I Just Want Back In Your Head

Why I practice Mindfulness

While I never fully embraced mindfulness in Tony Bates’ book ‘Coming through Depression’, it is something I’ve tried to practice since. I attended a workshop on it in college and I found it to be really useful. Last year, while at a volunteer workshop I rediscovered Mindfulness.
Through a simple deep breathing exercise, I immediately felt more relaxed, calmer, and my fears had left me. I swore that I'd keep it up in times of stress. While I can reflect a year on from this workshop that I haven't quite managed that, mindfulness is something I know that I should return to. And what better way to ensure I do that than through a blog post?

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist tradition – It's said to be up to 6,000 years old.

The focus is on your present physical state. It teaches you to be aware of yourself, right now, as you are. That means no worrying about what you've done in the past, or what you will do in the future. 

The Mental Health Foundation give this kind of cheesy definition: 'To be aware of your negative thoughts and judgements and to let go of them, open yourself to new feelings, positive ones.'
I can hear you yelling 'hippie bullshit' from behind your screens, but hear me out first.

Being aware of negative thought and judgements is also a huge part of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), and people aren't as quick to discard that. And positive feelings can't be a bad thing in any context, can they?

Mindfulness does get a bad rep due to images like the one above - the idea of meditation and lots of humming.
And sometimes it's easier to describe what mindfulness is, by explaining what it isn't. It isn't a religion. It isn't meditation.
But it is more than possible to be 'aware' without sitting cross legged while burning your incense (But if that's what helps you reach mindfulness, that's okay too). 

Today, mindfulness is recognised by counsellors and therapists as a form of CBT.

Living In the Moment

A lot of counsellors like to go on about ‘the present’. The ‘here and now’. And while it’s easy to dismiss this as waffle, it actually has a lot of truth in it. This is a huge aspect of the practice of mindfulness. 

There is no point in living in the past; you cannot change it.

There is no point living in the future; you don’t know what will happen.

Living in the present is truly the only way to find happiness.

It sounded a little bit ‘hippie’ to me at first. But when you think about it, it does make a lot of sense.

Mindfulness teaches self-awareness in this way - recognising what's going on now, right at this moment in time. So if you're feeling particularly emotional, don't bottle it up or try to hide it. Embrace your sadness, let it out and reflect on why you're currently feeling this way.
Mindfulness also refers to consciously noticing when your mind wanders. If we're to really to live in the moment, you should be focused on the present, and not the million and one other things that fight for the forefront of your mind.

Benefits of Mindfulness:

• Used to treat physical and mental illnesses.
• Fights Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anxiety.
• Helps to regulate emotions.
• Improves performance.
• Lowers levels of stress.
• Used to treat chronic pain e.g. arthritis.

Basically there are so many benefits, it is impossible to list them all.

Stay tuned for a very simple and easy mindfulness breathing technique over the next week that can help with stress and anxiety.

Calm: App and Book Review

Calm the mind, change the world

I've struggled to motivate myself to practice mindfulness in the past. Even this past month it's been a challange. Finding journaling tools that allow me to explore mindfulness through writing and reflections have helped me to bring a little bit of awareness into every day. But I still want to find a way of bringing mindfulness meditation into my life. And the Calm app and book are just what I needed to make meditation easy and achievable.

"Being mindful of your thoughts will get easier with practice. When you notice your thoughts, don't hold on to them or push them away. They all come and go and are constantly changing. Just let them be as they are." - Claire Thompson

Calm App

The Calm App is free to download (so no excuses) and it offers different forms of guided or non-guided meditation. With daily reminders to check-in, it's easy to explore the different forms of meditation offered via the app including body scans and loving-kindness. You can only unlock all of the mindfulness tools by completing the first few ones, which gives the app a sort of gaming type appeal. You can choose your own background and sound effects, or change it up every few days depending on your mood.

Living in the Moment

If I want to fulfill my resolution to Don't Rush, then I have to start living in the moment.

Living in the moment really means moving on from your past, and not fretting about the future. For me, someone with a history of severe depression and general anxiety, it's not that easy to do.

Thankfully, there is a book to help me along the process.

'Living in the Moment' by Dani DiPirro brings together mindfulness and meditation to guide you through how to increase your awareness and focus on the present.

For DiPirro, Living in the Moment means 'fully concentrating on what's happening in the present' and 'not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future'.

The book was designed to be accessible and make it easy to cultivate awareness everyday by interspersing quotes and activities throughout.
Di Pirro gives tips for staying present like Don't Look Back.

And advises us to accept difficult times, live fearlessly and use your time well. In fact, the book is full of advice and rather cliched phrases: -
Get the most out of everyday.
Keep your eyes (and heart) open to opportunities.

But it also has great advice for living mindfully. Di Pirro advocates for mindful moments where we make more of an effort to observe the world around you. From trying to observe an experience objectively to the more practical writing down your worries to set them aside, these are practicable activities to increase awareness of the present.

