When someone says "be mindful," what does that mean? Be polite? Be aware? Stay connected? Well, it may mean all of those things, but above all, "be mindful" means to be present and active in the moment. A natural reaction, for some, may be to suppress or redirect negative feelings. Bad life events are hard to deal with, so why not just not deal with them? Out of sight, out of mind. Well...kind of. Those suppressed emotions will pop up again. You may experience an anxiety attack seemingly out of nowhere. You may get irrationally mad at someone you love. You may get an ulcer. The point is, emotions don't just go away. Mindfulness is a technique that allows you to acknowledge what you may be going through, accept it, and either let it go or find the appropriate place for it in your life. Mindfulness teaches us to "disengage, " as author Sarah Boseley puts it, from negativity. It allows us to shift our focus to what's in front of us, dealing with things head on, accepting them, and continuing on with the greatness of our lives. If you miss focusing on the greatness of your life, take a look at the article "Mindfulness as Effective as Pills for Recurrent Depression" in The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/21/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-treatment-chronic-depression-antidepressants?CMP=fb_gu
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/21/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-treatment-chronic-depression-antidepressants?CMP=fb_gu
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