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

Exam stress busters

Tags

best, breath, classmates, cleanse, coffee, daily gratitude journal, early, exam, film, fizzy drinks, friends, healthy, junk food, meditation, paper, revise, risk, swimming, talk, teacher, test, timetable, tone, tone and moisturise morning and evening, understand, yoga

As well as the Euro 16 and referendum debates, we are currently in the grips of the exam season which for many is a time of anxiety and stress.

Whether it is GCSEs, A Levels, degrees or PHDs, exams are hard work and can be daunting and even those with nerves of steel can have the odd wobble.

From excessive worry and the fear of failure, to peer pressure and time running out, the mind can run away with itself and make everything ten times worse than it is.

There is no doubt that exam stress can take over and ultimately scupper chances of success. This isn’t due to a lack of preparation, hard work or dedication but simply because fear can be paralysing and impact performance.

We aren’t saying this time will be plain sailing, but there are things you can do to make the next few weeks just that little bit easier.

Believe in yourself
If you’ve worked hard and have prepared, there is no real reason to worry. No one, other than yourself maybe, says you have to be perfect. Give your things your best shot, know you are working to your full potential and be positive about your achievements.

Plan your time
If you have too much to do in too little time, you will feel anxious. Forget last minute cramming, the key to being the best you can, when it comes to exams, is to plan your time properly.

Create a timetable that includes all areas you need to work on as well as regular breaks and leisure time.

Write notes on cards and stick them on the fridge, bathroom door and on your mirror.

If you have a part time job or other commitments, try to change your schedule to fit with your revision so you don’t get overwhelmed.

By putting these measures in place, it will be easier for you to retain information in a relaxed way, keep on track and gain confidence whilst avoiding burnout and panic.

Don’t panic
Easy to say we know, but if you get stuck or don’t understand something, ask for help. Getting stressed won’t help the situation, it will probably simply make it worse. Address the problem talking to your teachers or classmates and go back to it once you feel you have a handle on the issue.

Meditation, yoga and even a daily gratitude journal can all help keep your grounded and focussed on the bigger picture.

Keep healthy
Whilst reaching for junk food and staying up late might seem the only way to get thought your schedule, what you really need to do is keep fit and healthy.

• Exercise is really important. Go for a run, swim or play tennis with a friend but try not to talk about your exams.
• Eat a good, well balanced diet that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables plus good protiens and fats.
• It is also vital to keep hydrated as this will keep your brain ticking over. Go for at least eight glasses of water a day and keep a bottle on your table when you are in an exam.
• Go easy on tea, coffee and fizzy drinks. Yes they might give you boost to start with but too much caffeine can set you on edge and stop you from relaxing and sleeping.
• Working into the early hours, or pulling and ‘all-nighter’, might be tempting, but don’t do it. You need to a decent night’s sleep so you wake refreshed and ready to work again or face and exam.
• Look after your skin and make sure you cleanse, tone and moisturise morning and evening.

One the day
When you have exams scheduled, make sure you arrive early as the last thing you want to do is be late and risk not being able to take the paper or flapping. Be fully prepared, take deep breaths, don’t get involved in revision discussions.

During each exam keep calm, read the questions once to start with and then begin to answer them. If you start to panic, sit back for a moment and take control of your of breathing. Take deep breathes in and out through the nose, counting to five each way and then relax. Start the exam again when you feel better, answer what you can and keep as calm as possible.

Post-exam
Once an exam is over don’t spend time going over the questions and answers in your head. Try not to discuss it too much with friends and resist looking at online forums. It’s done and dusted, you did your best so move on. Whether it is watching a film, going out for a coffee or having a win, always treat yourself after an exam and smile – you did it!

At the end of the day, exams can be taken again, so do your best and we think you will surprise yourself.

Good luck.