It's common to only seek help when stress has reached its peak, when anxiety overwhelms us, or when the first symptoms of an illness appear. However, the practice of mindfulness It offers us an invaluable lesson that allows us to prevent suffering or, at least, to experience it with much less intensity.
That's why I don't wait until I feel bad about myself or others, or until I wonder what I'm doing here to deserve so much suffering. I act beforehand; I prepare for difficult times simply by progressing in my personal development.
When I feel good, I pause to savor that feeling of well-being. This allows me to practice in the morning with more energy, intention, and willpower. And throughout the day, I pause to observe the beautiful moments that happen to me: a child's smile, an unexpected hug, the birds singing in the morning, a kind gesture from a neighbor or colleague… Anything that waters the seeds of unconditional love, compassion, peace, and joy. We cultivate these seeds, as Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us, by pausing in those moments and taking three conscious breaths. This expands our attention and mindfulness so that when difficult times arrive—that is, when a circumstance awakens our seeds of despair, exhaustion, fear, anger, or guilt—we are able to embrace these emotions without judgment, simply being with them. We receive them with full awareness.
It will then be much easier, in those moments, to stop and take a step back to gain a complete and profound understanding of what is truly happening. In this way, we can make space for compassion and love, and have a clearer perception of reality. We can transform our thoughts and emotions to follow the path we desire, because we know it is good for us, before those thoughts, followed by emotions, become action driven by them. The goal is for action to arise from a different place: from calm, tranquility, and a clear and profound vision.
In this way, we train our inner strength to such an extent that it will be much easier not to deviate too much from this path of peace, stillness and joy, and to be able to return to it in less time, with less expenditure of energy and with more awareness of what is happening, like an attentive spectator of life.
And we can continue in the same direction with the practice of gratitude at night, before going to bed. Once in bed, we prepare for sleep simply by bringing to mind all the beautiful moments we experienced during the day, those that filled our hearts and for which we feel grateful. It's recommended to start with three, as I explain in my book. ‘'My daily practices: create and strengthen your physical and mental routine to live life to the fullest'’, But it will be very easy to add more and more moments until we fall asleep. In this way, the subconscious will work during these moments, guiding us toward a restful and lasting sleep, and we will wake up refreshed in the morning, ready for our morning routine.
In this way, our lifestyle also changes, becoming healthy, and everything around us begins to brighten.
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