Cedar Rapids, IA, USA  
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe Today
The Gazette The Gazette
The Gazette The Gazette
  • COVID-19
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food & Drink
  • Business
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe
CLOSE
The Gazette
Subscribe
My Account
  • News
    • All News
    • Election 2020
    • Coronavirus
    • Business News
    • Community
    • Crime and Courts
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Nation and World
    • Time Machine
    • Search Archive

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Lee Hermiston
    • Erin Jordan
    • James Q. Lynch
    • Trish Mehaffey
    • Vanessa Miller
    • Kat Russell
    • Grace King
    • John Steppe
    • Gage Miskimen
    • Marissa Payne
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Iowa Hawkeyes
    • Hawkeye Football
    • Hawkeye Basketball
    • Prep Sports
    • Prep Volleyball
    • Prep Football
    • Prep Basketball
    • Prep Wrestling
    • Iowa State Cyclones
    • UNI Panthers
    • Small College Sports
    • Minor League Sports
    • Outdoors

    Sports Desk

    • Mike Hlas
    • Jeff Johnson
    • Jeff Linder
    • J.R. Ogden
    • K.J. Pilcher
    • Leah Vann
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Editorial Mission
    • Guest Columnists
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Political Cartoons
    • Staff Columnists
    • Staff Editorials
    • Submit a Letter or Column

    Our Columnists

    • Todd Dorman
    • Adam Sullivan
  • Food and Drink
    • All Food and Drink
    • Chew on This
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Business Notes
    • Companies
    • Personal Finance
    • Economy
    • Employment
    • Energy
    • Manufacturing
    • Openings & Closures
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Small Business
    • Transportation

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Erin Jordan
    • John Steppe
  • Obituaries
    • All Obituaries
    • In Memory Of
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • Daily News Podcast
    • Fact Checker
    • Hlastradamus Odds
    • Iowa Prep Sports
    • On Iowa
    • On Iowa Politics
    • On UNI
    • Pinning Combination
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Art
    • Books
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Things To Do
  • Living
    • All Living
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • Milestones
    • People & Places
    • Pets & Animals
    • Recreation
    • Religion & Belief
    • Travel

    Our Writers

    • Diana Nollen
  • Kids Gazette
    • See All
    • Kids Cooking Series
    • Kids Galleries
    • Printables
    • Activities
    • Articles
    • Submissions
    • Resources
  • Photos
    • All Photos and Videos
    • The Iowa Photo
    • Photo Store

    Our Photojournalists

    • Andy Abeyta
    • Liz Martin
    • Rebecca Miller
    • Jim Slosiarek
    • Gazette Visuals
  • Milestones
    • All Milestones
    • Anniversaries
    • Days To Remember
    • Engagements
    • Holidays
    • In Remembrance
    • New Arrivals
    • Thank Yous
    • Submit a Milestone
  • Data
    • Arrests
    • Building Permits
    • Interactive Maps & Charts
    • Salaries
  • Gazette Sites
    • Classifieds
    • Corridor Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Gazette Gives Back
    • Gazette Rewards
    • Gazette Store
    • Green Gazette
    • HER
    • Iowa Wedding Experience
    • Holiday Light Finder
    • Hoopla
    • Iowa Ideas
    • Photo Store
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
    • About The Gazette
    • Archives
    • Article Removal
    • Business Directory
    • CR Arrest Database
    • Mobile Apps
    • Customer Care
    • Order Back Issues
    • Privacy Policies
    • Puzzle Answers
    • Sponsorship Requests
    • Submit a Letter
    • Weather
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast
Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
Log out

FOLLOW US

The Gazette
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food and Drink
  • Business
  • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
  • Entertainment
  • Living
  • Kids Gazette
  • Photos
  • Milestones
  • Data
  • Gazette Sites
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
  • All News
  • Election 2020
  • Coronavirus
  • Business News
  • Community
  • Crime and Courts
  • Education
  • Government
  • Health
  • Nation and World
  • Time Machine
  • Search Archive

