Mindful Monday

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, stress is the brain and body’s response to change, challenge or demand. Any type of demand or challenge can be stressful. But not all stress is bad, for some it can be a motivator an indicator to perform. But consistent and long term stress can harm your health. Even though everyone feels stress from time to time, it’s important that you are aware of what and how you deal with minor and major stresses in your life.

This meditation accompanies our 5 July No 17 Guide and Podcast on Managing Stress. Today’s meditation is called Guided Meditation for Stress Relief. This meditation guides you through some deep breathing, to a beautiful place, to notice what is around, and to be open to a way forward. 

As we continue to face ambiguity and constant changes, one thing we can all do to make a difference: is sleep well. Restful sleep can support us in every aspect of life. It helps us to stay calm and clear; it can lower our anxiety levels and increase our energy. It can also help us shift our attitude so we have a more positive mindset and helps us to recover so we can tackle anything. 

This meditation accompanies our 28 June No 16 Guide and Podcast on Sleep Well. Today’s meditation is called Towards better sleep. This meditation assists you to become settled, become aware of the body sensations and to get less caught up in thoughts before sleep. Taking time to just be, not strive or judge and accept whatever is present, no need to force sleep. 

Fear is primal and essential for survival. Our primitive brain was primed for identifying immediate danger and perceives dangers as real threats. Our brain scans constantly for danger focusing on threats over reward. Fear, then is part of everyday life. It’s often around and it has a greater impact over our lives that we may realise. Whilst there is no one answer to conquering fear, if you can find ways to welcome your fears, see them, sit with them and let them go, over and over again through a mindful approach you go some way to conquering them and making them easier to live with. 

This meditation accompanies our 21st June No 15 Guide and Podcast on Working with fear. Today’s meditation is called “Being with fear” and it invites you to sit with a future event that you might fear. It’s normal for the mind to bring up future fears, you are not alone. Rather by turning towards the fear, sitting with the fear enables you to be kind and nurture yourself whenever it arises .

This meditation accompanies our 14 June No 14 Guide and Podcast on Navigating Overwhelm. Today’s meditation is called “Thoughts on Leaves” this meditation guides you through a forest, a safe space to watch the leaves falling from trees and paying attention to your thoughts. Taking time to notice the thought, label it, place it on the leaf and let it go. 

Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey explain in their book “Immunity to Change” that we feel overwhelmed when the complexity of modern life surpasses our complexity of mind (i.e. our ability to handle that level of complexity). It has nothing to do with your capabilities. 

When you are overwhelmed, mindfulness can help you to accept your thoughts and feelings of too much while helping you to let go of trying to change or fix things. This podcast provides tips to help you, your kids and leaders to manage overwhelm.

This meditation is called the Breathing my anchor and it accompanies our Breathing my anchor edition of Mindful Monday 7 June Edition No 13. This invites you to be present to whatever arises in each moment and to bring your awareness to your breath. Just noticing each new breath as it arises.

When you focus on your breath you are bringing yourself to the here and now which assists you be present in the moment This is your anchor - it helps to regulate your nervous system, your mind and to develop a different relationship with your sensations, feelings and thoughts. It gives you feedback on your current state of mind. By noticing the qualities of your breath… short, long, shallow or deep you can become familiar with how you are feeling or observe your emotions. Let, your breath stabilize you when times are difficult.