Self-care is an essential practice that should be a core component of our health and wellness strategy. Mindfulness is one of the various self-care strategies that can be adopted in daily practice. Have you ever heard of or practiced mindfulness before? According to the Mayo Clinic, mindfulness can be defined as “a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.” (Source: Mayo Clinic)
Mindfulness can be helpful with the following:
- Reducing stress
- High blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Improving Focus
- Anxiety
- Pain
- Depression
- and more benefits that are currently being researched.
- Paying Attention to your environment
- Living in the moment
- Self Acceptance
- Focused breathing
- Body Scan Meditation
- Walking Meditation
- Sitting Meditation
There are various ways to practice mindfulness but its recommended to start with guided mindfulness exercises so you can get used to the practice before attempting to do it on your own. Here are some of the different types of mindfulness techniques, but this is by no means an exhaustive list:
If you would like to sample some guided mindfulness exercises you can visit the David S. Rosenthal Center for Wellness and Health Promotion online and access the Awareness of Breath Meditation: https://soundcloud.com/user-479414760/awareness-of-breath-meditation
There is also a Body Scan Meditation exercise:
https://soundcloud.com/user-479414760/body-scan-meditation
You can find other mindfulness videos or audio tracks on YouTube by typing in mindfulness or mindfulness meditation in the search engine. There are also several apps including Fitbit, Headspace, Calm, Mindfulness.com and more where you can access short and/or extended mindfulness exercises for free or with a paid subscription. Including mindfulness exercises into your daily self-care routine can be helpful with reducing stress and so much more. Why not try it out today!
About the Author
Monica Akerele, MSW, LMSW is a Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of Georgia. She is also a Health and Wellness Blogger, Consultant, Motivational Coach and Speaker at Choosing Healthy Consulting, LLC. More of her blog posts can be found at www.monicaakerele.com. In addition, Monica serves as a Warrick Dunn Charities Advisory Council Member.
