Mindfulness is a practice that allows you to be more self-aware. It keeps you focused on the present moment and taking your thoughts captive, rather than letting negativity control you as though your mind was on auto-pilot.
A mindful lifestyle has many personal benefits, and that includes improving your relationship. While you may see the greatest results in your relationship if both you and your partner are more mindful, your relationship can still benefit even if you’re the only one practicing it.
So, what can mindfulness do for your relationship? And how can you put it into practice?
1. It Lets You Be in the Moment
Thanks to advancements in technology, smartphones, and the ever-changing business of the world, it’s far too easy to get distracted nowadays.
When you’re more mindful, you can start to ignore those distractions and instead focus on your relationship at any given moment. Whether you’re walking hand-in-hand down the street or sharing dinner, mindfulness encourages you do be there in that moment so your thoughts don’t wander elsewhere.
2. It Allows You to Let Go of the Past (and Future)
Every couple argues. But it’s how you argue that makes a difference. Those that hold onto past mistakes often have a harder time having productive arguments.
When you practice mindfulness, you can let go of your mistakes from the past. You will also spend less time worrying about the future of your relationship. Instead, you can focus on what is happening right now. Not only is that a great way to get through an argument effectively, but it can get rid of the nagging thoughts that could be causing you distress in your relationship.
3. It Helps to Regulate Your Emotions
Mindfulness can actually help to strengthen the prefrontal cortex in your brain. What does that mean? Think of the prefrontal cortex as the “decision-maker” within your brain. When you choose to be more mindful, it will send out signals to different areas that can calm down your “fight or flight” responses, letting you know everything is okay.
Simply put, it can help you to keep your emotions in control and as close to reality as possible.
4. It Makes You More Self-Aware
One of the main purposes of mindfulness is to allow you to become more self-aware. How can that impact your relationship?
When you have a better grasp of your sense of self, you can be more confident in who you are within your relationship. You will also have a clearer understanding of your own values and morals, which you can then bring into your relationship.
5. It Helps You to Observe Unhealthy Habits
You may be self-destructing certain areas of your relationship that could be fixed by being more mindful.
Because mindfulness focuses so heavily on your sense of self in the present, you can gain a better understanding of those unhealthy habits and learn how to let go of them for the future. That can cause a lot of positive healing in your relationship in ways you may not have been aware of before.
6. It Helps You Understand Your Partner’s Perspective
Mindfulness can help you to become more empathetic toward your partner. You can learn to see their perspective and show them more compassion than you might usually do.
In turn, that compassion can cause you to develop a warmer attitude toward your partner, which can boost your intimacy.
7. It Gives You a Choice
When you practice mindfulness, you will quickly learn that everything you do in life is a choice. That includes how you respond to your partner.
Mindfulness gives you the option of seeing things in the present. So you can choose to respond and react honestly and genuinely based on the moment. You won’t react based on past events or worries of the future. And having that ‘present perspective’ can shift a lot of negative feelings in your relationship to positive ones, and can help you to let go of any resentment you might be feeling.
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If you want to learn more about mindfulness or how it can improve your relationship, feel free to contact me for more information. It would be my pleasure to help you harness the power of mindfulness.