The book is very short, but I found it to be the perfect starting point for trying to live in the moment. Hopefully it's something I can keep up as I continue to live my resolution - Don't Rush.

Until next time,

Mindful Journaling: 10 Beautiful Things

I have another mindfulness journaling tool for you all today.

Having enjoyed my Here I Am reflection, today’s tool also focuses on accepting and responding to your surrounds. A large part of mindfulness is based on finding happiness in the present, rather than seeing it as a far-off in the future achievement.

I'll be happy when I'm rich.
or I'll be happy when I find a man.
These thoughts just put happiness off, and relegate it to something that you have no control over now.

Instead, mindfulness accepts happiness as more of a mindset, something achievable in the present. This journaling tool will help you find beautiful moments of happiness right now.

10 Beautiful Things I Noticed Today

To capture your 10 Beautiful Things you must reflect on what you see, hear, taste, smell and feel and keep note throughout the day. This tool forces you to notice the little things going on around you. I spent my day actively seeking out beautiful moments and found myself constantly noticing how much beauty there is around me. I was surprised at how many little things are actually beautiful moments when we take the time to stop and appreciate them.

Here I Am

This month, I want to slow down the pace of life and be happy with where I am; here in the present moment. The theme is Don't Rush - and what better way to do that than by stopping and acknowledging my present?

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” 
― Thich Nhat Hanh

So to kick off the month I've come up with a simple journaling tool to increase my mindfulness and help focus on the present. Last month, I rediscovered the power of journaling, and it's something I will be returning to throughout the rest of May. Journaling is a great way of practicing mindfulness, as it can be used to acknowledge your feelings and appreciate every moment.
A huge part of mindfulness is about finding peace where you are. So today I'm acknowledging where I am - right here.

To use this journaling tool, think about the following questions:

1. Where are you physically? What can you see, hear, smell?
2. Where are you in your life right now? What’s going right? What’s going wrong?
3. Where are you mentally? What’s your mood like?

This tool allows you to practice mindfulness by situating yourself in the present moment, and also reflecting on why and how you are where you are. To use this, try to keep in mind the stream of consciousness technique where you write in one continuous flow. Put down in writing whatever comes to mind as you consider the above questions!

Here I Am:

It’s Monday evening – 6:24pm to be precise. I’ve just had dinner and am sitting at my desk. My desk is a bit of a mess, and I wish I had the time to give it a good clean. My curtains are opened to my right hand side; with the windows both open too. The smell from outdoors is permeating into my room and reminds me of how much I love letting the fresh air in during the warmer months.

In front of me is my book shelf – in need of a good dusting around the two rows of unread books. I have a book buying problem (I bought another two this morning...). But I can admit it, and so therefore my logic tells me I am not an addict. And to my left is my bed; made in haste and looking rather untidy.

Mindfulness: An Introduction

I've tried mindfulness before, but I don't often get very far as it's a concept I've always struggled with.
Living in the now requires a hyper-awareness that I try not to possess. Over the years I’ve conditioned myself to stop paying attention to what’s going on in my head. I’ve preferred to ignore my low moods and hope they pass rather than examining and trying to understand them. It only serves to amplify my mental health issues rather than solve them.

"Mindfulness shows us what is happening in our bodies, our emotions, our minds, and in the world." - Thich Nhat Hanh, 'Moments of Mindfulness: Daily Inspiration'

But I’m trying again as part of this month’s resolution – Don’t Rush. I want to learn to appreciate each moment, and to do that I need to become mindful.

One of the best brief guides to mindfulness is available for free online. Padraig O’Morain’s ‘The Quite Short Guide to Mindfulness’ answers all the most common questions on mindfulness and even contains some short and simple mindfulness practices.

This Week in Mental Health... 8th November

Aaaand another week is over! Next thing we know November will be over... It pains me to even think towards December and Christmas already.
This week I've been reading a lot of articles about mindfulness, the work of helpline Niteline, and Miriam Dowling's excellent take on mental health in the workplace (Number 9 in this week's articles) amongst many others.

1) The pressure to be thin is the main reason vulnerable young girls contemplate suicide – expert, Claire McCormack

Pieta House were putting emphasis on one of the main reasons young girls take their own lives - body issues. Although most associated with females, male body issues are also on the rise.

Sunday Independent, 01st November 2015;
“Pressure to be thin is the main reason vulnerable teenage girls contemplate suicide, a leading adolescent psychotherapist says. Over the last two years, Pieta House - the suicide and self-harm crisis centre - has witnessed a marked increase in the number of 13- to 17-year-old girls presenting with suicidal ideation. The most consistent issue they are presenting with is their struggle to obtain "the perfect body"... "It's about looking thin. Teenage girls are comparing themselves a lot to their peers. They're at a stage of development where confidence is quite low and in order to be acceptable to the group, they believe they need this 'ideal body'," said Ms Kiely.”

