Five tips for mindfulness

Five tips for mindfulness

What is mindfulness?

 Mindfulness may seem to have appeared from nowhere, a new fad for the modern world, full of colouring books and apps. Mindfulness can be difficult to master; however, the concept is simple: mindfulness is the awareness of your current state and the world around you. In our busy life’s we tend to engage in multi-tasking and fill our schedules to the maximum. We can spend so much time planning the future and worrying about the past that there is little time left for enjoying the moment.

Mindfulness has been linked to mental wellbeing in a number of ways. It has been shown to be effective in helping people increase their mood, manage stress or anxiety, and can help most people to enjoy their lives a little more. If you find that you are swept along by events and rarely experience them in the moment, mindfulness may help you.

  

Five tips for mindfulness

  1. Start to notice your thoughts: when you notice a thought going around and around in your head, try to take a mental step back. You don’t need to try to change your thought, but just notice the thought-pattern you are in and any associated feelings. Mindfulness is not about trying to change these, just about learning to notice them more easily.
  2. Embrace your senses:  many mindfulness exercises utilise the sense. One exercise involves noticing: five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. Try going for a walk outside or just sitting somewhere peaceful and engaging in this activity. If you notice your mind drifting off into the past or future, just bring yourself back to the present gently – and don’t be critical of yourself, it’s entirely natural to have to engage in this process repeatedly.
  3. Make time for mindfulness: mindfulness can be about every day moments, for example, eating your evening meal mindfully or watching a TV programme without also looking at your phone or doing the ironing. Try to engage in at least one activity mindfully every day, even if just for five minutes.
  4. Change your routine or try something new: when we do the same things every day we start to do these on autopilot, which is the opposite of mindfulness. To keep practicing mindfulness try to vary your experiences. This could be trying a new activity or going somewhere new, but equally it could simple activities such as walking a different way home and noticing your route or speaking to someone new at work.
  5. Breathe!: a simple mindfulness activity is simply to pay attention to your breathing. Sit or lie comfortably and inhale through your nose to the count of four, hold your breath to the count of four and then breathe out through your mouth to the count of four. Although mindfulness exercises are not necessarily about helping you fall asleep, people who struggle with worries when lying in bed may find that this exercise allows them to drift off.

If you are struggling with mindfulness and enjoying the moment and this is having a detrimental impact on your health and wellbeing then it may be time to seek professional help. To find out more about mindfulness you can contact Dr Julie Hannan on 07530 854530 or at www.morency.co.uk.