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Mindfulness meditation is a big thing in the psychology world these days. There is a lot of research showing the benefits of meditating. Check out the American Mindfulness Research Association if you want to read more on that.
Simply put, mindfulness meditation is the practice of sitting quietly and focusing on something. Your focus can be anything really, but a lot of guided meditations will have you focus on your breath, your body sensations, or a chosen object. As you get distracted, the idea is to nonjudgmentally bring your attention back to the object of your focus.
Your brain is kind of like a muscle. The more you work parts of it, the stronger those parts gets. Or, as my neurobiology professor, Dr. Lyle, always said, “Whatever fires together, wires together.” So with mindfulness meditation, the more you get distracted and bring your attention back to a focus, the better your brain gets at focusing on something and also, letting thoughts go.
This has all kinds of benefits in everyday life.
When your inner critic chimes in to let you know how badly you screwed up or your worries about having a panic attack get your heart racing, it becomes easier to let those thought go without buying into them when you have made a practice out of letting thoughts go and refocusing your mind.

So what does this practice look like for me?

I’m not always great at practicing what I preach. I know how good mindfulness meditation has been for some of my clients, so I have been trying to practice it too. This has taken different forms. Sometimes I listen to a guided meditation on loving-kindness, gratitude, God’s love, or I will try a full body scan. Recently however, I’ve started to just sit and thank God for giving me each breath.
When your inner critic chimes in to let you know how badly you screwed up or your worries about having a panic attack get your heart racing, it becomes easier to let those thought go without buying into them when you have made a practice out of letting thoughts go and refocusing your mind.
I’ve really been enjoying the practice of being grateful for each breath. It gives me a very tangible focus and also cultivates a sense of gratitude. And, it’s so simple too! I just set my timer for ten minutes or so and breathe. As I breathe, I thank God for each breath as it comes and goes.
It’s simple, but it’s so powerful!
As my mind wanders to “more productive” things that I could be doing, I am aware that those things will be there when I’m done, but in that present moment, it feels so good to give thanks for each breath. I find that as I go about the rest of my day it’s a lot easier to keep the gratitude flowing and be much more positive.
Even as I write this I am grateful for my nice, cozy office and the delicious cup of coffee I am sipping on, as well as all the wonderful people in my life. It makes me want to let them know how much they mean to me. The little things in life become more meaningful, the big things become more manageable, and the gratitude just keeps flowing.
I highly encourage you to slow down and think about everything you have to be grateful for. After all, each breath is a gift.

Cole Johnson is a marriage and family therapist at First Light Counseling located in Omaha.

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