Sometimes we feel stressed and tired, or our emotions fluctuate. We find ourselves in good or bad times where we have difficulty determining exactly why. The real problem is that we get distracted when we don't feel bad. We cannot focus on the work we will do that day and may make sudden decisions. The important point is how we perceive ourselves and how we interpret them. It will be good for us to appreciate and then accept the perceived reality we interpret. Mindfulness; It means conscious awareness. Paying attention to what is happening in the moment and noticing the content of attention by focusing. In addition to accepting the present we become aware of without judgment, the way we encounter what we notice is important. Rather than just paying attention to the current time, it is necessary to perceive the current time with a conscious, clear mind, full of love and compassion. In fact, we have asked ourselves this question throughout the day; “Is the event I'm in right now the way I see it, or am I perceiving it that way?” We always strive to find, understand and determine the true perception. Uncertainty makes us anxious, so we pursue true perception. Well, according to what and to whom is it real? People are often disturbed by the thoughts and perceived situations caused by events. That's why how we interpret events is important. Because everyone has psychological glasses and sees the events over time through those glasses. The concept we call psychological glasses is our perspective. The events we experience and our expectations, needs, emotions, cultural characteristics, life experiences and many more affect our perspective. Conscious awareness comes into play at this time. It is necessary to clarify our point of view. The factors that affect our perceptions of life are the life experiences we have had in the past. We interpret what we experience in the moment according to past perceptions, or we perceive it as it was at the moment it was experienced. In addition, we experience concerns about the future, which are perceptions based on assumptions about the future. In fact, the most concrete thing is the present moment and we should only have a pure perception of the present moment. In other words, free from the past and worried about the future. A perception free from confusion. Therefore, the way to be objective in the present and to be closest to the truth is conscious awareness. Recognizing our perceptions, life experiences, and expectations that have come with us so far and staying in the moment by accepting them allows us to come into contact with our sensations rather than our thoughts.
Time consists of moments, so we cannot change the past and we cannot know the future. If we accept the past and focus on the moment we live in, we bid farewell to yesterday with positive emotions. Also, let's not forget that living in the present and accepting the past offers us a healthy tomorrow. The state of not being in the present moment is actually the state of our mind being dispersed and scattered thoughts being with us. The knowledge, experiences and memories we have gained from our past lives; The goals we set to be motivated for the future have emotional costs, in a sense, for survival. Acceptance of these emotional burdens provides awareness. If being in the past and future is a negative situation, dreaming about positive thoughts when we are bored can be considered as an idea. This provides temporary relief because, of course, those who think positive thoughts at that bad moment are happier than those who have concerns about the future or regrets about the past, but the happiest ones are those who are in the present and those who have made peace with the past. That's why being here and now is so important because, as we said before, time consists of moments, and when you stay in yesterday, it becomes memories, that is, memories made of moments. Conscious awareness wants us to distinguish these two situations; living for the moment and living in the moment. These are different situations. Living for the moment; It is a more pleasure-oriented state and a state of being happiness-oriented. It is the tendency to take only the things that we like and make us happy at the moment and ignore the others. In conscious awareness; It means living and accepting everything about life as it is, whether we like it or not. What prevents us from being in the present is our thoughts about the past and the future. Attention, attitude and intention are important in conscious awareness.
In the first step, we need to focus our attention because the first step of awareness is through attention. Focusing our attention means realizing full-time life. In the present moment Being conscious means being aware of and focusing on both internal and external stimuli, of course, it is difficult to focus on all of them at the same time. At this stage, the concept of intention comes into play. Just paying attention does not increase awareness; intention is also very important in this part. For example, if we think we are in danger, we constantly think about the factors that could harm us and focus on those stimuli. For example; The attention of a person with social phobia is constantly on other people. If you want to go on stage and give a speech, your attention is on what other people think about you. However, in that moment, the person should focus on his speech and that moment. It is important to realize our judgments, to accept and see that our perceptions have past and future effects, to approach ourselves and others with compassion in our negative times, and to accept that compassion.
It is difficult to stay in the present, but what is important is to pay attention to the past and future. concentration on the present. Recognizing and accepting our judgments, that is, making peace with the past, makes it easier to focus on the moment. To accept; It means approaching pleasure and distress equally. In this case, it makes it easier to stop, think, and then evaluate the problems we experience about ourselves or others, without reacting negatively. Being compassionate to ourselves and other people requires being compassionate to time.
Compassion emerges in the event of suffering. Because understanding pain and staying with it strengthens our stronger ways of coping. Compassion offers us alternative paths; Instead of seeing ourselves and others as deficient, unlucky, and incompetent because we suffer, it is necessary to realize the universality of pain. Compassion is not about transforming, changing or not feeling pain when it occurs. It involves being able to accept emotions and situations that distress us and others without suppressing them, ignoring them, or identifying with them.
Compassion towards others and being open to the compassion that others give us, and self-compassion, that is, being compassionate to ourselves, are important. This is why conscious awareness of the richness of the present moment is important. Being compassionate also means approaching time, that is, the present moment, with compassion and being willing to see everything as if it were the first time. To be is to focus on the moment. Patience is again patience with time, that is, accepting and understanding that everything has its time. It is important to realize that there are certain thoughts, emotions, and situations that the mind wants to hold on to, and then release and monitor them. It is necessary to realize the mind that is too busy with the past and the future and live in the present moment. It is necessary to have a clear view, free from judgments, by realizing our automatic reactions that arise from the habit of classifying and judging our experiences. It is important to be open to pleasant and unpleasant experiences and to see everything as it is right now and accept it without judgment.
There are studies on the effect of conscious awareness on attention and brain functions. It has a great effect on the amygdala part of our brain. The almond-shaped amygdala, which consists of neurons deep in the medial temporal lobe, has a primary effect on the formation of emotional memory and emotional reactions and is a part of the limbic system, that is, the system responsible for emotion. Amygdala is related to perception and the brain sees what it perceives and how it perceives, so it is very important.
Conscious awareness is, first of all, turning to ourselves, knowing ourselves, understanding and accepting ourselves. When we achieve this, it becomes easier to understand, recognize and accept our environment and life.
Let's not forget that the events that occur in life are related to the reality we perceive, so our perspectives should find peace and be full of love. Being able to live comfortably in the uncertainties of life requires acceptance and awareness.
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