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Lee Hermiston
  • Erin Jordan
  • James Q. Lynch
  • Trish Mehaffey
  • Vanessa Miller
  • Kat Russell
  • Grace King
  • John Steppe
  • Gage Miskimen
  • Marissa Payne
  • All Sports
  • Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Hawkeye Football
  • Hawkeye Basketball
  • Prep Sports
  • Prep Volleyball
  • Prep Football
  • Prep Basketball
  • Prep Wrestling
  • Iowa State Cyclones
  • UNI Panthers
  • Small College Sports
  • Minor League Sports
  • Outdoors

Sports Desk

  • Mike Hlas
  • Jeff Johnson
  • Jeff Linder
  • J.R. Ogden
  • K.J. Pilcher
  • Leah Vann
  • All Opinion
  • Editorial Mission
  • Guest Columnists
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Political Cartoons
  • Staff Columnists
  • Staff Editorials
  • Submit a Letter or Column

Our Columnists

  • Todd Dorman
  • Adam Sullivan
  • All Food and Drink
  • Chew on This
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • All Business
  • Agriculture
  • Business Notes
  • Companies
  • Personal Finance
  • Economy
  • Employment
  • Energy
  • Manufacturing
  • Openings & Closures
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Small Business
  • Transportation

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Erin Jordan
  • John Steppe
  • All Obituaries
  • In Memory Of
  • Submit an Obituary
  • All Podcasts
  • Daily News Podcast
  • Fact Checker
  • Hlastradamus Odds
  • Iowa Prep Sports
  • On Iowa
  • On Iowa Politics
  • On UNI
  • Pinning Combination
  • All Entertainment
  • Art
  • Books
  • Museums & Galleries
  • Music
  • Theater
  • Things To Do
  • All Living
  • Health & Wellness
  • Home & Garden
  • Milestones
  • People & Places
  • Pets & Animals
  • Recreation
  • Religion & Belief
  • Travel

Our Writers

  • Diana Nollen
  • See All
  • Kids Cooking Series
  • Kids Galleries
  • Printables
  • Activities
  • Articles
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • All Photos and Videos
  • The Iowa Photo
  • Photo Store

Our Photojournalists

  • Andy Abeyta
  • Liz Martin
  • Rebecca Miller
  • Jim Slosiarek
  • Gazette Visuals
  • All Milestones
  • Anniversaries
  • Days To Remember
  • Engagements
  • Holidays
  • In Remembrance
  • New Arrivals
  • Thank Yous
  • Submit a Milestone
  • Arrests
  • Building Permits
  • Interactive Maps & Charts
  • Salaries
  • Classifieds
  • Corridor Careers
  • Garage Sales
  • Gazette Gives Back
  • Gazette Rewards
  • Gazette Store
  • Green Gazette
  • HER
  • Iowa Wedding Experience
  • Holiday Light Finder
  • Hoopla
  • Iowa Ideas
  • Photo Store
  • About The Gazette
  • Archives
  • Article Removal
  • Business Directory
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Mobile Apps
  • Customer Care
  • Order Back Issues
  • Privacy Policies
  • Puzzle Answers
  • Sponsorship Requests
  • Submit a Letter
  • Weather
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
LOG OUT

FOLLOW US

More Stories

Marion school board votes 5-2 to no longer consider ’Mavericks’

University of Iowa presidential finalist Osofsky tackles questions of free…

24-hour COVID-19 vaccine clinic to take place this weekend

US recommends 'pause' for J&J COVID-19 vaccine over clot reports

'A way to start over again’: Collaboration aims to replant…

Iowa’s public works needs ignored too long, White House reports

House GOP calls for freezing funding for ‘bloated’ regents universities

Virtual EcoFest focuses on tree replenishment for Earth Day

Home / Life

Mindfulness is good for the body and brain

By Bryan Busch, The Gazette Mar. 10, 2021 12:11 pm Updated: Mar. 10, 2021 12:11 pm
Mindfulness is good for the body and brain

One thousand four hundred forty. That's how many minutes are in a single day. To break each down into a discernible moment would be nearly impossible. But what if how we spend just one of those minutes each day has the ability to greatly benefit our mental health and overall well-being?

