Finding joy in the here and now
How mindfulness can help calm our thoughts
As we navigate change, our thoughts can naturally be drawn to the past and the future. We can find ourselves remembering what life used to be like. We can also struggle with worries about what the future will hold. As our mind is making sense of our new normal, we may notice distracting thoughts with accompanying emotions. Being preoccupied by our thoughts can have an impact on our concentration, our mood, and our behaviour, which can affect us at work and at home. We might feel flat and have difficulties to motivate ourselves to tackle important steps, or to connect with others.
How can we deal with distracting or worrying thoughts? Rather than blocking out our thoughts, mindfulness teaches us to redirect our thoughts to the here and now. Mindfulness help us to be more present-minded and can reduce feelings of stress and overwhelm.
Here is a simple 5-minute mindfulness meditation as a starting point:
Sit quietly and focus your attention on your breathing. Notice what your body feels like. Where do you feel tension? What can you see and sense around you?
Take note of any thoughts and feelings. Acknowledge how you are feeling without judging.
Tune into each of your five senses, one at a time. What can you see, smell, hear, feel and taste? Take some time to notice the details.
If your mind starts to wander, refocus on your bodily sensations or your breathing.
Once you have completed the exercise, pause to notice how your body feels. What did this meditation bring up for you?
There are many types of mindfulness exercises. Examples include body scans, nature meditations, mindful moving and mindful colouring. If you're interested in the topic of mindfulness, you can find free content on youtube or you can download a paid app such as calm or headspace.
By integrating mindfulness exercises into our day, we allow ourselves to slow down and to engage more with the here and now. We can start to better understand what sparks joy for us. What turns an alright day into a great day for you? Is it a daily walk? Listening to music? Having time to write or to be creative? How can you make more room and time for this activity?
Often, journaling can give us additional insights. Once we have identified what activities help us be more present-minded and energise us, it is worthwhile, to write down what we have learned about ourselves and to take some actionable steps. This could be taking regular time to reflect, journal, spend time in nature, or to listen to a mindfulness meditation.
Here are three prompts for you to consider:
💡 Try a mindfulness meditation
💡 What sparks joy for you?
💡 What action step will you take this week?
In this blog series, we will be looking at different strategies to deal with change. For personalised support with navigating change, please get in touch. For more content on navigating change, please subscribe to my newsletter.
