Being Mindful Is Good For The Soul

Research from Brown University shows being mindful is good for the soul. It also calms our mind and boosts our heart health by lowering pulse and blood pressure.

Well, The New York Times regularly posts little mindfulness instructions – and one is how to be mindful with your PHONE. It comes from Bill Duane, a Google executive and meditation teacher who oversees the company’s wellbeing and performance-learning programs. He asks, “How often do you impulsively reach for your phone?” Duane says our phones are like a huge magnet that unconsciously draws our hand and attention. And a lot of people can’t spend even a minute with their own thoughts. Well, here’s how to break from your phone’s magnetism and become mindful.

Duane says, if you’re drawn to your phone, ask yourself:

Am I checking the phone for information I need?

Am I checking it to connect with someone?

Or am I checking it out of boredom – or to escape the moment I’m in now?

If it’s the last reason, stop and simply be in the moment, even if it’s uncomfortable. And eventually, when you feel an urge to grab your phone, you’ll know that if you resist the impulse, it’ll gradually subside.