There are three major pillars of well-being: physical, cerebral and emotional. Each area has a direct influence on our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. More importantly, each area interacts with and impacts the others. For example, research has linked mental and emotional problems with increased rates of physical ailments and disease. Conversely, poor physical health has been shown to increase the likelihood of mental and emotional challenges.

Often we have an understanding of what it takes to improve the physical, such as by reducing sugar intake and increasing physical movement. When it comes to the cerebral, things like reading, learning a new skill, playing games, or having an intellectual conversation can lead to marked improvements in our brain functioning. Too often the emotional is left by the wayside. The concept of mindfulness can help address this and positively impact other areas as well.

Mindfulness refers to the moment-to-moment awareness of one's experience without judgment. Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can lead to improved mood, emotional stability, better self-control and self-regulation, mental calmness and clarity, greater compassion and empathy and reduced stress, anxiety and risk of depression. Further, it has been shown to improve weight management, increase energy, slow cellular aging, improve brain functioning and memory, improve sleep quality and reduce risk of cancer, heart and kidney disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia and arthritis. Most importantly, research has shown that many of these benefits can be gained by as little as one minute of mindfulness a day.

Simply put, to practice mindfulness is to pay attention to our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surroundings, all with acceptance and without judgment. When practicing mindfulness, there is no right or wrong. And this notion of simply being present can be obtained by any activity that allows for focused attention. If you're interested in trying it out, here are a few ideas that might help you get started:

' Mindful breathing: 5 to 10 second breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth, feel the physical sensations

' Mindful observation: watch something in your environment (i.e. flower, bird, cloud), simply observe and visually explore

' Mindful awareness: pick a routine activity (i.e. opening the door), stop in that moment and be mindful of where you are, what you're touching, how you're feeling, where the door will lead you, etc.

' Mindful listening: put on headphones and turn on a song, don't judge the music, simply appreciate the instruments, tone of the vocals, etc.

' Mindful immersion: immerse yourself in a mundane activity (i.e. eating, cleaning your house), feel the sensations and experience it physically, mentally, spiritually

' Mindful appreciation: list five things in your day that usually go unappreciated (i.e. electricity, stop lights that keep you safe), appreciate them, explore how they came to be, how you relate to them, how life would be without them

Like most endeavors, the important thing is to find what works for you. There are endless options for practicing mindfulness. It could be meditation, going for a hike, keeping a journal, dancing, painting, or any number of other activities. Consulting a professional or even a simple internet search can reveal countless more ideas. Regardless, the invitation remains to find one minute in the course of your day to focus on yourself and your well-being.

Bryan Busch is a licensed mental health counselor in Cedar Rapids. He also helps lead the Iowa Ideas Conference, Leadership Development Program, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and digital strategy at Folience, the parent company of The Gazette. He can be reached at bryan.busch@thegazette.com.

Bryan Busch

Trending

  • Ramadan starts tonight. An eighth-grader explains what it’s like to…

    Grace King

  • Marion school board votes 5-2 to no longer consider ’Mavericks’

    Grace King

  • 24-hour vaccine clinic in Cedar Rapids this weekend open to…

    Michaela Ramm

  • Cooper DeJean, Iowa’s everything football player

    Leah Vann

  • Kelly Proesch finds her own niche, writes her own success…

    Jeff Linder

Give us feedback

We work hard to provide fair, accurate coverage because we value your trust. If you find an error or omission in our reporting, please tell us here.

Submit a story idea

Do you have a story idea that we should look into? Please tell us here.

