Mindfulness

By Allison L. Smith, M.Ed., LPC-S, RPT-S, NCC

Is your mind full of chatter and distractions that you don’t know how to wrangle?  So many of us say that we are overwhelmed with thoughts, and we struggle to quiet our minds.  This can be very frustrating, especially when we want to rest and find some peace.  The good news is that we can learn how to manage the barrage of thoughts that consume us.  

First things first, we must decide that we are willing to move away from working on every thought that comes into our mind.  Many of us feel like we are supposed to do just that; if a thought appears in our mind, we think it is important and deserves our immediate attention.  This can be very distracting in nature.  We find ourselves working on thoughts when we are supposed to be doing something else.  We want to sleep, but can’t get away from thoughts that are demanding our attention for example.  Giving our attention to the whim of thoughts that parade through our mind has us frazzled and unfocused, not finishing tasks or becoming sidetracked in conversations.  

In the teachings of mindfulness, we learn how to calm the mind.  The breath is what we are taught to watch, to focus on.  Now, all of those thoughts that have stolen our attention for far too long are to be addressed as merely thoughts, one no more important than the next one to pass through our mind.  Those thoughts more often than not are that of the past or future and are not useful when we are trying to calm ourselves. Returning to the breath directs our attention to the present moment, the here and now and this is where we can find peace of mind.   

The act of watching breath is fairly simple.  It is the choice to actually take the time to do it that many of us struggle with.  Life has many of us always on the go.  We chase after goals and set dense schedules focused on accomplishments and tasks of achievement.  Slowing down to watch breath can feel like a waste of time.  So it is important to really look at how much time this practice really takes out of our day.  

There is no set time requirement for practicing mindfulness in fact.  If we just have a minute here and there, taking that time to slow down and focus on the breath is sometimes just enough to help us better manage our day moving forward.  The Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, leader of Walk for Peace USA, suggested that even just taking one minute every hour to watch breath can be very helpful to our overall peace of mind.

There are many ways to be mindful. Watching breath, noticing heartbeat, and guided meditations are some of the ways in which we can practice.  Tara Brach, a psychologist and spiritual leader, leads a guided meditation every Wednesday, which can be found on several social media sites and on her website. Being a part of a mindful community can be helpful to those who struggle to take the time by themselves or prefer to be immersed in community.  There are communities that welcome visitors into their daily meditation spaces, such the Bảo Tháp Dhammacetiya Temple in Fort Worth, Texas where the Walk for Peace USA monks began their trek to Washington, DC in early 2026.

There is a very simple and short instruction video that teaches the technique of watching breath in a simple way: How to Meditate - Watching the Breath. I find this clip very easy to understand and helpful in affirming that this practice of watching breath is as simple as it seems.  I started by simply trying this technique for three minutes each day.  I would set a timer for myself and watch breath every time I remembered to.  I was amazed at how often my chattering mind stole my attention away from the task.  Fortunately, as I practiced more and more, this distraction became less of mindless transitions off task and more of a monitored and recognized action, which I could better manage.

If you would like support for learning to calm your mind and becoming more focused and intentional with how you use your mind, reach out to Our Lives Counseling at www.ourlivescounseling.com.