MIND|FUL|NESS

Definition: A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

Basically, slow down and listen to your body and mind.

Over the past 2 years practising and talking about mindfulness has become very popular, reason being is that we have all become too busy and neglected the importance of taking time out for ourselves.

We are not allowing ourselves to switch off. For example, when I am alone at home I have a tendency of just switching the TV on, with no intention of even watching it. I just use it as background noise as a distraction from my own thoughts.

Now how many of you can just sit and watch a movie or just general TV without picking up your phone to aimlessly scroll through social media? I know I'm guilty of this, urgh. Unless I am doing something that requires concentration (like blogging) I just get bored, or even anxious. My anxiety starts because I'm just sitting and over thinking (jeez I do some over thinking) about things that in all honesty do not matter or I end up over thinking to the point where I make assumptions and convince myself that its fact, when in reality it's complete fiction.

Before you know it, it's bedtime and you remember something you forgot to do that day maybe something at work, contacting someone or even something as little as doing the laundry. Then it begins all over again, the anxiety. Now you're lying in bed wide awake, thinking about the thing you needed and should do, your stomach is now crippled with anxiety and you can't sleep.

Why do we do it to ourselves? It's crazy talk.

These days we all live such fast paced lives we forget to be in the moment, we forget to just breathe and live.

Practising mindfulness however can help you deal with those emotions. It can help you become aware to what is around you and what you're missing out on by becoming so wrapped up in your anxieties.

So how did I take the first step and begin to take back control of my mind? Here's how:

Read.
I started to read books on practising mindfulness or reading autobiographies of people who suffered from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). I recommend A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled by Ruby Wax, who has written a series of books all linked to mental health. I also recommend We're All Mad Here by Claire Eastham a girl who suffered from anxiety and how she dealt with it. I used to be an avid reader when I was younger but as I got into my teen years I became disinterested, however since discovering these genre of books I find it hard to put the book down! So if you're reading this thinking "urgh but I don't enjoy reading" or "books are for nerds", I thought that and now I'm sitting here giving out recommendations.

Enjoy the silence.
Turn off your TV, your phone, the radio - anything that distracts your mind. Now just sit there and breathe. Okay so now maybe you're starting to think (over think) of whatever has been niggling at you all day, but just keep breathing through those thoughts. Think about those thoughts from a different perspective, as if it's your friends issue. Now think about what you would say to them, how would you advise and distract them from it? Looking at things from a different perspective gives you the chance to take a step back for a second and again, breathe. Eventually you will recognise the emotions and thoughts without torturing yourself. You'll learn to take control of those emotions before they get a hold of you. Anxiety is like a bully in your head, it makes you second guess yourself and everyone/thing around you, don't let it. Stamp it out.


Look after yourself.
When my anxiety peaks, I tend to just let it get me emotionally and physically. I can sometimes go all day without eating a thing on my worst days. Then right before bedtime I would get so hungry I would end up binge eating, and not on healthy stuff. Pizza, cakes, doughnuts you name it - I ate it. My stomach would be so bad with anxiety it was as if a swarm of wasps were trapped inside, so I would just lose my appetite. Eventually I knew I couldn't go on like that, it made me feel lethargic and it showed in my face. I had dark circles under my eyes, I looked drawn and pale. So I did something about it, I looked into healthy lifestyles, read blogs and did a few YouTube searches and came across Revolutionary Yoga (I think I mentioned this in my previous post, Self Help) and every morning I get up, have some breakfast, put down my yoga mat and begin the class - in the comfort of my own living room might I add! As well as that I ditched the crappy food and if I fancied something sweet I opted for fruit instead. Everything is about training your mind first and then it shows in your body.

Also if you're a smoker - BIN THEM, NOW and purchase (if you need to) an electronic cigarette. Smoking makes you feel sluggish and for me, it sometimes made me feel light headed and just generally unhealthy.

So in short, open up your mind and read books, turn off your devices, log out of social media, eat well and at suitable times, start exercising, stop smoking and allow yourself to be in the moment, don't be afraid of your OWN voice, tell the bully in your mind "nope not today!" and live your life.

Thanks for reading, I know I can ramble on sometimes 🙈.

What do you do when you're feeling anxious? How do you practice mindfulness?