Significant lifestyle change can be very difficult to initiate and even more difficult to maintain over the long haul. The mental, psychological and emotional barriers that must be overcome are often subtle yet powerful enough to overwhelm the best short-term intervention. These internal, personal barriers must be identified and addressed head-on to realize the goal of a long-term healthy lifestyle change. A key to success in this effort is mental discipline.

The term “mental discipline” refers to the ability to recognize and respond wisely to thoughts and feelings occurring within the mind and body. Without the skill of mindful observation, or “Mindfulness;” automatic reactive patterns of thinking and perceiving, along with their associated emotional charge, capture the mind’s attention. One’s internal experience flows from where the attention is directed and old habits of behavior, perhaps the very ones that have led to current health problems, are unwittingly encouraged and supported. Mindfulness can break the hold of these destructive patterns, and the freed energy can then be used to firmly establish any recently learned and still fragile health promoting habits.

So, what is mindfulness? In the most straight forward terms, mindfulness is being present with whatever is occurring to us or within us at any given moment. It is being present with what is in the now, not our perceptions, our judgments or our comments about what is happening; just what is happening with no elaborations, no overlay of judgment or commentary. After only a few minutes of silent, motionless sitting, we can see clearly that mindfulness is not our ordinary state of mind.

As we sit quietly, we can observe the mind chase after this thought, that sensation, then on to the next bit of stimulation or feeling that arises. Reacting endlessly to the pleasant or unpleasant feelings associated with what is occurring in the moment, the mind grows more unmanageable and controlling of our attention.

The good news is we can systematically tame the mind, and as we do, we move into a seat of quiet, mindful observation. We can choose our next move rather than simply reacting in our old conditioned way. We must cultivate a strong intention if we are to make mindfulness our natural, habitual way of being in the world. The development of this powerful skill requires determination and a balance of strict discipline and gentle kindness toward ourselves.

You may ask, “Where am I supposed to find time to practice mindfulness?” In our hectic day-to-day lives, the last thing we want is one more thing on our “To-do” list. Being overbooked is likely a major contributor to our current health and lifestyle problems and not a habit to encourage. But no expensive gym, fancy equipment or extra time is necessary, just an intention to focus more deeply, paying closer attention to some of the activities we’re doing already. Pick one or two daily activities such as eating or walking, and make them activities for strengthening your mental muscle of mindfulness.

Our eating habits are a natural choice for the development of mindfulness given that we are encouraged to eat more slowly and to pay attention to the food choices we make anyway. In what can be thought of as “eating meditation” we take the process of eating as our object of mindful observation (as we take the breath in sitting meditation). Watch the unfolding process: moving the hand to the fork, moving the fork to the plate, lifting the bite of food to the mouth, beginning to chew, experiencing the tastes and the textures that arise as you eat. There’s a lot going on with just that first bite, and we try to observe it all. As in the sitting meditation, we keep coming back to the process on which we are focusing, we keep bringing the awareness back to the eating process whenever the attention drifts.

Mindfulness can also be applied to everyday walking as well. We can practice “walking meditation” as we observe the subtle movements of the legs and body which accompany walking. Our awareness naturally turns inward and our concentration deepens as our attention is taken off of stressful thoughts and feelings and placed on the relaxing process of moving the body along at a comfortable pace. We can take a break from our worries and the demands of the day and enjoy a few peaceful moments as we move from car to office, meeting to meeting, or from one task to another. All that’s required is that we keep the attention focused and resist the urge to plan or worry our brief walk away.

In addition to practicing mindfulness while eating and walking, we can bring this habit of being more focused into all aspects of our lives. Our social, family and intimate relationships can be enhanced through the practice of mindful observation. As we become less trapped by old habits of thought and behavior, we allow new possibilities for intimacy to open up. We are better able to sit with the emotions that before would have lead to an argument. Our exercise, recreation and sports activities are another area where the development of mindfulness can bear fruit. Professional sports teams such as the Chicago Bulls report significant benefits from this practice.

Whatever you decide will be your focus for deepening the skill of mindfulness, you will likely benefit from regular practice. And for practice to become regular, it helps if it’s enjoyable and easy to do. Allow yourself to play with the ideas I offered here. If you allow your imagination a bit of space to run, you can come up with many activities in your life which can become “meditations.” Perhaps simple tasks such as brushing your teeth, shaving, putting a key into a lock, moving through a doorway, reaching for the telephone, or stopping at a traffic light can become “bells of mindfulness.” These events remind you to turn your focus inward, relax a little bit and connect solidly with the breath. Watch the breath flow in and out, if only for a moment. Many times a day bring yourself back to the present and watch the moments unfold. Let the thoughts and judgments about what’s happening drop away and move your mind into that state of peaceful, focused awareness. In this state of self observation, we have control over what the mind is doing with the many sensations and thoughts flowing through it. We can move from reactivity to responsiveness, from the confinement of our habits into the spaciousness of freedom and health.I wish you success in your journey back to total health!

Steve Shealy, PhD, a clinical psychologist (PY4777) with an independent practice at the Lotus Room, specializes in insight-oriented adult psychotherapy aimed at long-term relief of anxiety, depression, stress-related physical disorders, addictions, and intimate relationship, marriage and meaning of life issues. He can be reached at 813-980-2700 or www.BeMindful.org.