A quick guide to mindfulness for a happier life

Tags

adrenaline, apps, attention, bath, be at one, benefits, books, breath, breathing, brushing your teeth, calling, Calming, dinner, easier, easy, eat, enjoy, evening, experience, feel happier, feelings, focus, heart rate, here and now, improve, lunchtime, media, medite, mental wellbeing, mind, mind and body, mindful, people, present moment, progress, reconnect, regular basis, Relax, sensations, simply tips, sit down, sitting, sleeping patterns, slow, slowly, smell, sound, space, stop, stresses, take, taste, ten minutes, thoughts, train, tube, understand, walk to work, wanders, weekend, win, world, worries

Mindfulness is being talked about in the media today more than ever, but what’s it all about?

Quite simply, mindfulness is an awareness of ourselves as well as the world around us and it can improve our mental wellbeing, calming the mind and allowing us to focus on the here and now.

If we are more aware of the present moment, it can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better. If this happens, we can experience and enjoy the people and things we have been taking for granted, and leave behind the stresses we don’t need.

What does it involve?
Just taking notice of your thoughts, feelings, sensations and the world around you is the first step towards mindfulness.
There are books, apps, and courses that give you a structured way to bring mindfulness into your life, but at the heart of it, what you are doing is stopping for a while and focusing on your breathing. You will then notice that your heart rate slows down, adrenaline production is reduced and you feel more relaxed. With practice you can develop greater focus, better sleeping patterns and start to feel happier as well.

It is true that some of us find the idea of sitting with our thoughts when we are stressed or unhappy, quite difficult, so we have some simple tips that could help you get to grips with mindfulness.

Mindfulness isn’t easy to learn at first, so you can start by reading up about it some more, taking a course, joining a group or using an app like Calm.

It is thought that just ten minutes of mindfulness meditation a day can bring massive benefits when it is done on a regular basis. If you can, do it at the same time each day – maybe when you are on the tube, at lunchtime or before you have a bath in the evening, and it’s at this time when you can really be at one with yourself and leave behind your worries and fears. Clear this space each day, stop everything else and practise your mindful meditation.

Start with short bursts of three, five or ten minutes – you can even do it on the train.

When you sit down to meditate, take a few moments to get comfortable. Notice the sounds around you and how you’re feeling. This will help your mind and body reconnect, so when you do start focusing on your breath, it’s a little easier.

When you are practicing mindfulness and meditating, all you need to do is notice your breath and when your attention wanders, which it will as you wonder what to eat for dinner or where to go at the weekend, let go of it and bring your focus back to your breath. Each time you do that, it’s a win and it gets easier.

When you progress and start to bring mindfulness to your daily life, our advice is to start slowly. We suggest that in week one, you are mindful when you are brushing your teeth – be aware of the sound, the smell, the taste, and the movement as you clean. Then build up slowly, adding a new thing each week, such as being mindful on your walk to work, or while stacking the dishwasher.

Mindfulness isn’t for everyone, but why not give it a try and in time we hope it can become a part of your life and one that will make things easier and happier for you.

Team Pure Beauty

Take the stress out of your work day

Tags

adrenaline, apps, books, Boss, break, breaks, breathing, Buddhify, busy, calls, career, clarity, clear your head, coffee shop, colleagues, Commutes, computer screens, deadlines, delegated, desk, downing tools, efficient, emails, energised, friends, gym membership, health, hobbies, holiday, increase your productivity levels, less productive, less stressed, long hours, lunch, meaningless jargon, meetings, mini break, more productive, morning, negative impact, outbreaks, park, post room, prioritise your workload, promotion, refreshed, relationships, Relax, revive, sandwiches, sea, sleep, smiling, stress, two weeks, walk, work, work life balance, write a list, yoga classes, Zumba

Let’s face it, even when you love your job, have a great boss and colleagues you get on well with, work can get stressful.

Commutes, long hours, computer screens and being contactable pretty much 24/7 thanks to mobile devices and the digital age, means work can take over your life if you aren’t careful.

What many of us don’t realise is that while a little adrenaline can keep us on our toes, ongoing stress can have a negative impact on our health, relationships, sleep and if you aren’t careful it can cause burn out.

We have looked at some easy ways of taking care of yourself while keeping your career on track.

Know what’s important
We are constantly saying we are busy, but don’t make this a reason to be late, tried and in the end, less productive. Each morning before you look at emails or make any calls, write a list of what you need to do that day and check on any meetings that have been scheduled. When you prioritise your workload, it is easier to have a stress-free day and if additional tasks come in, look at just how important they are before dropping your original plans.

Learn to say no
We are conditioned to say yes, but doing so can pile on the stress and make you less efficient. It isn’t easy to say no to a new project from your boss, especially when a promotion is on the cards, but if things feel too much, sit down with them and look at where other tasks can be delegated and what the deadlines are – tomorrow isn’t always realistic.

Take breaks
If you spend most of your day at a desk, you need to get up, walk away and take regular breaks. Making a cup of tea, walking to talk to a colleague, going to the post room and even making a phone call in reception are simple but effective ways to have a break from sitting down and staring straight ahead. When it comes to lunch time, it might be tempting to sit and work through your to-do list, but this is the perfect time to get away from it all. Go for a walk, have lunch at a local coffee shop or pack sandwiches and head to the park and clear your head.

Meditate at work
Meditation isn’t just for yoga classes and a quick session at your desk can really help bring clarity to your day. Even if you are having a super busy time, downing tools for five minutes, taking stock of your breathing and taking a step back can help increase your productivity levels and leave you feeling energised. There are loads of great books and apps out there, we like Buddhify, so have a look around and find something that works for you.

Work-life balance
We know it sounds like meaningless jargon, but it is vital to plan your free time as well as work diary to get the right balance. Having a mix of hobbies, a group of friends to meet up with, gym membership or regular Zumba class to attend, will all help you turn off from work and relax.

Book a holiday
Just as you need to take a break in the day, you also need to use your holiday time. We aren’t saying take a full two weeks, but a long weekend with the girls or a mini break by the sea can really revive you and you will go back into work feeling refreshed and smiling.

So, if you want to be more productive and less stressed, take time out for you and we think you will see a difference.

Team Pure Beauty