Feeling stressed, anxious or depressed? Well, give mindfulness a go. It's a science-backed tool that can help you find more ‘calm’ and guide you on how to live life more in the ‘now’. It's a tool to help you deal with life stresses and is an effective tool on responding to tricky thoughts, emotions and situations.
Mindfulness is a buzz word right now for good reason. It can help you to re-wire your brain so you can live a happier life that’s more in balance. It will inspire you to live life in a mindful way, and less mindless.
This wellness tool is useful too if you feel ‘stuck’ in unhelpful thought patterns. Mindfulness helps you to be more at the driving wheel of your own thoughts and reactions. It’s about attention training, thought training and having more emotional regulation. It gives you a better perspective too and makes you a better communicator.
The opposite of mindfulness is having knee-jerk reactions. And no one enjoys being around someone like that, right?
So how do you do it? The best way is to learn from a mindfulness teacher. They can teach you how to notice and consider what you think and feel – and then guide you on how to respond with a ‘wiser mind’. Lots of people will pay for a Personal Trainer to lose weight or build muscles. It’s smart to pay for someone to help you to train your brain to think better. After all, your brain is your most powerful tool.
For those of you who worry about having to sit down in a crossed-leg position for hours, saying ommmmmm; Don’t worry! Mindfulness is something you can integrate into your life with ease anytime. You can even do it while sitting for a few moments drinking a cuppa.
To get you started, here are a couple of examples of how mindfulness can be implemented in the real world.
- Sit with a cup of coffee and just savour the pause moment; being still, the smell of the coffee, the taste, and enjoy the magic in the moment. This is mindfulness at work. Simply being present in the now and seeing the beauty in the ‘now’.
- Feeling overwhelmed by a situation? Try focusing on the rhythm of your breath. Breathe in for four counts, and then pause for a moment. Then exhale for six counts and pause for a moment. Repeat this inhale/exhale pattern three times. Slowing the breath down can give you a beautiful re-set for your body, mind and soul. You can do this with your eyes open at work and no one would ever know what you are doing. Or use the technique at home and close your eyes if you wish.
Mindfulness is something I love teaching. I understand the benefits first-hand. I used to have the worst ‘monkey-mind’ and ruminate often. Now, I live with less time worrying about the past, or future, and instead embrace the "present".
Mindfulness is such a powerful tool that it is even prescribed by psychologists. It genuinely works.
5 Benefits of Mindfulness:
- Reduce stress
- Reduce anxious thoughts
- More relaxed and in control
- Better perspective
- More productive
Find out more about Rachel via https://inspiredhealth.co.nz