Mind full or Mindful?

For me, mindfulness has been a life saver. Being able to apply the skill in times of crisis has bought a stop to my racing thoughts and bought all of my attention to the present moment, in which I was able to see that nothing was actually wrong. I believe it is a practice that everyone should be familiar with and implement in their daily lives. Just think, if we weren't always worrying about the past or predicting the future but rather noticing what is happening in the here and now, how different the world would be?

I was first introduced to this practice during outpatient therapy (one on one visits with a psychologist) four or five years ago. Back then I purely saw it as meditation, and even used it to help put me to sleep. My therapist would have me sit or lie still and do a 'full body scan' - starting from the top of my head I would work my way through my body and pay attention to how each part felt; was my neck sore, was my stomach still, was my foot flat on the floor, how the chair felt under my skin etc. 
Over the years I have learnt the skill in other forms such as controlled breathing and imagery.

The key aspect in which it differs from meditation is that you are able to recognise your thoughts. When you feel yourself drifting away and loosing focus on your breath or body, one is taught to stop and acknowledge this and come back to the task at hand. It focuses on constantly bringing oneself back to the present moment.

Being able to fully engage in the moment we are in is not as easy as it seems. As humans our minds constantly race and our thoughts drift from our past to our future. 'What if I had done that differently?' or 'What if this happens?' are some of the probing questions in which I was constantly worrying about. Focusing on this very moment however, I found I was able to see that everything was okay.

We can not change the past and can not predict the future, so why not invest all our energy in the present moment. Being engaged in our surroundings, in tune with our bodies and minds and our focus on what is occurring right here and now means we do not have to worry about what has been and what could be.