THRIVE

Mind full or Mindful?

 

Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. It is not sitting in a funny position or humming, rather present moment attention. It is about trying to slow our minds to notice what we are thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling. Research has found that our minds are distracted 46.9% of the time. When we are paying attention to the here and now we are happier (Killingsworth & Gilbert 2010).

 

If you find you or your child are spending too much time dwelling on the past or worrying about the future then mindfulness could be the key to learning to become more present, focused and calm. Mindfulness is a trainable skill and works the pre-frontal cortex. It helps support attention, planning and reasoning, short-term memory, emotional regulation, impulse control and self-awareness. 

 

Tips

Practice mindfulness daily

 

Set a daily intention. Think about how you want to show up, what influence you are having on others and the world around you, what you can do to take better care of yourself. 

 

Mindful eating. At your next meal, slow down and continue to breathe deeply as you eat. It’s not easy to digest or savor your food if you aren’t relaxed.

 

Create new patterns. You could try a series of “If this, then that” messages to create easy reminders to take mindful moments. For instance, you might come up with, “If brushing teeth, take a deep breath,” as a way to shift into mindfulness. Or, “If phone rings, stretch my legs.”

 

Mindful colouring. Take a moment to pause and do a quiet activity like colouring to rest and reset. 

 

Meditate. Guided meditations can help you focus on your body and mind. Smiling Mind is an Australian organisation that offers free meditation activities for people of all ages. 

 

Connect with nature. Sit outside and spend 5 min paying attention to what you can hear, smell and see. 

Resources

Children’s book : ABC Mindful Me by Christiane Engel 

Smiling Mind app:  https://www.smilingmind.com.au/