4 Reasons Why More Men Should Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice that allows you to look inward and open up to vulnerability. Practicing mindfulness allows the opportunity for better self-awareness and growth in confidence. The best part is, anybody can achieve the benefits. However, the narrative of most stereotypes that men are “not good” at showing emotions or “too strong-willed” negatively influences and dictates the ability for men to practice mindfulness. Such stereotypes suggest that men are less likely to sit with their emotions and open up.

However, no study has found that men are incapable of finding effective ways to develop and process their emotions. With more information and a growing awareness of mental health disorders, more men are beginning to use mindfulness to help them develop their emotional processing and responses. Men no longer need to subscribe to the idea that they are not good at showing emotions. If you are looking for ways to process and strengthen the emotional bond within yourself and your bonds with family and friends, here are four reasons you should implement mindfulness into your recovery regimen.

#1 Increases Well-being

Making time to practice mindfulness cultivates a positive attitude that contributes to your overall well-being. Being mindful allows you to recognize the present, which helps you appreciate all the good things happening as they occur. It also enables you to become fully engaged in activities and deal with challenging situations. When you focus on the present, you become less likely to get caught up in your worries because you are less preoccupied with defining yourself based on your past choices or worrying about a future that hasn’t happened. Attaining this kind of influence over your emotions is very empowering. It will also help you separate yourself from negative self-perceptions and seek the positives in yourself.

#2 Improves Physical Health

Research shows that practicing mindfulness improves your physical health. While mindfulness is meditative, it does not have to be a stationary practice. It also does not need to be carried out as a traditional meditative practice. While you might choose to practice mindfulness with a meditative approach or just in a comfortable setting, mindfulness can also happen on the move. Mindfulness is very versatile as it can become incorporated into many different activities such as:

• Running
• Biking
• Yoga
• Hiking
• Writing

Studies have also found that men tend to develop a better emotional range during activities that incorporate nature and physical activity. Therefore, integrating mindfulness into these activities further strengthens your ability to get in touch with your feelings. 

Finally, mindfulness helps regulate your breathing. Practicing proper breathing techniques reduces anxiety, stress, helps posture and lowers blood pressure. The best part is, you can use a ten-minute break at work to practice breathing to reset, refocus, and replenish your mind and well-being. When you seek various ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily activities, you will improve many areas of your life, including sleep, focus, consistent eating times, and a feeling of overall peace and calm.

#3 Improves Mental Health

Mindfulness helps to grow your emotional intelligence and, in doing so, improves your mental health. If you are constantly guarding against your vulnerability, you are also withholding your emotions from flourishing. Your brain interprets information and situations based on your emotional state; therefore, it can develop a negative internal perspective when you defer to negative thoughts and behaviors. Having a negative outlook can amplify your thoughts to feeling bigger when you face situations that stem from uncertainty or fear.

Mindfulness teaches you how to approach triggering emotions by helping you recognize why you are experiencing a specific feeling. In turn, how you are feeling becomes the teaching tool for managing specific thoughts that occur from a triggering experience. Leaning into your emotions helps you develop courage and vulnerability, and therefore you will feel more grounded in the sense of trust and self-reliance. Being able to recognize the thoughts that are connected with your impulses and triggers also helps you find effective ways to overcome your triggers.

#4 Attain Confidence

When you practice mindfulness consistently, your emotional development becomes stronger. Over time, you will develop more confidence with focus, emotional intelligence, and your relationships. Continuing to practice mindfulness will help you change the way you experience life and recovery, thus opening yourself up to experiencing new ventures and possibilities.

Ultimately, mindfulness helps you gain insight into who you truly are, which lends a great sense of freedom. From this, you will become a better leader in your life and your recovery because you can learn to rely on your greatest strengths and overcome your greatest weaknesses. More men who take to using mindfulness will find inspiration and change from within, but they will help to inspire other men to do the same.

You do not need to adhere to the negative stereotypes about men and their emotions. Remember, your recovery and your life is your story to tell. If you are having trouble writing the next chapter, then seek help with us at Choice House. At Choice House, we offer a safe and comfortable space for men to develop the emotional resilience necessary to manage long-term recovery. We are not your typical treatment center and our capabilities and professional staff strive to go beyond the conventional approach. Located amid the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, at Choice House, we utilize the opportunities provided by nature to create a more real-world setting to practice techniques such as mindfulness. Our greatest success comes when we help men see that they are not limited in their options for recovery. We believe all men have the ability to thrive. To learn more, call us today at (720) 577-4422.