Mindfulness

The life-changing reality of mindfulness

Mindfulness derives from centuries ago. Before battle, warriors would take a moment to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness increases focus, important for battle, work and everyday life. Mindfulness improves your attention span, helping you to focus better and for longer. It helps to regulate emotions, bringing a sense of calm, zooming in on your sensations to become oblivious of the ever-demanding world. It too increases your well-being.

As defined by mindful.org, “mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going around us.” Mindfulness is simply taking a moment to block out the world and sit in peace.

Mindfulness helps us manage emotional reactions, not by controlling them, but by relating to them with openness and curiosity. (Lindsay and Cresswell, 2019)

There are many ways to practice mindfulness, some are outlined in the resources below. Consider researching how mindfulness works and give it a go. It is a sure way to feel relaxed and refreshed after a busy day, or even a great way to start the day. You only need a few minutes to recharge your mind.

Apps

Healthy Minds: An app with podcast-style lessons and meditations to develop the skill of well-being. The meditations are presented as both seated and active meditations, which means you can meditate while doing low intensity exercise such as walking or even housework such as ironing. It is an excellent resource and it is free. Download it here.

Abide: An app for Christian meditation and prayer. Relaxing, and easy to follow. Download now and breathe in peace.

Breathe2Relax: A simple mindful breathing app that guides you through breathing exercises to calm your mind. Click here for more.

Ten Percent Happier: One of the best meditation apps. This app is for everyone, whether you have never done a mindfulness exercise or have been practicing for years. The exercises are simple and aim to improve your well-being by lessening your stress. Click here to try it out.

Headspace: The most well-known mindfulness app targeting happiness and health. Through evidence-backed meditations, Headspace helps you to feel joyful. Give it a go now.

Books

Mindfulness by Professor Mark Williams and Dr Danny Penman: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world. Includes a handy, 8-week course to help you handle stress. Download the eBook from the iTunes Book Store or Amazon; the eBook is the best resource, containing sound clips for the meditation exercises imbedded in the guide.

The Mindful Day by Laurie Cameron: This book provides numerous practical tips on how to be mindful throughout the day. It shares how to rise in the morning mindfully, how to be mindful at work and how to have a mindful homecoming at the end of the day. The chapters are written simply and briefly, easily understandable. Every chapter concludes with a set of practical suggestions for mindfulness. Dr Frans Hugo enjoyed reading the book and continues to refer back to the chapters. Click here for more information.