Category: Wellness

1. Find a quiet place free from distractions and sit upright in a comfortable position.
2. Decide how many minutes you have.  You may want to set a timer to keep track of the time.  Begin with 5 minutes and ease into 20-30.
3. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.  Continue to focus on your natural breathing pattern at a relaxed pace, inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
4. When your mind wanders from the breath, simply return your attention back to your breath.  Anytime the attention drifts away to a thought or distraction, gently guide focus back to your breathing.
5. When the time is complete, remain sitting comfortably with your eyes closed.  Take a deep breath as you slowly open your eyes.  Have a restful moment before resuming activity.

Could Mindfulness Help You Control Anxiety?

Inhale, then exhale, focusing on your breath. Place a mint on your tongue, and pay close attention to the taste.

These types of exercises promote mindfulness. This state—in which you observe and accept the present moment—may reduce symptoms of anxiety disorder, among other conditions. Other effective treatments for anxiety disorders include counseling and medication. Mindfulness training may be combined with these approaches to ease stress and worries.

In a recent study, seven weeks of mindfulness training reduced anxiety in women with fibromyalgia, who are prone to developing anxiety disorders. And in a review of 19 studies containing almost 500 participants, researchers noticed similar soothing results.

Mindfulness means learning to focus and stay in the present moment. Especially if you have an anxiety disorder, your thoughts may still scatter or race. But instead of being distracted, you’ll learn to let them exist and take their natural course.

With practice, you’ll start accepting and tolerating your fears and worries, rather than trying to actively push them away. Noticing and stepping back from your thoughts may help you let them go.

Article from The StayWell Company, LLC

Think you’ve got to bend your legs like a pretzel and sit for hours to achieve mindfulness?

Think again. This once obscure Buddhist concept is growing in popularity—no yoga mat required.

The timing couldn’t be better, either. Recent research indicates we’re more stressed-out than ever. In fact, stress rates have skyrocketed in the past six to seven years, a timeline that roughly corresponds to our ability to “hyper-connect” to work via smartphones, says executive coach and American Management Association expert Scott Eblin, author of Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative.

The Gift of Presence

Mindfulness can get us back to center. At its heart, mindfulness is observing what is happening in the present without calling it good or bad. Observing without judging keeps us out of a past we can’t change or a future we can’t control.

When we practice mindfulness at work, we think more clearly. We respond rather than react. We take events less personally. We make better decisions. In short, our brains slow down. We reduce our stress levels while simultaneously increasing our effectiveness.

Learn to Be Mindful Without the Mat

The latest research shows you can gain mindfulness benefits anytime. Here are a few activities to get you started according to Scott Eblin.

• Take a walk. Walking’s repetitive motion immediately relaxes you, says Eblin.
• Stretch. Step away from work for several minutes. Roll your shoulders, reach for the sky, and get your blood flowing. Remembering your body brings you back to the present.
• Lunch well. Enjoy the tastes, textures, and smells of your food. Avoid junk food, which can hurt your brain and disrupt your focus.
• Breathe. Put your hand on your belly and take three deep breaths, Eblin suggests. Increasing oxygen and the moment-by-moment awareness of this most basic life-sustaining act will help bring you back to now.

Article from The StayWell Company, LLC