This week’s content is provided by Carrie Savaia, Carenet Health Coach. Carrie is a Certified Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NB-HWC). This post is the third in a seven-part series.
As we continue in our series, Seven Practical Ways to Nourish Yourself, this week we will focus on mindfulness. In case you missed it and need to catch up, our last article is published here: Part 2: Exercise.
So what is mindfulness exactly? The practice of mindfulness is to be aware of where you are in the present moment. Awareness around how you feel without judgment or questioning provides you with a sense of understanding, so that you can learn about what you need to feel nourished.
There are many benefits to incorporating this practice into your daily life. Some of the key benefits of mindfulness may be reduced stress and decreased brain fog. It can also treat heart disease, reduce chronic pain and be used in mental health treatment for those who struggle with depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and OCD tendencies.*
Stay with me here as we explore some ways you can add mindfulness to your daily practice.
Part 3: Mindfulness
Stay in the present
- Learn how to breathe. Taking long, slow inhales and long, slow exhales slows down the nervous system and allows the body to become calm, quickly. There are many different breathing techniques that can work at different times of need. A good place to start is by holding one hand on your belly with the other over your heart. Feel your breath expand your abdomen as you inhale and as you exhale push all of the air out. You can do this at your desk, in the car, at a red traffic light. There are no limits. Learning how to breathe into your feelings will truly help you connect to your mind and find that awareness.
- Listen to a guided meditation. There are so many great resources for meditations. From YouTube to paid applications like Calm, or Fitbit Premium, you can have access to mindfulness teachers from all over the world. Meditation can be short, two to five minutes in length, or longer depending on your practice. The common myth of meditation is that you have to not think. That isn’t the case. What you do is allow thoughts to freely come and go. Acknowledge where you are and then focus back on the breath. This teaches you to be in the moment and allow the mind and body to connect without judgment or planning.
- Spend time outside. Take a nature walk. Maybe even barefoot! If you spend time in nature, the sounds and feelings of the earth can have a healing effect. As you sit outside or perhaps walk outside, notice what you hear. Notice what you see. This practice connects you back to the present moment and away from life’s distractions. Being outside is a great way to spend a short break to reset the brain and enhance productivity.
- Practice mindful eating. Part 1 of this series was all about nutrition and choosing foods that benefit the body. If you take that to another level and be connected with the food, your eating can become mindful! When you look at your plate as fuel and nourishment, and give it the intention of fueling your body for a purpose, you will find that eating can become a relaxation technique. This is a time to be thoughtful, listen to your body and take a pause in your day. When you apply this strategy, you can reset and find new energy to power the rest of your busy schedule for the day.
As you continue to take these practical steps and apply them to your daily life, one at a time, soon you’ll have a routine in place that is nourishing to your mind and body. Learn about yourself on a deeper level by sitting and observing what you need. Next week, I will share with you why limiting exposure to media, social and otherwise, can offer nourishment. Stay tuned for Part 4!
* Source: Harvard Health, Benefits of Mindfulness.