Hi there,
Been a wee while hasn't it? I had intended to write a piece on the run up to feel good February, then the plan was a review of everything that happened in February....then life happened (good stuff so no complaints) and I also opted to have a wee rethink and do some research on what stuff you actually want to read.
So with all that out the way, and a little bit of clarity on future content ideas, let's try the regular blog thing again shall we?
April is "stress awareness month" so I thought, to kick off our voted for "wellbeing tools, hints and tips" theme it might be a good idea to start with some easy access tools and tips. So here's 5 simple stress busters that can be incorporated into your daily life
Have a mindful mug!
Whether your a tea Jenny or a coffee connoisseur put your phone away for a few minutes and give your chosen cuppa your full attention. Once made, or maybe if you've treated yourself with an order from your favourite cafe, take time to feel the warmth of the cup or mug in your hand and the scent of your drink too (even a standard tea will have an aroma to it. Then allow yourself a sip and be aware of the tastes and flavours as it touches your tongue. Lastly feel the warmth as you swallow and savour that sip....then repeat as you go and try to have the full mug/cup before returning to your phone or your next work task
2. Get a change of scenery
Take yourself outside, maybe in your garden if you're lucky to have one, or off to a local park, natural area or coastline. Get some fresh air and fully emerse yourself in your surroundings. Take in all the sights, sounds and scents of where you are and challenge yourself to fully BE there ( take a quick photo if it's a particularly pretty setting but then put the phone away and enjoy where you are.)
3) Listen to a favourite piece of music.
Everyone has a song or a piece of music that connects them to good "vibes" and happy memories (for example "sweet little mystery" by wet wet wet will always take me back to 11 year old me dancing round my bedroom! ) so if you feel stressed stick on some sounds! Give your full attention to at least one track, perhaps with your headphones on, and take yourself off to whatever memory, happy thought or positive place it conjours up
4) Grounding techniques
Grounding is about bringing or settling yourself in to the present moment, fully engaging with here and now. It can be a useful way of silencing the "chatter" of the mind. There are a number of techniques you can use that can be as simple as just being aware of your feet on the floor or aware of your b....ody on the chair.
One of the most popular is the 5,4,3,2,1 technique which is done by being aware of
Five things you can see
Four things you can feel
Three things you can hear
Two things you can smell
One thing you can taste
5) Breathing exercises.
Of all the mindfulness tools that can be called on breathing is the most basic, easily accessible tool we have. It's there, happening within us whether we pay attention to it or not and, by shifting our attention to it it can, as with grounding and in fact all of these techniques, turn down the volume on any internal chatter or overload.
You can simply sit in silence, not changing your breath and just giving it your attention, perhaps feeling the rise and fall of your chest, being aware of the sensation of it flowing in and out of your body.
Here is a little video that explains why this is so effective
You can also bring counting in to the practice, perhaps just alternating between 1 on the inhale and 2 on the exhale, or , and this is my personal favourite, a practice called "box breathing" this is a simple 4x4 count practice of inhale...hold...exhale...pause and then repeat for as long as you need to. So a cycle would look like this
Inhale, two, three, four
Hold, two, three, four
Exhale, two, three, four
Pause, two, three, four
and then repeat if needed. If this feels at all uncomfortable to you, for example a lady who attends my meditation class has COPD so the 4x4 is difficult for her, then lower the count (she does a 4x3 count) or simply revert back to the simplicity of noticing and being aware of your breath as it is for you.
There are many other stress soothing techniques and tools you can use, and I will share some more with you going forward, so it's important to explore and experiment and find ones that work for you.....because nobody knows what you need better than you.
Please feel free to comment below or reach out privately with any questions you may have about these techniques or if you need any support with stress management.