Alternative Health Hack: Mindfulness - what is it and why does it help?

One of the key factors for alternative health is mindfulness. It's about being aware of oneself and of your surroundings. Spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Not everyone has the talent to be mindful - it takes a lot of dedication. But once you have, here's 5 ways it can help: 1. It reduces stress If we carry around all the things we have to worry about, our mind never gets a break. That's why so many people are completely burned out, feeling down, and stressed to the point of panic attacks or needing medication. This kind of worrying steals away any chance of joy or relaxation in our day. We might even feel guilty if we forget to worry about something. Do you ever do that? You'll finally get absorbed in something and it feels really nice, but then you remember all the things that aren't resolved, and you feel guilty for letting yourself have a few minutes. But you need those minutes Being mindful and present will allow you to get absorbed in what you're doing, give it your full attention so you can do better, and you'll feel more clear and mentally energized. 2. It creates better health Being mindful and present lowers our stress levels and also centres us, bringing many health benefits. You might notice that you're calmer after practicing mindfulness, your head feels more clear and focused, you're more productive, and more alert. 3. It decreases depression symptoms When you decrease stress and improve your health, that can help with depression. Mindfulness does that and more. It's been considered an effective part of overall depression treatment for a long time. 4. It increases Neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity is one of those fun words that show you what they mean. Neuro, or brain, plus plasticity, or being flexible. Think about how plastic can be soft and pliable. Being mindful helps your brain increase its ability to change and adapt, which is pretty important to our survival even though we're not back in the caveman era. 5. It helps you deal with illness Studies have found that mindfulness helps people with cancer and people with chronic illness-even terminal illness. 6. It helps recovery We've seen all the ways mindfulness benefits our mental and emotional health. It also helps us physically when we need to recover from illness. This is probably due to all the other benefits of being mindful. We're just healthier when we're more mindful, because people aren't really made to multitask 5 things all day long and always worry. We can benefit from slowing down and enjoying the present moment. Why let other things detract from what you're doing? You can give those other things your attention in due time.