Try these Mindful Moments on Stress Awareness day

Stress Awareness Day was set aside as time to be aware of the stress in our lives and how it affects us.

Stress can be a real killer, both in the workplace and in our day to day lives. Stress does serve a solid purpose in human biology, but our modern lives have brought about a surplus of causes that haunt us from day to day. When we are faced with a challenge, or a threat to our well-being, the body experiences stress. Whether you’re dealing with a job that puts you under tremendous pressure, or face struggles in your life or relationship that leave you in a state of constant worry, stress can be a real killer.

The best way to take part in Stress Awareness Day is to take the opportunity to remove the stress from your life for the day.
Here are some One-Minute-Mindfulness-Moments you can try out anywhere and at any time that suits you as you go through your day. Mindfulness can be used in your everyday life and doesn’t have to take a lot of effort or time. You can practise mindfulness in just one minute!

Below, we describe various one-minute mindfulness practices so that you can try it yourself anywhere and at any time that suits you.

Mindful Breathing 
This is a chance for you to step out of the daily grind and to allow time to be present with yourself; that is, being present with yourself, and with whatever arises in your mind and body. Taking a minute to observe your breathing. Breathing in and out as you normally would: noticing the time between each inhalation and exhalation; noticing your lungs expanding. Noticing when your mind wanders, and gently bringing your attention back to your breath.

Body scan
It can often feel like we’re an observer of our own body caught up in our heads. Try spending one mindful minute bringing awareness to your body and your body’s sensations. Close the eyes gently and begin scanning your body with your mind. Starting with the feet, and then slowly bring your awareness upwards in your body until you reach your hands. What sensations do you feel? Heaviness in the legs? Strain in the back? Perhaps no sensations at all. Now move your focus out from the hands and become aware of your environment and the space all around you. 

Mindful walking
Mindful walking is something you can practise at any time as you go about your day. It’s good to try it slowly at first, but once you’re used to it, you can practise it at any pace – even when you’re rushing.
Start by walking slowly: become aware of the sensations in the soles of your feet as they make contact with the floor, and any sensations in the muscles of the legs. There’s no need to look down at the feet. When your mind wanders, use the contact of the feet on the floor as an anchor to bring your awareness back into the present moment. Without judgement, just take a minute to focus on the sensations generated in the body by walking.

Mindful eating
Eating mindfully can take us out of autopilot, helping us appreciate and enjoy the experience more.
The next time you eat, stop to observe your food. Give it your full attention. Notice the texture: really see it, feel it, smell it, take a bite into it – noticing the taste and texture in the mouth – continue to chew slowly, bringing your full attention to the taste of it.

Mindful listening
By taking this time out to tune in to your environment and listen to what it tells you, it will help you to bring mindfulness into the rest of your life – bringing your awareness as you move through the day. Take a minute to listen to the sounds in your environment. You don’t need to try and determine the origin or type of sounds you hear, just listen and absorb the experience of their quality and how they resonates with you. If you recognise a sound then label it and move on, allowing your ears to catch new sounds.

Thank you for reading this Blog. Perhaps you might now like to share it with someone you care about.

Feel free to take another moment to contact Peer 2 Peer Mindfulness to find out more about how to bring peace and calm to your life and the life of those you care about. You can do that HERE.

May you be calm happy and at ease as you go through your Stress Awareness Day.