Paying attention and taking stock of your thoughts and feelings can help improve your mental wellbeing. This is a very well-known strategy that can help.
- How do I practice mindfulness ?
This is something that is available to us at any moment and can be done anywhere. It’s all about taking the time to pause and breathe instead of rushing around.
Mindfulness lights up parts of our brains that aren’t normally activated when we are running on autopilot. Here’s how to tune into mindfulness throughout the day:
- Set aside some time – you don’t need any special equipment to access your mindfulness skills. You just need some time and a quiet space.
- Pay attention to the present moment – the aim isn’t to silence your mind, or become really calm, but to just observe the moment as it is.
- Let your judgements go on by – make a mental note and let them pass if you notice any judgements creeping in.
- Return to the present moment – sometimes our minds get carried away so make sure you always go back to the present moment.
- Be kind to yourself – if your mind wanders, don’t beat yourself up. Just keep at it and practice, practice, practice!
- Mindfulness podcasts
Here are the best podcasts to de-stress and soothe your frazzled mind…sit down, take a deep breath and put on one of our recommendations.
- There’s an app for that!
Apps are accessible to all and you can access them 24/7, 365 days a year. Try out the three below.
- Daylight – an anxiety improvement programme that can help you with feelings of worry using evidence-based techniques.
- Feeling Good – a programme that combines relaxation with sports coaching to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and help improve sleep.
- Headspace – this is the app that gives some simple meditation exercises to do, as well as articles to read.
And don’t forget…
Pearson offers a mindfulness course.
You can download some free resources from Calm.
If you’re unsure of how you’re feeling, it’s worth taking the NHS mood self-assessment quiz.