Pesky gNATs: CBT for Kids

One of the big moves in the world of mental health lately, has been the focus of improving mindfulness skills and mental health awareness in children. Schools in the UK and Ireland are now looking at reflection exercises as a way of teaching students to look after and understand their minds.

But one of the most complicated treatments for mental illness is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and it's something psychiatrists have struggled to adapt for children. CBT is a form of psychotherapy which focuses on changing your unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.

In early September I was invited out to UCD and given the opportunity to try out a kid-friendly CBT therapy tool, Pesky gNATs.

Pesky gNATs (PeskygNATs.com) is a computer game and associated app created to aid counsellors in their work with children. Designed for those aged 9+, it’s an accessible technology for young people in counselling to help them learn about CBT.

They describe their vision as this:

Pesky gNATs is a computer supported CBT intervention for young people. It combines gaming and mobile technology with the highest quality psychological content to support evidence-based interventions with young people aged 9-17.

Creator Gary O’Reilly told me it is a way of 'keeping the therapist in therapy technology' in a world that’s turning more and more to online technology to aid with mental health work.

Adult Colouring Books

It's a trend you can't avoid. Non-children have been reaching to the colouring pencils and markers faster than you can say 'New Popular Mindfulness Trend.' And yes, I did just call them 'non-children'. 

I'm not usually one for jumping onto bandwagons. Unless of course the bandwagon will make me more Hipster. I've always wanted to be a Hipster... 

But back in April I was volunteering at the Chester Beatty Library. Anyone who's been there knows they not only tell you the history of the world through the history of books, but they also have pretty little postcards for the children to colour in. Or, in my case, for me to take home and talk about how big of a child I am for enjoying colouring in. 

So, seen as colouring in is actually something I do really enjoy, I'm delighted that it's now become fashionable for grown-up non-children to do it. They have even invented 'Adult Colouring Books' so that you won't feel embarrassed carrying around an A-4, Disney Princess, clearly marked for kids book. And of course, they can charge you so much more for stylish adult colouring books.

The Mindful Morning

I love free printables. The only thing I love more, is free mental health related printables.

The Mindful Morning blog offers a weekly planner to help you prioritise self care every day. By signing up to the newsletter, you get this free sheet sent to your email.

The sheet allows you to select three areas of your life you want to work on that week. Centering your week around personal growth goals is not something I've ever done - and as a result I often find it difficult to see the bigger picture.

Last week, I gave the to-do list a try to see if it helped me to bring mindfulness into my daily routine.

At first it was motivating. I selected the three areas I wanted to work on. Monday and Tuesday got off to a good self care start.
But I found the things I wanted to work on too broad. And I was afraid of repetition in the lists of what I wanted to do for myself each day. I wanted to make the extra effort to read, but writing 'read' every day seemed silly.

Be Mindful | Online Mindfulness Course

Part of my Mindfulness Online Series.

Mindfulness is an ever growing phenomenon. As more and more people look to mindfulness for help, answers or just for relief, it's important to learn the practice from trusted and reliable sources.

The UK's Mental Health Foundation is just one of these sources. I've been using their website for the past three years for high standard information, explanations, as well as their array of free publications. They've been of great help to me particularly when I was involved in mental health education and outreach in college. One such publication, is on Mindfulness.

Mindfulness Technique

I overhead a conversation on the Luas the other day. A guy was trying to explain to his friend the difficulty of trying to practice mindfulness on your own.

"With an instructor and a room of people it feels so easy. Trying to be mindful on your own can be a bit - ugh."

I've definitely had the same experience. It's difficult to be quiet, close your eyes and relax your muscles when you're not being told to do so. It can be enough to turn you off mindfulness altogether.

But, there's one simple mindful practice I learned last year; a simple breathing exercise. I get stressed a lot. And a huge part of my stress has been mild panic attacks when I'm upset or overwhelmed. Regulating your breathing is a great technique for helping you to calm down and return to a more neutral state. Mindfulness, as discussed in last week's post, can help you with this.  

Inhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 2 seconds
Exhale for 6 seconds

It sounds so simple, but it's ridiculously effective. Deep breathing is a highly lauded practice in helping with anxiety. Basically, it's the ultimate in de-stressing, and it's worked for me.

But, as it's tough to remember to use these techniques on your own, I had to make a visible reminder.

Reusing an old Scrabble board, I painted the board gold and waited until it had dried fully.

On top of the gold paint I spelled out what I wanted to say via stickers (the Stickers I used are also gold, making them hard to read in this picture, but a bargain at €1.49 in Dealz). I also included an anchor because anchors are quite possibly my favourite ever thing, and this breathing exercise is perfect to keep you anchored.

Then, I spray painted over the stickers in pink spray paint (picked up from my local hardware store).

All that's left is to peel off the stickers and ta-dah it's complete! My own little personal reminder to turn to mindfulness when things get tough.

Seriously, give mindfulness a try.