Have you ever arrived at work and realize that you don't remember any of the car ride there? Have you ever finished a bag of popcorn and you barely remember opening it? Most people have had moments like this. This is known as mindlessness or autopilot. This causes a buildup of depression, anxiety, reactivity, and stress. It has been proven that the more you let your mind wander, and go on autopilot, the less happy you are. This brings us to mindfulness.

Mindfulness is literally the exact opposite of mindlessness. It is the act of waking from autopilot and taking control of your attention. With mindfulness, you are keeping a moment to moment awareness of everything going on around you; your body, thoughts, sensation, feelings, and environment. It also means you are non-judgmental. When you start paying attention you can't judge your thoughts or feelings. You have to be impartial to it all.

Mindfulness is a great practice that can improve anybody's quality of life. Mindfulness has been around for centuries. An easy way to explain the background of mindfulness is Buddhism. What we know as mindfulness comes from the meditation practices of the Buddhists, around 2500 years ago. They used the meditation to reach inner peace, unlock potential, grow their concentration, and intellectual and spiritual development.

Hinduism was old when Buddha was born. Mindfulness had already been a part of the Hindu ways and teaching. Buddha used mindfulness as his core philosophy in his teachings. He taught that life revolved around it, and explained what it meant for everyday life. Buddha had lots of people around him that recorded his teachings, unlike Jesus.