Related Stories

Boost your immunity with what you put on your plate

Boost your immunity with what you put on your plate

By Maggie Ireland, for The Gazette Health & Wellness Feb. 3, 2021 6:12 pm

COVID-19 survivors can donate plasma to help others

COVID-19 survivors can donate plasma to help others

By Carrie Campbell, for The Gazette Health & Wellness Feb. 5, 2021 10:58 am

Iowa running coach also teaches boys about feelings, healthy habits

Iowa running coach also teaches boys about feelings, healthy habits

Kat Russell Community Dec. 12, 2019 4:05 pm

Life

Sowing Success

Sowing Success

Dorothy de Souza Guedes

Home & Garden Apr. 11, 2021 1:45 pm

Twisters gymnastics teams shine at state tournaments

Twisters gymnastics teams shine at state tournaments

Community

Recreation Apr. 9, 2021 12:46 pm

Find the perfect quilt this weekend at Quilt Amana, inaugural…

Find the perfect quilt this weekend at Quilt Amana, inaugural…

Diana Nollen

Community Apr. 7, 2021 2:03 pm

Iowa Senate passes mental health funding changes

Iowa Senate passes mental health funding changes

Rod Boshart

State Government Apr. 6, 2021 9:59 pm

Health & Wellness

We must build support for people facing mental illness

We must build support for people facing mental illness

N/A

Living Apr. 2, 2021 11:25 am

Communities help shape its residents

Communities help shape its residents

By Jacob Priest, correspondent

Living Mar. 25, 2021 7:26 pm

As colon cancer rates rise among young adults, doctors advocate…

As colon cancer rates rise among young adults, doctors advocate…

Michaela Ramm

Living Mar. 25, 2021 7:25 pm

Running on empty? Take time for self-care

Running on empty? Take time for self-care

By Bryan Busch, The Gazette

Living Mar. 18, 2021 7:02 pm

News

Virtual EcoFest focuses on tree replenishment for Earth Day

Virtual EcoFest focuses on tree replenishment for Earth Day

Elijah Decious

Community 50m ago

University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State hold mass vaccination clinics…

University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State hold mass vaccination clinics…

Vanessa Miller

Higher Ed Apr. 12, 2021 11:23 pm

Cedar Rapids clinic to receive federal COVID-19 allocation starting this…

Cedar Rapids clinic to receive federal COVID-19 allocation starting this…

Michaela Ramm

Health Care and Medicine Apr. 12, 2021 5:53 pm

Food pantry to open at Cedar Rapids’ Ladd Library this…

Food pantry to open at Cedar Rapids’ Ladd Library this…

Marissa Payne

News Apr. 12, 2021 7:11 pm

Sports

Kelly Proesch finds her own niche, writes her own success…

Kelly Proesch finds her own niche, writes her own success…

Jeff Linder

Sports Apr. 12, 2021 9:21 pm

Kirkwood ready for national volleyball tournament

Kirkwood ready for national volleyball tournament

K.J. Pilcher

Sports Apr. 12, 2021 7:42 pm

Enyi Uwazurike taking on bigger leadership role for Iowa State

Enyi Uwazurike taking on bigger leadership role for Iowa State

Ben Visser

Sports Apr. 12, 2021 6:49 pm

Liam Robbins transferring from Minnesota to Vanderbilt, not Iowa

Liam Robbins transferring from Minnesota to Vanderbilt, not Iowa

Mike Hlas

Hawkeye Basketball Apr. 12, 2021 3:56 pm

FOLLOW US

The Gazette is Iowa’s independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage.

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 116 3rd St SE
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
  • customercare@thegazette.com
  • (319) 398-8333
  • Live Chat

Links

  • Puzzle Answers
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Article Removal Request
  • Archives
  • Green Gazette
  • Corridor Careers Jobs
  • Work at The Gazette
  • Customer Care

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility
Folience A Folience Company