Mindfulness
When I mention mindfulness to clients, I occasionally receive dismissive reactions because the term conjures derisive assumptions about meditation practices or obvious, but difficult to execute, acts of congeniality. While it is true that introspection and purposeful and intentional (as opposed to reactive) actions are cornerstones of mindfulness practices, there are typically much more immediately pragmatic and obvious benefits. To illustrate this point, I want to use dog-walking (of course, not everyone has a dog, but I believe it may still be relevant).
When I walk my dog, unsurprisingly, I encounter other people who are doing the same activity. However, some individuals are on their phones the entire time (i.e., not paying attention to their dog). I suppose these pet parents view dog-walking as a chore, and I absolutely understand that a 5:30 AM walk is not always pleasant, but when avoiding engagement in the actual activity, they are potentially perpetuating several alienating actions. For example, they are disregarding whatever their dog is interacting with (e.g., ingesting urine/poop, evading disastrous foxtails, etc.). I have a suspicion that some people may be disregarding their dog-walking experience to intentionally shirk public health behaviors (i.e., feign ignorance and not pick up their dog’s wastes). Anyway, the purpose of this example is to demonstrate how the lack of mindfulness can result in easily avoidable negative predicaments. By keeping track of your dog’s steps, you would avoid unnecessary clean ups, expensive vet visits, and complaints from homeowner’s, among others. Additionally, stronger connections with your dog and/or surroundings might be helpful (e.g., finding more convenient dog-walking routes, noticing restaurants/points of interest).
I imagine that some people would present a case about multitasking, and this often becomes a significant impediment towards implementing more mindful practices. I do strongly believe that multitasking can be important, but only if the multitasking generates more substantial benefits than being mindful. Again, mindfulness involves being present, not ruminating on the past, not worrying about excessive hypotheticals/the future, and being aware of your surroundings. On the other hand, did multitasking truly result in a net benefit? And if so, how assured was this benefit (i.e., was the task accomplished adequately or haphazardly?).
Essentially, mindfulness can be equated to being sincerely aware of your actions and their consequences, which seems quite immediately beneficial.