Student Wellbeing

Mindfulness During Remote Learning

As we reach the middle of Term 3, it is important that we continue to take care of our mental health and Wellbeing while we engage in remote learning and working from home. Stopping and being present in the moment, rather than looking back to the past or worrying about the future, is at the core of being mindful. Below are 10 ways to practice mindfulness at home:

Live in the moment – find 5 minutes a day to stop and just live in the moment – close your eyes, ground your feet, breathe deeply and just be.
Think about your goals – just because life can feel like it’s on hold a little sometimes, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep thinking about our goals – who we are now will help us get there!
Mindful Eating – quite often we eat on the run. Take the time to eat a meal and do nothing else. Really savour the flavours and textures, take your time and enjoy your meal!
Mindful Exercise – try engaging in exercise without music blasting, or another person present to distract you. Try and go for a walk or do a workout, when you are truly present and connected to what you are doing.
Start Your Day without your Gadgets – rather than reaching for your phone and checking your socials as soon as you get up, leave your phone by your bedside, go and sit in the backyard and have a cuppa in silence. Go tech free for a morning!
Be Patient – some things will take longer than you’d like. Maybe you’re waiting on that email to come through so you can progress on a project. Learning patience can come from focussing on something small, like standing and waiting for the kettle to boil. Try it!
Congratulate Yourself – When things go right, stop and congratulate yourself – be proud of your accomplishments and use positive words or phrases to talk yourself up. You deserve it!
Let the Negative Stuff Go – When things wrong, find a way to let the negative stuff go. Rather than berating ourselves, take the time to visualise the negative thought, scrunch it up into a metaphoric ball and toss it away.
End Your Day on a Positive Note – Before going to bed at night, take stock of what went well and the things that you are thankful for from that day. When we take time to think about it, there are lots of little great moments that happen each day.
Keep trying – taking the time to stop and be mindful is HARD and doesn’t feel natural. But anything that’s worth doing is worth practicing. Be kind to yourself if you find doing some of these steps difficult, but keep going!