Mindfulness is a stress reducing, positive mood enhancing and practical application of raising self awareness to improve quality of life. An effective, scientifically proven, tool of well-being, it is both spiritual in nature and tangible for cultivating peace of mind in daily life. There is a growing need and demand in daily life, spanning long-term too, for an increased support in finding balance in one’s life.
Many of us regularly find ourselves in consistent high stress levels, disempowered states of being and thinking, which contributes to severe and chronic dis-ease such as anxiety, depression and chronic illnesses. We are aware of this consciously and yet seem to fall into patterns of detriment such as addiction, denial, escapism, avoidance, over-doing, over-working, over-giving, and pleasing others. This is where the subconscious mind is acting on our behalf and affecting our well-being as a result.
The subconscious mind is where all things are stored outside of our awareness; there are automated processes happening that drive, influence and result in many of our actions, reactions and behaviours. Unlike the conscious mind, the subconscious mind remains out of our awareness until we apply attention and think about something to bring it into awareness.
The key aspect of mindfulness also relates to bringing awareness to the present moment, forming a bridge between the subconscious and conscious mind, or moment to moment experience. This technique of enhancing awareness is where we can move from dysfunctional patterns such as negative thinking that leads to over-working and anxiety to being in a position to make different, conscious choices and enhance well-being as a result.
The benefits of Mindfulness in daily life
Living in modern day society where there is a vast amount of data, information and stimuli it often becomes a source of overwhelm, stress, fatigue and anxiety. What we seek out and expose ourselves to, consciously and subconsciously, from our day to day work, interactions, relationships and social communities directly impact and reflect our overall sense of well-being.
Mindfulness is a tangible remedy and practice that can be built and cultivated over time to improve overall health, mental health and well-being. The various layers of our being, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually are all connected to well-being, so the importance of bringing balance to all areas of our lives is crucial. Creating a meditative mind can bring more balance into our lives, rather than a highly stressed, over reactive and absent or distracted mind.
A daily practice of meditation has shown to lower levels of anxiety, depression, chronic illness and improve mental health. Many of these imbalances correlate to an over or under stimulated part of body, mind and soul. Over time, dis-ease provides symptoms which are expressed, in severe form, as chronic disease and the presence of high levels of stress hormones that contribute to this.
Moment to moment present awareness invites a space to be with what is arising in us rather than suppressing, ignoring or distracting ourselves consistently to the point of severe imbalance. Meditation creates an intentional settling of a busy mind and invites a moment to pause and reconnect to the present moment. The meditative mind supports creating new neural pathways in the brain that send messages of safety rather than existing old ones which relay messages of stress and therefore significantly contribute to emotional, mental and physical distress.
The role of the subconscious mind
Our waking conscious experiences are all the aspects we hold in our conscious mind that we are aware of. Namely, thoughts, feelings, ideas, knowledge, memories and judgements. When we actively think about something, a decision, calculation, judgement and applying reasoning, our conscious mind is engaged.
Both the conscious and subconscious mind play vital roles in our everyday experience. The subconscious mind is the part of our mind that makes decisions without actively needing to engage and think about them; there is an automated process occurring that lies outside of our awareness. For example, we breathe mostly subconsciously but if we think about it and focus on it, we can control our breathing.
The subconscious mind therefore is constantly active, despite us not being aware until we need to be conscious of something. It is here where the role is to provide information and enable decision making when needed. It is also where our blind spots can reside which could be inhibiting an area of our life somehow.
A common area of study in analytical psychology, the subconscious and unconscious mind are where the deeper aspects of ourselves exist, are stored and processed. This includes our belief systems which is an influential source of driving behaviours, perception and forming what we believe is true about the world, people, situations and relationships.
Due to the nature of the subconscious mind and that it’s accessible to bring elements into the present moment, consciously, the positive effects of meditation work at a deeper level of the mind than our ordinary waking conscious mind can reach. Furthermore, it is possible to access the subconscious mind, similarly with mindfulness and the meditative mind. We can train our brains to form new neural pathways that overcome limiting beliefs as well as reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Greater balance and well-being
As the practice of mindfulness cultivates a deeper, more aware present moment experience, it raises the frequency of noticing what is happening internally and equips you with a moment to pause in which to bring more choice to your daily interactions and experiences. With greater choice comes relief to situations and patterns that we usually engage with on a subconscious level such as negative emotional states causing conflict and disharmony in relationships.
The relationship between the conscious and subconscious is significant in relation to understanding and overcoming negative patterns of thinking and behaving that we can rewire and remodel for ourselves. Mindfulness is a technique that enables this relationship to be built and strengthened, leading to an access point for uplifting a sense of well-being.
There is a need for greater balance in life to counter the high levels of stress and lifestyle patterns that contribute to the development of depression, anxiety and chronic dis-ease. Many of the symptoms of these imbalances are stored within the subconscious mind so identifying them provides an opportunity to work to restore balance and thus lower the frequency and impact of them.
The subconscious mind is a gateway to healing and restoring imbalances that are often at the root of much dis-ease in our culture, society, collectively and individually. Through the engagement of developing personal practices that restore balance, one creates a life that is empowering, providing a sense of well-being and self sufficiency.
A holistic approach to well-being considers all aspects of personal healing which include physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Mindfulness therefore holds the potential to unlock personal power and freedom, contribute to a balanced and healthy lifestyle as well as nurture a connection to spirit, or a Higher Power; all essential ingredients in living an empowered life.
