Mindfulness
Physical activity typically maintains the spotlight when we talk about our health, wellness and overall wellbeing. Today, we are discussing mindfulness and it's importance in your everyday life. Mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensation, and surrounding environment while learning acceptance; this means that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them. Simply put, mindfulness is the practice of staying present and when we practice mindfulness our thoughts tune into what we are sensing in the present moment rather than rehearsing the past or imagining the future. Meditation, journaling, and proper sleeping patterns all play important roles while practicing mindfulness and below we will teach you how to incorporate these techniques in your everyday lifestyle.
Meditation
There are many ways to meditate and sometimes the thought of starting can seem intimidating. Meditation can be as simple as sitting in a quiet space and just breathing deeply and focusing on each breath. That being said, let us assist you with one of the easiest strategies for implementing meditation is by following along our free class Tuesday evenings at 5:00pm! This virtual class is led by Sheridan Counsellor Kanchan Kurichh and is great to clear your mind and ease some tension. Learn how to breathe and relax your mind through various mental exercises designed to alleviate mental pressure and stress.
Meditation Applications
If you would like to try meditation on your own time through an application here are two applications we strongly recommend:
Journaling
The act of journaling is writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. It has proven to have many positive impacts on individuals’ wellbeing. Journaling helps remove mental blocks and allows you to use your brain to better understand yourself, others, and the world around you. It can help release some of the feelings and thoughts you may have bottled up.
To start journaling, schedule twenty minutes three times a week. Choose any format or method you prefer to start writing or typing into but set aside colours to organize your thoughts, emotions, events and more. Set a timer for twenty minutes. Begin writing quickly without censorship and do not stop to edit yourself. Start writing about:
- What is on your mind?
- What was a difficult time in your life and how did you overcome it?
- What am I grateful for?
- How should I have reacted in hindsight?
When the timer sounds, re-read your entry to reflect and add to it.
Sleep
A good night sleep will help recharge you and perform to the best of your ability, both physically and mentally. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep of good quality sleep on a regular basis with consistent bed and wake up times. College students are notoriously sleep-deprived due to an overload of activities and irregular schedules. A few tips to help improve your sleeping patterns are:
- Create and follow a consistent sleep schedule
- Take time to relax before going to sleep
- Exercise regularly during the week
Hope this helps Bruins!