Meditation and Mindfulness
What is mindfulness and why is it important?
Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity and without judgement. Mindfulness is a skill that takes time and effort to learn, just like all skills. When we’re mindful, we reduce stress and anxiety, improve concentration and cognitive capacity, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind, and increase our attention to our own and others’ well-being.
What is the difference between mindfulness and relaxation?
Whilst mindfulness activities can sometimes be relaxing, the purpose of mindfulness is not relaxation but a feeling of being grounded and centred in the present moment and not tangled up in your thoughts and feelings.
Relaxation is a state of being free from tension and anxiety. Relaxation can be achieved many different ways and the things you find relaxing are entirely decided by you. What works for you might be different from what works for someone else. Doing activities that bring you joy, gentle movement and rest are some examples. You may find that meditation is a great stress reducing tool for you, which will in turn allow you to feel more relaxed in your day to day life.
Formal Mindfulness Practice
The most common formal mindfulness practice is meditation, where you pause and focus attention on one thing, usually either your breathing or the sensations experienced within your body. If meditation is something you enjoy or are interested in trying, there are many guided mediation options to get you started.
Apps that help foster a meditation practice include:
Smiling Mind (free)
Calm (free trial/paid)
Headspace: Meditate and Relax (free)
Insight Timer (free)
Alternatively are links below for relaxing music to listen to as you meditate unguided, focusing on your breath, observing thoughts that come up, acknowledging them, and letting them pass without judgement.
Informal Mindfulness Practice
With informal practice you bring the same kind of improved attention that you might get from formal meditation practice to everyday situations. This involves directing your full and non-judgemental attention to the activity you’re undertaking at a particular moment – it might be...
Washing the dishes, brushing your teeth, chatting with a friend or studying.
Reading a book and focusing totally on the present moment
Going for a walk and observing everything around you as well as how each thing you encounter makes you feel (smells, flowers, sounds, people)
Being present and focused during a conversation with a friend
Guided Meditation apps I reccommend!
Meditio (Free) Best for: Simple meditations, sleep meditations, great layout
Insight Timer (free) Best for: Ambient music, the 7 day intro to meditation course, trialling different styles of meditation
Balance (Currently free for first year) personalised meditations, skills building
Grounding Exercises to Try
Drop an anchor: This is a simple mindfulness exercise to centre yourself and connect with the world around you. Practise it anytime you find yourself getting tangled up in your thoughts and feelings.
Plant your feet firmly on the ground.
Push them down – notice the floor beneath you, supporting you.
Notice the muscle tension in your legs as you push your feet down.
Notice your entire body – and the feeling of gravity flowing down through your head, spine, and legs into your feet.
Now look around and notice what you can see and hear. Notice where you are and what you are doing.
Observation exercise: Pick an object you can see - can be anything! A tree, a table, a book. Proceed to describe it in great detail in your head, textures, colours, shapes - in doing so you will find you are immersed in the activity and present moment - this is mindfulness!
Rainbow Observation: This works alone but is most effective when you ask a friend or support person to guide you. It is my go to during panic attacks or states of high anxiety. Stop wherever you are, ask someone to direct you to find; 5 things around you that are red, when you have named them out loud, move on to orange and so on. This allows your brain to focus away on your state of panic and redirect and calm down.
Source: https://www.smilingmind.com.au/
Info sheet grounding techniques.pdfWhat is Mindfulness_ Information Sheet.pdf