Mindful moments

Mindfulness. Meditation. Breathing. These seem to be the buzzwords surrounding mental wellbeing right now, but what actually is Mindfulness and who is it for?

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Modern life is very busy, fast-paced and stressful for many people. It’s changed so much in just a generation in terms of how overwhelming the constant avalanche of information we receive is, how fast the pace is at which we seem to hurtle through our days, how disconnected we are from the environment and even our own bodies. Our mind hasn’t evolved at the same pace and there is now a significant difference between how our brains work and how the world seems to work, which is the underlying cause of stress for a lot of people. It is so easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much, but paying more attention to the present moment, your own thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you, can improve your life. And this is in a nutshell what mindfulness is: deliberately bringing your attention to what is happening in the present moment.

Sounds simple? It is, but the busyness of life makes it hard for us to do: the deadlines, the to-do lists, the pressure we feel to be more, have more, achieve more, the constantly updating newsfeeds on social media and so on. Small children are naturally mindful –they see the wonder of the world all around them, from watching a worm cross the path for hours, to just stopping to look at a cloud. We have somehow sadly forgotten about the joy of small things as we rush about as adults. Though mindfulness is something we all naturally possess, it becomes more readily available to us when we practice on a daily basis.

There are many techniques to becoming more mindful, thousands of courses, books, apps and websites dedicated to it but this is out of reach for a lot of people. Who has a spare hour a day to meditate?! We can all find time to add some mindful moments to our days though, which will have a positive impact on our mental wellbeing.

Here are a few ways to make your days more mindful:

Mindful breathing – simply still and focus on your breath for just one minute. (Who can’t find one minute to improve their life?) Start by breathing in and out slowly. One breath cycle should last for approximately 6 seconds. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, letting your breath flow effortlessly in and out of your body. Let go of your thoughts. Let go of things you have to do later today or pending projects that need your attention. Simply let thoughts rise and fall of their own accord and be at one with your breath. Purposefully watch your breath, focusing your sense of awareness on its pathway as it enters your body and fills you with oxygen.

Mindful getting up - Rather than start your day by reaching for your phone as soon as you wake up to get a headstart on all those things to do, instead pause for a minute or two. Take 5 deep breaths, breathing in through your nose, and then slowly out through your mouth. Next sit up and put your feet on the floor, close your eyes and pause again. Think about how your feet feel on the floor, and how the floor feels on your feet. Think about what you can hear, in your house and outside. Take one last deep breath, open your eyes, stretch and start your day.

Mindful reset - You can reset your day — and reset yourself emotionally and physically — any time you need it. Simply stop what you’re doing, stand up, take a big, deep breath as you count to 5 and slowly breathe out again to the count of five. Repeat until you feel more in control of yourself and what is happening.

Why not try just one of these today and see how it makes you feel?