This month is Mindfulness March at the practice!
Mindfulness and meditation seems to be becoming more popular and widely accepted as a form of self-care and stress relief. This is probably because a lot of people live a non-stop lifestyle these days.
Can you relate to being always in a rush, always having something on your to-do list; the thought of ‘slowing down’ is only reserved for proper holiday’s or vacations? I know I can.
Practising mindfulness has been shown to have many benefits—more peace, energy, self-confidence, less stress, relief from depression and anxiety, fewer aches and pains
For the past two years or so, I’ve experimented with mindfulness as a way to relieve stress and become a more ‘calm person’. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve taken this practice seriously and slowly, but surely I began to notice a difference in how I was feeling and how that positively affected the rest of my life. I started my journey in January 2020, not sure if I would actually stick with any of my new daily routines I set up for myself. But I gave it go anyway, because every journey starts with a single step.
My first routine I brought into practice was setting up a morning routine that I could commit to. I started with this step first because I read somewhere that all successful and happy people have a morning routine that they stick to. So I began by downloading an app called ‘Morning!’. This app is a virtual gratitude journal. Research shows that by being grateful on a regular basis can improve general well-being, increase resilience, strengthen social relationships, and reduce stress and depression. Before looking at social media, or getting up to make a coffee I list the three things I’m most grateful for, three things that would make the day great and one daily affirmation. I also do this at night before going to bed and I write three things that made the day great and three things I could have done better.
The second practice I started to do was read a daily excerpt from Journey to the Heart by Melody Beattie. By this time of the morning, I will have made myself a coffee and will sit down and read the meditation for the day. I look forward to reading this book every morning because it sets my focus for the day and puts me in a good headspace to begin whatever I have on my list. If you’re interested, you can click here to learn more and buy it on Amazon.
The third and final mindful practice that I like to do is breathing. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, sad or stressed I will just focus on my breathing wherever I may be in that moment – and no one has a clue I am meditating! The most basic way to do mindful breathing is simply to focus your attention on your breath, the inhale and exhale. Experts believe a regular practice of mindful breathing can make it easier to do it in difficult situations. Mindful breathing is a practice that Psychotherapist, Anna Jezuita teaches in her Introduction to Mindfulness Workshops.
Anna will be holding a workshop here at Northcote Chiropractic on Saturday 28th of March from 2-4pm. If you’re interested in learning more and want to book a spot, click here.
