Become happier by becoming mindful

We live in a world that is hurtling along at a mind a minute and for many of us our brains are no different.  If you have ever found yourself thinking about things you are experiencing  over and over again  then fear not  - you are not alone.  Dwelling on the past is something that affects many people. The reason this becomes a problem for some people is that they are ill equipped to deal with the emotional pressures that the mind can induce.
Emotions start in the mind. The curious thing about emotions is that unlike a lot of thoughts we can actually feel them physically.  Anger, happiness, anxiety e.t.c all produce real bodily sensations that we can sense. Because of this it is important that we remain aware of what we are feeling and why we are feeling this. However self awareness, while important, can have its own issues on our mental health as we shall discuss now.
A  measure of self awareness is essential in critical decision making. After all if we do not feel in control of ourselves then how can we expect to take control over our own destiny and circumstance?  As with any other extreme though an extreme amount of self awareness can be detrimental. It can cause us to be too fearful of the consequence of tasking action. In addition, what we shall call ‘extreme self awareness’  can lead us to being overly judgemental of our experiences and actions. So how do we get the balance right? Well fortunately help is at hand.
The concept of mindfulness has its origins in the teachings of Zen Buddhism.  It is a beautifully simple way of interpreting the world around us. In essence, Mindfulness is the art of being present in the moment without passing judgement on the experience.  While the concept is simple,  implementing is challenging and requires self discipline.  Focus your attention on the moment you are experiencing. Avoid passing judgment or applying any subjective thoughts and feelings .  Simply observe what is happening both in your mind and externally around you. 
Teachings on mindfulness describe the mind as a judgemental machine. There seems something almost natural about the way we form instant judgements on situation. We can trace the origins of this back to our days as hunter gatherers - where constant struggles of life and death resulted in a need for snap fight or flight decision making on a daily basis. Nowadays we tend to form judgements  on experiences as either good, bad or neutral.  The good and bad feelings generate the most attention whilst the neutral feelings tend to slip through the net. Mindfulness encourages us to observe all things with the same level of attention but without passing judgement.  We may liken this to looking at the world for the first time again.
This refreshing attitude allows our mind to be cleansed and renewed. A blank slate that is calm and rational in its actions. You can begin straight away through the following exercise: The next time you  meet some one you know try to see him/ her through fresh eyes. Try to suspend all of your existing knowledge,  thoughts and opinions.  Try this with family members, close friends and colleagues.  This can be done in any situation or environment – whether you are in a familiar or unfamiliar environment.
One of the most important benefits of mindfulness in terms of  personal contentment and success comes from knowing whether you are thinking something that is unhelpful or unrealistic. Being mindful means learning to experience your thoughts without passing judgement on their ‘truth’.  Considering that many of the negative thoughts you experience when you are emotionally upset  tend to be distorted and unhelpful. It is much better to let these thoughts  go, identify them as natural symptoms of a particular emotional state.  Thoughts and emotions work in tandem with one another  . The sooner you come to the point where you can view them objectively the better your personal feelings will become.
Increase your familiarity with the thoughts that enter your head  when you feel down and depressed  will make it easier for you to recognise them as thoughts rather than concrete facts. Once you have become familiar with the dark side of emotions you are further equipped to cope and manage negative thoughts in reality.  You can practice mindfulness in the most mundane of everyday settings and help to enhance you r appreciation of the  pleasures of life such as eating and listening to music..