Mindfulness - relevant today more than ever
Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Having a sense that too much is going on? Or perhaps feel that you are no longer in control?
You are certainly not alone in this!
Many of us live in fast-paced microcosms, where a lot is being expected of us: a demanding work environment, family commitments, parenting challenges, busy social calendars, and so on.
With the speed at which our digital world has taken off, it has become much more difficult to switch-off: news & entertainment on demand, information & opinion sharing on social media, 24/7 availability via mobile phones, online shopping, to name a few.
On the one side, digital technology has made the world a much smaller and accessible place, and has improved our life-styles in different ways, but it has also presented itself with a new set of challenges … now, even more is available! This over-stimulation makes it harder for us to choose wisely, and focus on what matters most!
So it may well be that background stress levels rise, as a result, and may bring with them a whole range of symptoms: absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness, headaches, fatigue or even hypertension.
These symptoms are signs that your natural built-in stress response system is being over-activated.
Perhaps this too, has become the new normal for you …
The good news is that mindfulness practice can offer you the tools to take control of your own well-being.
By training yourself to be fully present in the moment, mindfulness practice allows you to better navigate your external environment (people, news. opinions, your tasks ..) and better relate to your own inner landscape (thoughts about people & yourself, your own needs, how you actually feel - both emotionally & physically.. ).
It offers you the space and the clarity to reflect on what you are able to control and what choices are available for you. You become more skilful at choosing actions that are more deeply reflected and more nourishing for your own well-being.
It just takes some practice …
… So, what if a disruption occurs in this already busy new normal? .. a stressful spike at work, a pandemic (!), political unrest, an illness, job uncertainty, a break-up, family disputes and ..
Your mindfulness practice becomes a valuable resource that you can turn to. It can strengthen your resilience to better cope and recover from these challenging moments. It can prevent suffering and more serious mental & physical break-downs.
With practice, you can learn to relate to challenges in a different way; one that allows you to stay calm and in control of what to do next.
…. As life events continue to unfold, with all their ups & downs - with regular practice, you begin to really notice the preciousness of each moment.
You learn to apply mindfulness to all situations you experience on a daily basis, such as, in your communication & relationships with others, In conflict scenarios or simply in how you choose to organise and live each day.
It’s a life skill that has brought relief, peace & a sense of purpose to many people.
So, why not give it a try …
