How to Improve Your Mental Health
Mindfulness is scientifically proven to have a positive influence on your mental health. Studies proven over and over how mindfulness improves your health and well-being by increasing your awareness of the present moment. We know it helps reduce stress and anxiety, and can improve your ability to cope with difficult emotions. And practicing can be easy! It doesn’t have to be hard, or look a certain way.
Get out of your head!
You don’t need a fancy cushion. You don't need to sit in a totally quiet place or any place in particular. And you don’t need to practice for a certain amount of time for it to “work”. The only thing you really need is to be consistent. Practice makes PERFECT, NOPE PROGRESS. Get perfect out of your head, too, because perfection is just a myth of your own creation. It doesn’t really exist. It’s what we do every single day that adds up to our progress, and making progress is how we reach and exceed our goals!
Practicing mindfulness can help you become more aware of your reactions to the situations around you and can also help you make healthier choices for yourself. Mindfulness teaches us to be where we are, in the present, to “get-out-of-our-own-heads”. I didn’t really understand this concept when I first started meditating and mindfulness practices. It was like I was waiting for something magical to happen… And after lots of practice and consistency, something magical did happen. I learned to “clear” my mind, letting the weight of my thoughts fall aside, and allowing my mind to free-float for a bit. Almost like giving my mind a little nap, then allowing her to awaken naturally and slowly in a soft, warm, cozy bed. No pressure to rise, just slowly enjoying the moment.
When you practice mindfulness, not only do you better recognize all the abundance in your life, but you also project yourself to follow a more positive path. You’ll make better choices and decisions for yourself, because you aren’t allowing anyone or anything else to influence your value. You’ll become more intune with yourself and your needs, because, GET THIS, if you listen, your body will talk to you! Your body will naturally give you signs and signals as to what it needs. But if you aren’t paying attention, you’ll miss them!
So here are FOUR tips for staying in the present moment (AKA practicing MINDFULNESS):
1. Take a few deep breaths.
Did you know that the average human takes 22,000 breaths a day? It's a lot of breathing. How many of those do we pay attention to? Probably not very many. Our breath occurs naturally, so we often pay it little to no attention at all. Afterall, we are busy people, and we’ve got lots of things to handle in the day-to-day swing of life. Who has time to STOP and BREATHE? But here’s the little kicker that took me a long time to learn… Giving yourself a break to take a few deep breaths and relax will help you return to life more focused, efficient, and in the present moment.
2. Ground yourself by using your five senses.
Pay attention to what you see, hear, smell and feel in the present moment. Notice the details around you. Take your shoes off and feel the grassy earth beneath you. These things sound silly to us because they are so easy and simple, but it’s these basic, simplistic practices that actually work and help you to feel more connected to your mind, body and spirit so you make positive choices for yourself. And focus on the environment that you're in to help yourself feel more grounded anytime you need to.
3. Practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that encourages you to be aware of your thoughts and feelings without judgment. When practiced regularly, it becomes much easier to stay in the present moment more often. Mindfulness is really about allowing whatever you do to be the single point of focus. Whether that’s meditation, playing with your kids, or washing the dishes. When you are mindful of your actions, when you purposefully don’t think about things that are happening before or after the present time you are living, you are being mindful and practicing mindfulness. There are tons of exercises you can practice that are considered practicing mindfulness, but they all lead to the same result- You, becoming more aware, more involved in whatever is happening right here and now. It’s not as easy as you think! It takes practice, practice, and more practice. But the more we practice the easier it becomes, and before you know it, it starts happening more naturally, without you even practicing at all.
4. Take CARE of yourself.
Self care can be ridiculously hard when you are the manager of little people. But it's very important for maintaining a positive mental health and wellbeing. Self care looks different for everyone. But generally speaking, anything that you can do to relax can be self-care. Doing something you enjoy, like reading a book or taking a yoga class. Taking a walk we're engaging in other activities, just like these, that help reduce stress. Additionally, it's important for us to take time to connect. With family, friends and other support systems. As well as to get enough rest and nourishment throughout the day. This means sleeping for a full eight hours at night, and also making sure you're getting good food energy into your body every single day. Self-care is an essential part of being able to give your best to your loved ones and all of your daily responsibilities. Most importantly, self care will help you live your best life, because when your essential needs are met you are able to make positive choices and changes in your life.
Got a minute? You can start practicing mindfulness and staying in the present moment RIGHT NOW. Check out all of the meditations and mindfulness resources found on our YouTube channel. You can seriously practice an exercise in under a minute.
You can do it. I’m rooting for you!
Bb
