Listening and Mindfulness

 

Listening and Mindfulness

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When someone comes to you, the least that person expects you is to listen to that person. Have you noticed that many times while talking to your parents, spouse, friends or children, you realize that you don’t know what the other person just said. It is not that you are doing it intentionally but unintentionally your mind wanders and you think about something else. It could be as small as your pending tasks in your to lists and as big someone’s health.

All of us have lots of things to say to other people but have you noticed that sometimes we do not listen to what the other person has to say.

Mindful listening means to be fully present in each moment without being judgmental. A good mindful communication focuses on paying attention to the speaker without interruption, and without getting defensive.

Some tips for mindful listening :

• Be open to what the other person has to say.
• Focus all your attention to the speaker. Put aside all distractions, like phone , iPad or laptop.
• Do not interrupt when the other person is speaking. Let them speak what they want to say.
• Even if you are getting irritated with something that the other person has said, take a deep breath and do not react.
• If you feel that you are losing focus, pay attention to your thoughts .
• Remember to be kind to people. Kindness goes a long way. You never know when you’ll be helping someone. There are many people around us who need someone to listen. Just by listening patiently, you can be a big support.
• Show curiosity and interest so that the speaker feels that you are genuinely interested in what they are saying. Ask simple open ended questions which help the speaker feel connected to you.
• Be a patient listener. Do not jump to conclusions. Let the speaker take their time to speak.
• In case you are really busy, be honest and fix a time to meet the person.

Mindful listening takes time. You need to be patient and be ready to be a good listener.

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