How You Can Put it Into Practice?
To be mindful, accepting your mind is essential. Yet, it’s challenging to alter the way your brain thinks. Only when you’ve got the hang of it can you know why mindfulness is a superpower?
It sounds unrealistic, right? After all, being present in the moment won’t give you super strength or telekinesis. But, being mindful can make you feel like a superhero. If you still don’t believe it, here are 7 reasons why mindfulness is a superpower and how you can start practicing mindfulness today.
Why Mindfulness is a Superpower:
Laser Focus and Concentration
Many of us find our minds drifting throughout the day. We become bored, and then we stop listening or focusing on our tasks. Helping you focus and concentrate is the first reason why mindfulness is a superpower.
A study of university students by Frontiers in Education found that mindful students got high grades. Other studies have proven that it improves attention and working memory. But, increased focus isn’t just useful if you’re taking a test.
If you prefer to multitask, you can hamper your memory and attention span. Mindfulness will help make difficult daily tasks much easier. You’ll also find you complete work quicker, leading to more productivity.
Resilience and Determination
A big part of mindfulness is a non-judging attitude. Due to this, a study by Frontiers in Psychology found that mindfulness allows you to be “adaptable and flexible in difficult situations”. As a result, you can bounce back from problems and view failure as a stepping-stone. When the going gets tough, you’ll be tougher.
Unstoppable Drive
The next reason why mindfulness is a superpower is its effect on your motivation. It’s also been proven that practicing mindfulness can increase your productivity. One study by R.W. Montgomery even found that mindfulness can up workplace productivity by 120 percent!
This is thanks to your new focus and determination. With added acceptance and patience, you’ll find it much easier to complete tasks. Once you realize that you’re capable of great things, you’ll also be less likely to procrastinate. This motivation will help both your work and daily life.
Improved Emotional Regulation
Have you ever felt angry at yourself because you were stressed? We procrastinate because we are stressed and can’t complete tasks. Then, procrastination causes us to be even more stressed. Perhaps the most important reason why mindfulness is a superpower is it allows you to break this cycle.
Dr. Joey Fung of Psychology Today explained that:
“Mindfulness is helpful in that it separates the thoughts from the person. You are not defined by your thoughts. Having an envious or lustful thought alone does not mean that you are a bad person…You can judge your thoughts without judging yourself as a person.”
With mindfulness, you can allow yourself to think angry or hopeless thoughts. This is because you will have the power to let those feelings go. Your brain won’t be clouded by emotions or unkind self-talk. As a result, you’ll be more likely to accept problems as a part of life and work through them.
Mental Fortitude
Even with better emotional regulation, sometimes life can seem hopeless. High-pressure situations might make you feel anxious all over again. This is another reason why mindfulness is a superpower. It helps you stay calm under pressure.
Mindful meditation is best for helping yourself stay calm. A survey by National Institutes of Health Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that 92 percent of mindful people practiced meditation to reduce stress. Why not try daily meditation as part of a mindfulness morning routine to feel less stressed?
Unbeatable Problem Solving
When you’ve been practicing mindfulness for a while and can stay calm under pressure, it’s much easier to solve problems. Not to mention, you’ll also be able to accept issues and find the best solutions.
A study of engineering students found that mindfulness is linked to innovation. This means mindful people can think of ideas that other people cannot. Furthermore, this will help you feel more creative. If you love to make art, write, or make music but feel mentally blocked, mindfulness might be just the thing you need.
Strong Relationships
Now you know all the main reasons why mindfulness is a superpower. So, it won’t come as a surprise that mindfulness can help you build strong relationships. Active listening, empathy, and patience are important aspects of mindfulness. Of course, these traits also help to maintain healthy relationships.
In particular, it’s been proven that mindfulness can make you more accepting of your loved ones’ flaws. When you practice self-acceptance because of mindfulness, it’s much easier to be accepting of others too. Additionally, when arguments happen, you’ll be able to keep calm and compromise. Not even Superman will get as much love as you!
Conclusion
Superheroes get their powers naturally. But, mindfulness doesn’t come quite so easy. Teaching yourself to be mindful is a gradual process. There’s no denying that being mindful takes an awful lot of hard work. Nevertheless, be patient and allow yourself to make mistakes, and mindful attitudes will follow.
Once you start feeling its benefits, mindfulness will become second nature. You’ll find out why mindfulness is a superpower when you stop losing focus, enjoy your work, and maintain healthy relationships.
Remember, this isn’t a complete list. There are many more reasons why mindfulness is a superpower. You’ll uncover them all on your journey. So, start practicing mindfulness today and reap the rewards. Good luck!
Now It’s Your Turn: If you’ve been practicing mindfulness, has it ever felt like a superpower? What special powers did it give you and how long did it take you to feel their effects?
References
Journals
Alomari, H. (2023) ‘Mindfulness and its relationship to academic achievement among university students’, Frontiers in Education, 8. doi:10.3389/feduc.2023.1179584.
Kappen, G. et al. (2018) ‘On the association between mindfulness and romantic relationship satisfaction: The role of partner acceptance’, Mindfulness, 9(5), pp. 1543–1556. doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0902-7.
MacKenzie, M. J., Carlson, L. E., and Ekkekakis, P. (2019). Examining the link between mindfulness and academic performance outcomes in undergraduate students: a systematic review of the empirical literature. Mindfulness 10, 1165–1187.
Mrazek, M. D., Franklin, M. S., Phillips, D. T., Baird, B., and Schooler, J. W. (2013). Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity and GRE performance while reducing mind wandering. Psychol. Sci. 24, 776–781. doi: 10.1177/0956797612459659
Oh, V.K., Sarwar, A. and Pervez, N. (2022) ‘The study of mindfulness as an intervening factor for enhanced psychological well-being in building the level of resilience’, Frontiers in Psychology, 13. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1056834.
Rieken, B. et al. (no date) ‘Exploring the relationship between Mindfulness and Innovation in Engineering Students’, 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings [Preprint]. doi:10.18260/1-2–28341.
Websites
The impact of mindfulness meditation on workplace productivity and employee well-being. (May 2023) Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 370678401_The_Impact_of_Mindfulness_Meditation_on_Workplace_Productivity_and_Employee_Well-Being (Accessed: 03 December 2023).
Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know (no date) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Available at: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know#:~:text=Among%20those%20responders%20who%20practiced,to%20relax%20or%20reduce%20stress. (Accessed: 03 December 2023).
Relaxing the rules: More companies embrace meditation : Businesses say the AT-work sessions make for happier employees, increased productivity– even higher profits. (1995) Los Angeles Times. Available at: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-06-05-ss-9814-story.html (Accessed: 03 December 2023).
The role of nonjudgment in Mindfulness – Psychology Today. (September 2016) Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/mindful-being/201609/the-role-nonjudgment-in-mindfulness (Accessed: 03 December 2023).
