This June, it will be one year since I rebranded my blog, to music and mindfulness. Ever since I began my own mindfulness journey almost three years ago, not only has it changed me for the better, as a person but, it has also enhanced my wellbeing through regular meditation practice and training my mind to remain as present as possible.
The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the UK, and of course, practicing mindfulness is a great place to start when focusing on your mental health. I really do believe that we all have mental health – it is not ‘all in our heads’, or ‘separate from our body’, our mind and body connect together and the more we begin to understand this, the more we can look after ourselves more positively.
I have written quite a few Mindfulness articles at the blog and I wanted this article to focus more on why now is a great time than ever, to be starting your own mindfulness journey, especially after such a difficult and uncertain 2020.
The Mental Health Foundation describes Mindfulness as “Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing and yoga. It helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that, instead of being overwhelmed by them, we’re better able to manage them.” In my previous Mindfulness article, I specifically talked about how we can mindfully manage our stress levels and the point of being overwhelmed by our thoughts, is a key factor in understanding ourselves better.
So many of us live our lives without fully listening in to how we are feeling. While meditation is a great practice that provides us space to effectively do this, for those that suffer from heightened anxiety, meditation might not be the best option. There are other exercises though, such as paying attention to your breathing and your five senses which will naturally bring you back to the present moment.
The reason why we focus so much on staying in the present moment is simply because it does not serve us well to keep living in the past, nor does the future as the future cannot take shape without the work we do in the present.
So during this month, take some time out and really tune in to how you are feeling. Pay close attention to what kind of feelings arise while you meditate. Make a conscious effort to disconnect from technology every so often and notice how you feel. Try to set boundaries so that you can have enough time to focus our your wellbeing.
It is never too late for improve and protect your mental health and wellbeing.
Jem Girl at the Piano 