Interested in learning more about self care for your mental health and wellbeing?
Ever tried mindfulness or meditation? If not, the first steps are easier than you think.
All you need is yourself!
Take just a few minutes - outside is ideal but not essential - where you feel comfortable and safe and where there is a good chance that you won't be disturbed.
Think about putting all of your thoughts on pause, other than those related to what is going on for you right now in the world around you. There is lots of information available to your senses right now, more than you may feel consciously aware of, and you can choose to observe some of it.
Try hard to focus on nothing but the sensations you are experiencing right now.
Depending of course on ability to do so - observe the sounds, sensations felt by touch, your breathing, perhaps what you can see - and let all those thoughts about yesterday and tomorrow fade away. Let all those thoughts about what happened a few minutes ago and what you think is to come later today fade away.
Focus on the only thing that you can control - your own thoughts and action. Focus on the only time that you can control them - right now.
Focus on nothing else. And continue.
Enjoy the moment. This is mindfulness.
And - your first steps in meditation.
When you get back to the rest of your day- notice the difference in how you feel? Mindfulness and meditation help regulate the levels of the natural substances that flow through our bodies in response to feeling stress. Regulating means that we feel less tired and less anxious. It means that we feel more energised and calmer. It means that we feel more able to think clearly and act decisively and positively when communicating with others and living our lives.
Doing it for just a few minutes has a positive impact on how you feel during the hours ahead. Doing this regularly can have positive impact on how you feel in the days, weeks and months ahead. This means an improvement in overall mental health and wellbeing.
Mindfulness is a quick and easy step that you can take for self care, as often as is helpful for you. It is the first steps in meditation - which can be done in a variety of ways and become part of your daily self care journey towards a healthier future.
Enjoy!