The body scan is an exercise that helps us to relax and connect with our emotions as they flow through our bodies. Conor walks us through the body scan and invites you to practice it as much as you like.

In this episode, Conor opens up about his experiences of therapy.

Conor has had over one hundred psychotherapy sessions in the last three years and has also completed a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course with the NHS. In this piece  he explains what these two therapies involve, what his own experiences of them have been like and how to find a counsellor and therapy type that is right for you. Listen with volume low to reduce feedback noise! Sorry :|

This is my favourite mindfulness exercise. I do it whenever I feel a little bit off, be it that I’m wired, tired or a little bit down. I find that it helps to ground me and feel a little more normal.

With all the rushing around in our day to day lives, it is easy to take our breathing for granted. We breath up to 30,000 times a day but how many of those are we really conscious of? Breath is at the centre of much of mindfulness and the 4-7-8 breathing method is a nice exercise to try if you need something to calm you down during your day.

Much of the anxiety and stress that we experience can be felt in our bodies. After a stressful week we can come home with tension all over, be it our shoulders, our neck, our jaw or our forehead. The Tense and Release exercise is a great way to remove some of that tension and can help relax you during the day or even in bed before trying to sleep.

Being busy is one of the backbones of our generation. If we aren’t on the go, be it with work, study, sport or socializing, then we are doing something wrong. Amongst all of our busy-ness, it is easy to fall into a state of automatic pilot where our senses fall into the background and we have full focus on the task at hand. The 5-4-3-2-1 method is a way to bring us back into the present moment and check in with ourselves and the world around us.

We can all get a bit overwhelmed as we go through our day to day lives, be it in work, college or at home. Sometimes to get away from this uncomfortable feeling, we turn to our phones. We watch Netflix or YouTube and go onto social media. This can help distract us but doesn’t do much to help us past the immediate term. Try the following breathing exercise that puts your phone to positive use.

Conor has been on a journey of trial and error when it comes to mental health and work. He has at times had to take time off to look after himself but he now has a routine that helps him to work effectively while also being kind to himself. In this episode, Conor discusses the importance of communicating with your employer and your colleagues, and also guides us through some short mindfulness exercises that can be practiced throughout the working day. Exercises: 1. Phone Breathing (Begins at 13:30). 2. 5-4-3-2-1 Relaxation Method (Begins at 15:20) 3. Tense & Release (Begins at 19:55) 4. The 4-7-8 Breathing Method (Begins at 24:00) 5. The 3 Step Breathing Space (Begins at 25:13). Visit https://amentalhealthjourney.com for more content like this.

Conor Stone, the founder and content creator at A Mental Health Journey.com, shares his story in celebration of World Mental Health Day. Visit https://amentalhealthjourney.com for more content like this.