Mindfulness

I'm writing this post partly because developing a more mindful approach to my life has helped me enormously over the last few months and continues to shape every day of my new simple life. I'm also writing it, tongue-in-cheek, for a good friend of mine, who finds the very mention of the word 'mindful' abhorrent! I know that for some people the concept of being more aware may seem liberal, hippyesque, mamby pamby rubbish, so if that's you, look away now if you wish!

When I was working, I was stressed, rushing from one thing to the other, barely managing to keep all the plates spinning. I wasn't sleeping properly, had gained weight, was drinking far too much wine, felt tired all the time and kept forgetting stuff I would never normally forget. There was far too much negativity exuding from me, affecting those I loved. Every morning I woke from a fitful night's sleep, exhausted and already disappointed with the day ahead. I knew I had to do something as this was making me feel really ill.

I started with some basic meditation - a free app on my iPhone. Those 13 minutes of focussing on my emotions and my thoughts, understanding how to calm myself and relax, were amazing and the turning point in my recovery. It was a 'light bulb moment'. Allowing myself that bit of time, guilt free made me see that it wasn't selfish, but rather a self defense measure against the stresses and strains of life around me. I felt much more able to cope and work out the next steps in my recovery.

Mindfulness is a heightened awareness of your strengths and limitations, being fully cogniscent of your emotions. For me, slowing down and turning my attention inwards for a change, improved my concentration, my memory, my health and made me a much nicer person to be around! For those of you who have continued to read this post, might I suggest that you give meditation a try? It was a real life changer for me and I will continue to follow a mindful path for the rest of my life.