How to be Mindful...

With the world constantly moving at a rapid pace, it can be hard to just stop and breathe. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and go with the motions of life. Where we have work commitments, family life, our personal hobbies and then the biggest distraction to earth.. technology and particularly social media. This can cause the body a lot of stress which you might be unaware of until it leads to burn out! We are all guilty of spending too long scrolling mindlessly through our social media platforms and not taking enough time to do nothing but listen to our thoughts and work on our mental health. So, I thought I would point a few key exercises to help you become more mindful and allow yourself to relax.

1. Journal – Taking some time, even if it’s 5 minutes to jot down your thoughts and feelings, this can help create a more peaceful environment. I have a gratitude journal and starting/ ending your day with gratitude really helps create perspective in life and takes some time out of our busy lives to be mindful and have our own good quality headspace.

2. Turn your phone off 30 minutes -1 hour before you sleep and 30 minutes -1 hour before you wake up –This is a quick tip which I am still working on but our phones are packed with emails, texts, social media and seeing all this before you go to bed/ when you wake up automatically stresses the body and is keeping your mind active to prepare. So turn It off and allow yourself to wind down and take the last/ first hour of the day for yourself.

3. Go for a walk without any device – Being with nature is one of the most healing, mindful activities in my opinion. Listening to the birds tweeting, seeing the trees sway in the wind, it really allows you to notice the little things in life and how truly wonderful they are.

4. Read a book – Instead of watching Netflix, why not read a book? Going back to the basics and getting lost into a good book is always a great feeling and especially being away from a screen is great for out heads.

5. Meditate – Last but not least, Meditation! This is something I think we could all benefit from and there are some great apps/ videos to help us with this including Headspace/ Calm app. I have a very short attention span, so I have to start off with short meditations and build up. They have 3 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minute meditations so you can choose whatever works best for you. Truly stopping your mind and meditating is so goof for out mind, body and soul, so I would 100% recommend if you’re looking to become more mindful.

Thanks for reading :)

Louise x