Spring Forward with Mindfulness!

March 20th welcomes in the Spring Equinox and brings forth thoughts of gardening, sunshine and new beginnings! What are you looking forward to this spring? What kind of seeds do you want to plant in your garden, for you, and/or for your life? The arrival of spring is a perfect time to celebrate the new life that surrounds you in nature. Watch the sunrise and/or sunset, go for a walk in the park, go on a bike ride, take a hike or just lay in the grass. As you do so, observe all the new spring life beginning around you.

The arrival of Spring is the perfect time to practice the art of Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is an amazing tool for stress management and overall wellness because it can be used at any moment and can quickly bring lasting results. It can take a little practice to incorporate it into your daily life, but the benefits are well worth your efforts, as studies have shown that practicing mindfulness improves our mood, increases positive emotions, decreases anxiety, emotional reactivity, and job burnout. All too often we can find ourselves spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts which can be very draining. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world and people around you.

Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.

What are some simple mindfulness exercises you can begin to add into your day?

Here are some examples to get you started!

Live in the moment: try to intentionally bring an open, accepting attention to everything you do throughout the day. Take a moment to notice your surroundings; the way your feet feel on the floor or the ground, the way your fingers feel on the keyboard as you type at work, as you converse with your friends or co-workers. What does it feel like when you speak. Find joy in simple pleasures.

Accept yourself: Treat yourself the way you would treat a good friend.

Focus on your breathing: If you find yourself having negative thoughts or are upset, focusing on the sound and rhythm of your breathing can have a calming effect. Try taking a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your body – even just sitting and breathing for a minute can help. Breathe from your belly versus your chest and try breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try 4x4 breathing; inhale for a count of 4 noticing how the air feels as it flows through your nose and travels down to your stomach, hold your breath for a count of 4, and as you exhale slowly to the final count of 4, notice how the air feels as it passes through your mouth. And repeat...and as you repeat, you can add in one extra step of shaking off any feelings of stress or tightness in your legs, your core, your arms, shoulders, neck...and breathe...ahh

Pay attention: Somedays it is just hard to slow down and take notice of what is happening internally and externally. Try to take the time to experience your environment with all your senses – touch, sound, sight, smell and taste. For example, when you are eating a snack, take the time to smell, taste and truly enjoy it!

Mindful Appreciation: Strive to notice five things in your day that you usually take for granted and go unappreciated. Give thanks and appreciate the seemingly insignificant things that bring purpose and support to your daily life. Some examples: electricity to turn on the lights/your coffee pot/charge your phone, your car, the bus, the mail deliverer, your clothes, the warmth of the sun, the birds chirping outside…

Meditation: Meditation has been clinically shown to decrease stress and anxiety, improve attention, decrease job burnout and improve sleep. Meditation can help you experience thoughts and emotions with greater balance and acceptance and hear what your heart, mind and body are telling you. Different forms of meditation to experiment with are:

Body scan meditation - Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing up. Focus your attention slowly and deliberately on each part of your body, in order, from toe to head or head to toe. Be aware of any sensations, emotions or thoughts associated with each part of your body.

Sitting meditation: Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet flat on the floor and hands in your lap. Breathing through your nose, focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. If physical sensations or thoughts interrupt your meditation, note the experience and then return your focus to your breath.

Walking meditation: Find a quiet place 10 to 20 feet in length and begin to walk slowly. Focus on the experience of walking, being aware of the sensations of standing and the subtle movements that keep your balance. When you reach the end of your path, turn and continue walking, maintaining awareness of your sensations.

Here is a great resource offering comprehensive reviews of easy-to-use mindfulness apps that are free!

https://www.mindful.org/free-mindfulness-apps-worthy-of-your-attention/

With regular practice of mindfulness exercises, we shift from going through each and every day on auto-pilot, many times led by emotions that are influenced by negative past experiences, self-limiting thoughts and fears of what may happen in the future, to being able to be fully present to focus on positive emotions which lead to increased compassion and understanding in ourselves and others.

Interested in delving a bit deeper into how to successfully put mindfulness habits into place during your day and week? I invite you to schedule a 40-minute complimentary call with me and together let’s plant some new mindful seeds to spring forward with greater joy, happiness, and productivity!