Happy New Year everyone!
Now is a time to reflect on what worked and didn’t work in our lives during this past year and to put plans in place for the year ahead. What are you most looking to improve in 2017? Is it related to health, relationships, career, finances or happiness? Mine is to create greater happiness in my life.
Did you know happiness has a lot to do with the way you think? I’ve heard it said; ” You are the only as happy as you decide to be”. A lot of our stress and worry comes from thinking about past events or worrying about future ones. But what can we do about it?
Practicing mindfulness has been proven to work. Mindfulness has been practiced for thousands of years through meditation, yoga. Tai Chi and martial arts. Now if you are like me. I keep telling myself: ” I don’t have time to sit cross legged for 20 mins and think about nothing.” However, mindfulness can be done anytime, anywhere and costs nothing. It is simply a change to the way we think. It’s being aware of what is happening physically, emotionally and mentally to us right now.
Here is a breathing technique I use.
Give it a try…
Take some deep breaths and some shallow breaths. Feel your lungs fill with air as you inhale and then feel how they contract when you exhale. Take a minute to now take 5 deep slow breaths. Don’t read anymore until you give it a good go.
Welcome back. Experiment with different kinds of breathing: through your mouth, your nose, deep and shallow, fast and slow and feel the effect in your body. Notice the effect it has on your thinking and how it makes you feel. Next time you are in a stressful situation, bring your attention to your breath and breathe slowly and deeply. It will help restore your sense of calm and focus quite quickly. If you want a good example of mindfulness, watch children as they play. They are experts at living in the moment.
Whatever New Year’s resolution you make, share it with others so they can help keep you on track and make it a great year!
