Mindfulness

Written by Dr. Colin Del Rosario

I am so happy to be a dentist! I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to build relationships, educate the community and grow as a person each day in my profession at Paramount Dental Center.

April 20, 2021

I have good friends who live in our neighboring state, Idaho. They tell me that people there, “work to live, not live to work.” I chew on that regularly. 

There is something beautiful to be said about being mindful for choosing to live. So much so, there is a new movement called “mindfulness” that Flow Magazine describes as “a solution for the troubles faced in this busy life. It’s about living with eyes wide open and looking at what is happening right now; enjoying ordinary things, small pleasures and less worry.”

Emotional health is just as important as physical health. As a Family Wellness parent, living life to its fullest is a valuable goal for every family. Here are three ways to actively choose mindfulness in your daily lives:

Mindful Eating

is eating healthy with awareness. It takes conscious decision-making instead of just reacting under stress. Break unhealthy eating habits by taking mental pauses before impulsively buying something at the grocery store, before eating and while eating. Avoid any negative self-talk. Recognize habitual criticism of self and remove it. Pause. Then, focus on the positive, the now, and don’t worry about the future.

Mindful Parenting

is genuinely engaging with your children. I’ll never forget the awkward silence that followed a conversation between my adult friend and her retired mom. Her mom defended that she was “there at every one of her daughter’s softball games.” Immediately her daughter reacted and said, “you were there mom, but you were never really there.” Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn are co-authors of Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting.  Myla says, “We are so caught up in our thoughts that we’re being continually pulled away from the now – and we tend to miss it.” Jon suggests an assertive remedial process: “nonjudgmental awareness cultivated by paying attention . . . simply reclaim your moments by showing up for them.”

Mindful Living

means recognizing that life is happening now. Stop thinking about the past. When we do so, we can’t be frustrated over something that happened in the past because we don’t live there any more. The same exists for thinking about the future. Mark Twain once said, “I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” Redirect your thoughts to the here and now.

As your Family Wellness Dentist, be sure to make your regular dental checkups a priority for your family so that your physical health will help pave way for emotional health and fuel mindfulness in your life.

let us help you start your path to oral and overall health. Schedule your appointment at our seattle or kirkland office now.

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