As a therapist I DO NOT GIVE ADVICE…it is vaguely patronising and just won’t work most of the time. Much like Self-care (which I will come onto in more detail next time) what will work for you is going to be different for us all. Unfortunately social media and has become awash with “helpful” experts dictating the new and latest ideas and fads which can lead to us feeling a little overwhelmed in where to start and is yet another thing to feel “not good enough” about if we aren’t meditating with goats at the top of a mountain!
So…A few ideas to keep in mind – My 5 Ps.
Personal – find what works for you
I once attended a mindfulness workshop which was a whole hour of getting in touch with my body and being silent. This is my worst nightmare. For me mindfulness doing is key. Now that might be running and listening to thud of my trainers and noticing how my body feels or listening to music and doing a puzzle. That is ok.
Pocket sized - Start small
It can feel overwhelming to find an hour at times if that is true for you try a five minute exercise such as:
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When I travelled to work on the train I always kept a couple of sherbet lemons to hand and would notice the taste, texture etc.
Persevere
Try to make a routine you get in to and find the best time of day for you. I recognise for me that doing it first thing is not good for me and once I moved it to after my lunch I got into far easier.
Practice
Things don’t become a habit straightaway and they can’t just be go toos in times of high stress. Did you learn to ride a bike or a car? Imagine having one lesson and the next time you get on that bike or in that car you are being chased by a tiger…It is probably not going to go so well for you. The time to try this stuff is when you are in a calm environment and feel safe.
Patience
Above all be kind to yourself. It is going to feel weird at first and that is ok, you may need to tweak what you are doing and those thoughts will come in, change the dialogue with them and with yourself. You can try again tomorrow.
Lastly – I am not going to reinvent the wheel on this stuff there are some great apps out there such as Headspace, Calm app, Insight timer to name a few. Find one that gels with you! This stuff is all about giving your mind a little break – don’t overcomplicate it and be kind to yourself.
Next time I am going to take a wander into self-care versus care of self! And remember #youmatter
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