Like many of us, we have heard about mindfulness. I knew that it implied paying attention, opening our awareness to what is happening now, in the present moment, and accepting it without judging or trying to control it.
Mindfulness is unquestionably linked to breathing, yet we all know how to breathe because it is a natural phenomenon, and you would think it doesn't need the practice anyway?
Mindful Meditation is an excellent place to begin your journey into self-discovery. The quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life. Meditation is one of the simplest ways to start practising mindfulness.
One of the joys of mindfulness is that you can do it anywhere! You don’t need to sit in silence for hours, chant mantras, or even close your eyes.
Mindfulness means bringing your complete attention to the present, where you are right now, not distracted by memories of the past or anxieties about the future.
Learn some exercises to help stay calm and focus
You might wonder: 'If breathing is automatic, why do I even need to think about it?' Well, we can all slip into habits - shallow breathing, for example, or holding your breath - that isn't always the most helpful.
If you believe someone you know is displaying a change in behaviour or mood which you feel may be potential red flags of poor mental health/mental illness. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time.
But a mental health concern, then becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms affect your ability to function independently.
Connecting with nature feels lovely, perhaps a little magical at times. It’s restorative and allows you to step outside your busy life for a while and breathe. But there are already so many demands to juggle daily, within work and family issues, that getting some nature time often falls off the to-do list.
Technique matters, especially when you’re trying to find a method that works for you.
Pulling yourself into the present, can be difficult if your mind doesn’t want to “let go” of your current thoughts.
Short of giving yourself an electric shock, you need to break that unproductive connection. Here are a few things you can try to help you bring your attention where it needs to be...in the moment.
After events take place in our lives, the mind analyses them and, for most of us, starts comparing 'what happened' with 'what should have happened', leading to feelings of guilt, remorse, anger and sadness.
The gap between what we want, and reality could be called 'The Abyss', and the bigger it is, the more unsatisfactory life seems to be.
Have kids, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. When these little blessings hit the terrible two’s, things get real! We’ve held them and nurtured them from their first breath and it seems when they hit a certain age, toddler-hood, they turn into little imps running around controlling the universe. Oh, the tantrums!
As adults we tend to be opinionated about how teenagers have become in the last decade or so. Playing the devil’s advocate here, what if the teens and students are under a great deal of stress and we are simply refusing to acknowledge it?
You might have noticed that the word ‘mindfulness’ is quite ‘in’ at the moment; very trendy.
Courses on the topic have increased dramatically, articles have been published, and workshops offered.
Relationships are hard work. People get busy with life and simply neglect to nourish their union. Sometimes it turns into a competition for time between family, work and self-care. With all that happens in a day or even a week, what’s left over for sustaining a relationship?
Chronic pain. It’s horrendous, obviously painful, often debilitating and causes a plethora of other issues when conventional treatments fail. Chronic pain sufferers commonly experience anything from anxiety and depression to pain medication side-effects and addiction.
Life with kids is hectic, to say the least. If you’re lucky enough to get one down for a nap, the others will inevitably require your immediate undivided attention, the third snack for the day or your taxi skills to get to another activity. Busy mums are on the move!
Many prominent psychologists and counsellors are employing Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) as a practical approach for their clients. Therapists are using this technique more and more for bipolar disorder.
Anxiety and depression for many can be disheartening, terrifying, and even debilitating. The symptoms of anxiety can strike at any moment it seems and are usually related to a future event that may or may not happen, but the thought of it happening alone is quite enough to start the downward spiral.
One can argue mindfulness for ADHD is a bunch of hooey just as easily as they can deny ADHD even exists, but when Dr. Lidia Zylowska and her team blew the minds of disbelievers with a 2008 study, many doubters had to reassess their position.
Over recent years mindfulness has caused quite a stir in just about every life aspect, but mindfulness in ADHD deserves a special look. Here’s why!
In Dr. Zylowska’s 2008 study “Mindfulness Meditation Training in Adults and Adolescents”, 78% of participants who practices mindfulness awareness reported a reduction in ADHD symptoms. That is an incredible statistic!
