Bell Let’s Talk 2022: Accessible Mindfulness

The importance of acknowledging and caring for one's mental health has never been more prevalent. It's the talk of the hour on news channels, social media, and in the workforce.?

On January 26, 2022, Bell Canada's annual event,?Bell Let's Talk, will break down the stigma and promote mental health awareness across Canada. The event raises money for mental health initiatives and provides strategies for taking care of?yourself?and?others.

According to?CAMH, mental health is the number one cause of disability in Canada, with numbers rising daily. Undoubtedly, over the past few years, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the?Canadian government?has reported that millions of Canadians are struggling with mental health challenges.?

The most common strategies for coping with mental health challenges and getting proactive about mental health seems to be some variation of mindfulness.?

Credit: Henck van Bilsen

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention on purpose. Some say this helps calm busy thoughts, get?in the zone?or?flow state, or even reach a state of enlightenment.?

Whatever your goal is, mindfulness seems to help many people feel at peace. But what about people who already have a hard time with focusing??

In my experience as a BCBA-yogi-unicorn, I've found that many neurodivergent people don't always find that same?present moment glow?as their neurotypical peers after a meditation session. In fact, some have reported feeling more stressed, more anxious, or even had behavioural outbursts from the amount of effort that it takes to sit and focus for what feels like forever.?

I come with good news! – Meditation doesn't have to be the end of the road for people with Autism, AD(H)D, or those who downright find meditation boring.?

If this sounds like you, the accessible mindfulness strategies in this blog might just change your mind! These strategies can be used to help build a mindfulness routine that proactively supports your mental health and well-being or act as some go-to strategies for coping with emotionally challenging moments.

Step 1: Pick something you're interested in – Mindful Hobby-ing

For starters, by definition, mindfulness is paying attention on purpose – this means you can pay attention to whatever you find interesting! It doesn't have to be your breath. Whatever you choose, make sure it takes little effort for you; a repetitive task helps; it's something that you don't have to finish and doesn't cause you any stress.?

You can examine the structure, texture, and refraction of light on your favourite plant, painting, action figure, or gemstone. You can play with a sand-filled Zen Garden, play-doh, or pet your fur baby. You might even recite the alphabet, names of the plants, or count sheep, cows, or hair strands.?

Some people love gardening, baking, cleaning, or creating. These are all tasks you can pour your heart and full attention into with the added bonus of entering?the zone.

Step 2: Make your mindfulness practice a multi-sensory experience!

Who says you have to stay still? Often in?Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction?meditations, the meditation guide tells you to notice something you hear, taste, smell, feel, and imagine (see).?

Here's one I really like for creating that multi-sensory experience:?

Set up either sitting or standing with your eyes open or closed. If your eyes are open, look at your hands. Or better yet, look at a peaceful beach scene to ground your imagination.?

Imagine you're at the beach. Every time you inhale (through your mouth or nose), bring your hands towards you in a scooping motion and imagine the tide rushing in. Every time you exhale, make a?'shhh' sound?and push your hands away from you and imagine the tide going out. You might also imagine the smell of the water, the taste of your favourite tropical drink, and the sound of the tide – repeat for as long as you like (yep, you decide!).?

Pro Tip:?you can change anything about this to make it more enjoyable for you. We all have different sensory needs. Some need a little more input, while others need a little less. For example, if you don't like the 'shhh' sound, you can change it to "bzzz" and feel the weird tickle on your tongue from the vibrations. Or, if you want less sensation, you can change it to "ahhh" – you can pick any sound that you can hold for a longer period of time.?

Step 3: Set yourself up for success?

Sometimes just the thought of doing something out of our routine can be intimidating. We might feel anxious that we're going to have a bad experience or, simply put, would rather be doing something else.?

Like all new skills, it takes motivation, consistency, and sometimes a little kick in the butt to get things going.?

So, what is your 'why'??

Write down your personal values and how a mindfulness practice might help you achieve this. For example, "I want to learn how to cope with my anxiety; mindfulness will teach me a tool for self-regulating." If it helps, give yourself a little reward every time you intentionally practice mindfulness. This can be anything from a checkmark on your calendar to a delicious piece of your favourite snack.?

Pre-prepare?

Mindfulness can be done anywhere, but sometimes when we have too many options, it becomes harder to make a decision.?

Create a mindfulness toolbox full of the strategies that work for you and things you love. Keep this toolbox in a specific location where you will go to practice mindfulness. It might be helpful to keep it out in the open where you can see it, and it will remind you to practice your strategies.?

If there are other people who might distract you, let them know you need a few minutes of quiet time before getting started.?

Keep it consistent?

Try to practice at least once a day. Remember, a daily routine is what keeps us healthy. Just like we need to eat, drink water, and brush our teeth every day – a daily mindfulness practice is a way to get proactive about our mental health. It doesn't need to be perfect; you just need to show up. If you miss a day, it's okay! Just start again, and again, and again, and… you get it.?

How to show up when you don't feel like it

In the wise words of Nike,?Just do it.?Just kidding, sorta. In Applied Behaviour Analysis, we talk about this thing called?Behavioural Momentum, which is a fancy term for 'get the ball rolling'.?

When you've put off mindfulness all day, and now it's time to get ready for bed, and you're beating yourself up for not?just doing it already, start by doing the things you have to do anyway – get ready for bed. As you're doing your bedtime routine, you can turn it into a mindfulness practice.?

Notice the things you smell, feel, taste, see, and hear while you brush your teeth. Notice the texture and structure of the fabric on your PJs. Then, when you get into bed, sit up for five big ocean breaths.?

When you're done, lay down and drift off to sleep peacefully – you've completed your mindfulness practice!?

In a nutshell, mindfulness is a daily practice of paying attention on purpose to something that is easy, repetitive, and that YOU enjoy. That means YOU get to decide what you focus on, for how long, and what's included.?

Remember, this is supposed to help you feel better, not worse. If something doesn't work for you, you have the power to change it!?

If all else fails, make like Dory and?just keep swimming!?

Credit: Disney-Pixar