5 mindful ideas for these worrying times

1. Interspersal of mindfulness through the day.
Here’s an example: hand washing the 20 second chore that has come into our life can become a mindful exercise by feeling the soapy water running over our hands, to focus on the sensations of rubbing our palms together and intertwining our fingers.


2. Sleeping may be an issue.
Good sleep is essential for brain health.
Here is a breathing technique that can help your nervous system find relief at that critical time before sleep.
And even if you are wakening during the night, this following technique will get you back into sleep, just like magic. From Dr Andrew Weill 4/7/8 Breathing technique.


3. Get in touch with your “calm.”
On top of simple mindfulness practices, you can also take a moment to pause and notice what it feels like when you are calm among the storm of people unknowingly spreading social contagion. When you do, you will notice that calm feels a lot better than anxiety. Use this to hack your brains’ reward centres.
When given a choice, our brains will learn to perform the action that is most rewarding.
Calm is the obvious, more rewarding choice when compared to anxiety.
The more you practice it, the more it will become your norm rather than your exception.


4. Take it one day at a time.
Our brains are hardwired to plan for the future.
We don’t have enough information right now about how this pandemic is going to play out to plan 6 months down the road.
When you notice your brain starting to spin out into future thinking and worry, take a breath, a mindful pause, and remind yourself to take it one day at a time.
Use your breathing, slow and gentle to continuously bring you into presence.


5. Take advantage of being forced to slow down.
Often in life we get hung up on tasks and to-dos, the latest trends and fashions, obligations around work and emails we have to check, much of which is not relevant to our core humanity.
When we slow down, we can better connect and become aware of ourselves and our surroundings, having a profound impact not just on our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, but also on our ability to be mindful.