EAPworks thought it would be a nice time to touch on a process that will bring you more calm and engagement with 2019, and it is call Mindfulness. You may have heard about this before or even tried practising it, but it is always a topic worth revisiting because it takes time to master and every bit of mindfulness helps.

Mindfulness is about being present in the moment - not over-analysing the past or stressing about the future. Watch the video to the left to get a better understanding and help have less stress at home, in the workplace, be all round more productive and enjoy your life!

How mindful are you?

2. We’re REALLY stressed out.

Mental health-related symptoms of stress are on the rise with increasing self reports of depression, anxiety, anger, irritability, and sadness due to stress. We’re also sleeping less, eating poorly, snapping at others, and having trouble concentrating. 

We have a problem….

… and mindfulness can help.

Practicing mindfulness can significantly lower our levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. Brain imaging studies indicate that continued mindfulness practice can alter the way distressing emotions are processed in the brain. Additional studies have indicated that mindfulness meditation can lower blood pressure, strengthen the body’s immune system, and improve the quality of sleep, all of which impact, or are impacted by, our levels of stress.

https://leftbrainbuddha.com/3-reasons-need-mindfulness/

3 Reasons why we NEED Mindfulness:

1. We are REALLY distracted!

Quick — answer these three questions:

1. What are you doing right now?
2. What are you thinking about right now?
3. How are you feeling right now?

Now check your answers. Were your answers to numbers 1 and 2 the same?

If they weren’t — if your mind was somewhere else, thinking about something completely different.

We spend almost HALF of our time with a wandering mind, with our thoughts drifting away from our current task.

That means we are not present for HALF of every day! We are literally missing out on half of our life.

We are happiest when what we are doing is what we are thinking about. We experience our greatest joy when we are present and attentive. Happiness is HERE. Happiness is NOW.

3. We’re not very good at managing our stress.

we’ve likely never really been taught how to work with our body’s stress response, in part because our so-called “fight or flight” response evolved over millennia to prepare us for threats that really don’t exist in the modern world. (When was the last time you were chased by a tiger?)

Our natural stress response is meant to be activated very infrequently, and only for short durations. With mindfulness, we learn physical exercises for soothing the body’s stress response — deep breaths, gentle movements, easeful postures — and cognitive strategies for meeting the demands of our lives. 

Mindfulness cannot eliminate the stressors from our lives, what mindfulness does is give us a powerful set of techniques and practices that help us manage those stressors skilfully and creatively.

Having self compassion...

It’s tempting to try and become the “perfect you.” Instead, we’d like to offer an alternative: Be kind to your imperfect self. Sometimes, the biggest change you can make is not to change at all—and instead, accept yourself for who you are right now. By giving yourself the gift of knowing that you are deserving of love and appreciation just as you are, you’re setting the stage for powerful and meaningful transformation.

1. Make room for all of your emotions. Too often, we put pressure on ourselves to hide how we really feel and put on a brave face. But pushing away uncomfortable emotions, like sadness or anger, only creates more problems for you down the road. Embrace your emotions, so you can accept your experience as it happens.

2. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. Maybe the past year wasn’t as spectacular as you hoped it would be—you might have messed up a job interview, snapped at a friend, or set unreasonable goals for yourself that you never met. Regardless of what you did or didn’t do, holding a grudge against yourself won’t make you feel any better or fix the situation. Move past resentment and anger, so you can let your bitterness go.

3. Love your imperfect self. It’s easy to compare your life to others, and your inner critic is often all-too-eager to help. By learning to recognize self-doubt, you can break free from judgemental thoughts and treat yourself with self-compassion. Appreciate yourself for who you really are, flaws and all.

Here’s hoping you all find moments to enjoy being mindful this week.

www.mindful.org

Want to try medititaion but don't know where to start.....

Check out the tutorials at the bottom if this article

https://www.mindful.org/how-to-meditate/

A simple 2-step Mindful Exercise to try today...

1. Start by observing. Notice the thank yous you say. Just how habitual a response is it? Is it a hasty aside, an afterthought? How are you feeling when you express thanks in small transactions? Stressed, uptight, a little absent-minded? Do a quick scan of your body—are you already physically moving on to your next interaction?
2. Pick one interaction a day. When your instinct to say “thanks” arises, stop for a moment and take note. Can you name what you feel grateful for, even beyond the gesture that’s been extended? Then say thank you.