroke on camera. He visited his doctor and took a leave of absence from the news, all the while trying to learn what had happened. He realized that extreme stress had caused his stroke and he committed himself to bringing more calm, ease, and contentment into his life. He wrote the bestselling book10% Happier, all about how making small changes to our mental state could lead to big dividends in our lives.

And Dan Harris isn’t alone. SO MANY people share this kind of story and have claim it as their own. I’ve been on a mission for the last 9 years to find more moments of calm in my life because I know my mental health matters. I firmly believe that a positive mindset is the biggest and most important thing you should cultivateto improve your life. When you’re happy, everything about your life gets better (even your skin!). But sticking to a mindfulness practice can be a challenge.

In fact, learning how to cultivate a positive mindset is vital for both your mental clarity and overall focus, as well as your physical health. Study after study has shown that happy people are usually healthier than people who live in a negative mind-space. Also, people who take time to meditate regularly experience an abundance of health benefits, which we’ll get into later. 

Even the happiest of people work on themselves!Here are some steps you can take to boost your happiness, find some calm in the daily grind, and feel comfortable in your own skin. 

Practice Gratitude:
As the saying goes, energy flows where your attention goes. In other words, the things that you pay attention to seem bigger and the things you don’t pay attention to fade away. That’s why it’s so vital to practice gratitude for all the good things in your life. To start, make an evening practice of writing down 5 good things that happened to you that day. If you don’t feel like writing it down, just shout it out!I remember a time where I was feeling pretty low and sad. I was (overshare coming) sitting on the toilet. Sorry but it’s true! Anyway, I was very low and couldn’t find a single thing to be grateful for, so I shouted out “I’m grateful for the toilet paper!” I followed it up with shouting out my gratitude for the grocery store, the person who put it on the shelf, the truck and driver that got it to the store, the factory that made it, and the trees from which it came. I know it sounds silly, but i felt better!Once you start looking for the good, it’s impossible to miss it. 

I've just got myself a gratitude journal that I will be writing in every few nights.. Follow my stories on instagram for some ideas HERE

Meditate:
Meditation is scientifically proven to reduce stress (and lower harmful cortisol levels), increase focus and attention, prevent memory loss, reduce pain, improve sleep, and even ward off illnesses. The good news is two-fold. First, you don’t need to meditate a lot to get these benefits. Even just checking in with yourself and slowing down for 15 minutes per day is enough to see results. Second, and this one is key - meditation is easy. You don’t have to clear your mind because, as Dan Harris says, clearing your mind is basically impossible unless you’ve reached enlightenment or you’re dead. To get started, try a meditation app (like Calm orTen Percent Happier) or just sit quietly for 15 minutes every day.

Volunteer:
Volunteering is a great way to get involved with your community, make friends, and make a difference. Plus, it will make you feel great! Use sites like volunteermatch.org to find volunteer opportunities that match your location and skills. 

Make Time for Relationships that Matter:
Not only are people with close friends and family happier than those who are more isolated. They also live longer. Positive relationships can make hard times seem less taxing and good times more wonderful. Identify a few people in your life who truly lift you up and make your life better. Make time for them every week, even if it’s just for a quick phone call or email saying you’re thinking about them.

What does all this have to do with your skin? When you improve your mindset, you’ll be more focused and centered in all areas of your life. Calm minds are less likely to be flooded with cortisol (the stress hormone), which can cause damage to your skin. Plus, when you approach life with a positive mindset, you’re more likely to live consciously, taking care to be kind to yourself, others, and the planet. And at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing of all.

Try Meditating for 15 Minutes a day and see how you go..