Mindfulness This is the buzzword of the moment.  While many people use it intermittently with terms like meditation, they are quite different.  Mindfulness is the simply the ability to be calm and be present and enjoy the moment, not the past or the future.    Research in Australia says that we are only present for around 15% of our day.  Considering the amount of time that we are with loved ones, that is not very much.  Mindfulness does not have to mean meditating - it is more about being in the present moment.   More than 3000 studies confirm that there are psychological and physiological advantages to ‘being present’.

 

Mindfulness helps us ‘self-regulate’, noticing feelings as they arise, so we can manage our emotions more effectively and feel more balanced.  Simply taking a couple of minutes to focus on the breath can bring remarkable changes to your physiology and psychology, boosting the immune system, as well as building mental resilience and developing a greater sense of overall wellbeing.

 

By far the biggest intrusion in our daily lives that stops us from being mindful and in the present moment are our phones and social media.

 

So remove the headphones, disconnect from technology -  be in touch with what’s around you.   Be in the moment, instead of recording videos and snapping photos.  According to a 2017 study, Australians check their phones an average of 35 times per day. 35% of us check our phone within 5 minutes of waking up in the morning and 70% of us during mealtimes with family and friends.

 

The apps that are on your phone are designed to be addictive – the same types of tricks that pokie machines us. 

 

Take all notifications off your phone, you don’t need them.  Notifications are there as a trick to suck you back into the app.  Right now, we don’t choose when to check our phone - our phone tells us when to pick it up because it beeps and vibrates and then you grab it straight away. It needs to be the other way around.  We should be deciding when to pick it up.  When you turn all notifications off, no-one can reach you at a time that you don’t want to be disturbed.  Go to setting and turn all notifications off.  Rearrange your home screen – only put apps on your homescreen that are non-addictive and that make you feel good.  Right now, everyone covers their homescreen with the apps they are most likely to check.  The problem with this is that these are the ones that we are most addicted to.  Put them 5 or 6 screens across – out of sight, out of mind.

 

Delete Facebook off your phone. They are the masters at sucking you back, don’t have it on your phone. Get rid of it off your phone and just have it on your laptop to check in once a day.  That way, every time you pick up your phone there is nothing there for you.  The urge slowly fades over time to keep grabbing your phone. There is a great app called Moment.  At the end of the day it will give you a rundown of your phone usage, of how long you spent on each app, and how long you were on your phone during the day, as well as how many times you picked it up.  While it is confronting at first, you get more competitive and try to beat yesterday’s score to pick up the phone less. 

 

TASKS FOR THE WEEK FOR MINDFULNESS

 

1.      Mindfulness Walks – go for a walk in nature.   Don’t wear headphones, no distractions, just what is around you.   Take particular note  of your surroundings - what are 3 things you can hear, smell, see and feel on your walk.

 

There are profound psychological and physiological benefits to spending time in nature.  Japanese forest bathing experiments have shown the health benefits of spending time in woodland, including reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.  Further research shows that the natural world has a calming effect on everything from blood pressure to stress hormones.  Walking and even sitting in nature boosts mood and energy. 

 

When taking a mindful stroll – when you have a range of sensory cues to tune into to it can help to focus your mind. Each time you find yourself distracted by an anxious thought, pull your focus back to the natural world – tune into the sound of birds, or wind in the branches, the sound of your feet on the ground.

 

Notice your reactions to the unexpected when you’re walking outdoors alone.  Do you feel irritated by a dog walker, ignored or judged by a stranger’s greeting or silence, drawn to watching a particular bird? Reflect on your reactions and consider what they may be telling you about your state of mind or the way you are interpreting the world around you.

 

Studies show that people who are more physically active experience greater feelings of excitement and enthusiasm. It even shows that people “have more pleasant-activated feelings” on days when they are more physically active than usual.. Add in some mindfulness into your walk, and those positive feelings are certain to increase.  The more you exercise, the more serotonin your body receives. Some studies have even proven regular exercise to be just as effective at increasing serotonin levels as serotonin-enhancing medications.

 

2.      Delete Facebook off Your Phone

 

3.      Take all notifications off your phone

4.      Have some times where you don’t take your phone with you.  You don’t have to have your phone everywhere you go. Leave it at home for a change.

 

5.      Sensory Grounding

 

v    Notice five things that you can see around you: colours, texture, people, objects

v    Notice four things that you can feel: Your body against a surface, your own tension and tightness in your chest or your shoulders, your own emotions that are present

v    Notice three things that you can hear: birdsong, airconditioning hum, sounds in the distance

v    Notice two things that you can smell: this might just be the temperature of the air entering your nostrils, rain, pleasant scents

v    Notice one thing that has made today a good day: we often get so caught up in the busyness of the day that we miss the small moments that make each day magical.  Take a moment to check in with what has gone right!

 

6.     Listen. Set your alarm for five minutes. Don’t look at the clock, just close your eyes and listen.  The places we think of as being quiet are actually full of sounds.

 

7.     Look around.  Try to spot something new every day on a familiar journey.

 

8.     Get off auto-pilot.. Use your non-dominant hand to do familiar tasks: brush your hair, use your key, call the lift etc.  This will slow you down and move you from auto-pilot into the present moment.