Taking back control with Mindfulness

Mindfulness - such a simple word. Can help relieve stress, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and improves mental health and wellbeing. Mindfulness can have profound and positive effects on your whole-self health, including the mind, the brain, the body, and behaviours.

I have found this year so far to be particularly hard on both my mental and physical health - it's been an uphill battle. I’ve struggled to motivate myself to do the things I love, like go for a ride or a run. I’ve felt like there is cloud over me, draining me of energy, my sleep has suffered badly and my body is fighting back and telling me I need to change. I didnt think lockdown had affected me all that much until recently; like most, I pasted on a smile and resorted to the fallback option "I'm good thanks, how are you doing?" I buried my head in the sand, ignored all the warning signs, and kept pushing myself on and on an on.... Something had to give.

I've never been much good at yoga or meditation, - I can’t sit still for that long and my mind is never at peace from the thousand and one things I need to think about.

So for the past two weeks, I’ve taken back control and forced myself to get up early every morning and go for a walk.

The simple pleasure of going for a walk; taking back an element of control in your life, being on your own to center yourself, think about ‘you’, and breathe. Sounds crazy, but how often do you actually just focus on breathing? Really taking in a deep breath and pushing out all the negative energy and thoughts. It is like you are physically expelling all the noise and clutter from your mind.

I am very lucky where I live that I have access to the countryside, fields, and open spaces. These one-hour walks every morning are allowing me to focus on mindfulness - paying attention to the present, breathing and centering myself in the moment. I've been able to remove the noise in my mind and mentally prioritise and focus on what matters. Rather than get overwhelmed by the endless stress and pressure of life, I can take a step back and look inside rationally and calmly, to bring back order and control.

In the words of my favourite life-coach Stephen Covey "put first things first"

Just being able to listen to nature, remove distractions and think about me has had such a positive impact on my health and wellbeing.

I’ve found my mind more at peace, I’m able to focus more on priorities and reflect on what is important. The 9-to-5 never goes away, there will always be work, pressures, deadlines. But I’m learning to prioritise myself above all else.

Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that, instead of being overwhelmed by them, we’re better able to manage them.