Day 1 – Having a Mindful Shower
When you shower, what are you thinking about?
“I’ve only got 5 minutes, I need to be quick!”, or “Must remember to book the car in for its MOT”, or maybe, “My feet look awful – I need a pedicure.”!
You are certainly not enjoying the present moment; your mind is busy, thinking ahead, being critical. It follows then, that you are not getting the benefit of an enjoyable and relaxing shower. Let’s change that!
Next time you shower, take the time to enjoy it. A couple of minutes more is all it takes. Get up two minutes earlier – it’ll be worth it!
In the shower, bring your attention to the present moment. What’s happening right now? Allow the sensations you feel to take centre stage.
Just stand for a minute, enjoying the feel of the warm water on your skin, on your hair. Breath slowly and gently, in and out, in and out.
As thoughts come into your head, don’t interact with them, just let them go and bring your focus back to the sensation of the warm water on your body. Take time to really smell the soap, the shampoo. Does the water have a smell?
Think consciously about how you are washing your hair. Take a minute to massage your scalp and enjoy the sensation. As you rinse your hair, just stand for a minute, arms by your side, feeling, hearing, smelling, enjoying the feel of the water.
Whenever your thoughts wander, acknowledge, kindly, that your mind has wandered away from the shower and bring your attention back to it.
Take the time to massage each arm with soap, each leg, each hand, each shoulder and your neck.
What sounds can you hear? Notice the different sounds when your head is under the flow of water and when it isn’t. Notice any sounds outside of the shower and let them go.
Finish your shower by standing under the water for another minute, just enjoying the feel of the warm water, as it cascades down, cocooning your body in warmth. Keep your thoughts on the sensation of the water on your skin, on your body.
A mindful shower will leave you feeling refreshed and ready! Keep practising! It is an easy, simple way to bring mindfulness practice into your daily routine.
Day 2 – Mindful Breathing Exercises
Choose a time when you have 10 minutes to yourself and find a quiet place to sit comfortably. Whether you are at your desk at work or in your home, clear the space of obvious distractions. Put away phones, email and any other distractions. If setting a timer will help you stay focused, rather than worrying about how much time you have, then by all means, set a timer.
Acknowledge any thoughts or judgments you have about starting your mindfulness practice. You may be feeling that you won’t be good at it, skeptical or even excited. Our minds are constantly thinking, so take note of whether you are caught up in thoughts as you get ready for your practice. If this is the case, simply acknowledge the thoughts and emotions that come into your awareness and then bring your attention back to getting settled and comfortable. This isn’t about emptying or clearing your mind, it is about recognising when your mind wanders and bring your attention back to your breathing, back to the present, the here and now.
When you are ready, close your eyes or keep your gaze focused on one spot in front of you.
To begin, take a couple of slow, deep breaths, in and out, in and out.
Now bring your attention to your breathing, as you breath in and out. Continue to breathe normally, following your in breaths and out breaths as your breath flows into and out of your lungs.
Notice your lungs expand as your breath fills them and then notice them contract during your exhalations. Notice your chest rising and falling.
Notice how your shoulders lift slightly as you inhale and then fall again as you exhale.
Notice how the air feels as it passes through your nostrils, both in and out.
Consciously release any tension in your jaw, your face, or your shoulders and let your chair take the full weight of your body.
There is no need to change your breathing. Simply notice it as it flows in and out of your body.
Whenever your thoughts wander, acknowledge those thoughts and bring your focus back to your breathing.
Continue following your breath in this way, for 5 -10 minutes. You may find that much of your time is spent lost in thought, rather than focused on your breath. This doesn’t matter at all! Just keep bringing your attention back to your breathing, here and now, in the present moment.
When you feel ready, take another long, slow, deep breath in and as you breathe out, open your eyes.
• This mindful meditation works well whether you do it for 2 minutes or 20 minutes.
• It is also a great one to do if you are struggling to get off to sleep, or back to sleep.
• Children love mindfulness! Use these pages as a guide and do some mindfulness meditation with the children in your life
Day 3 – Mindfulness? Not for me! I can’t sit still!
Mindfulness practice can be quite easy to misunderstand, especially if you are trying it on your own.
Maybe you have had thoughts such as:
• My mind is too busy – I can’t stop thinking.
• I thought this was supposed to be easy.
• I can’t keep my mind from wandering.
• I still feel stressed – this isn’t working for me.
When you focus on your expectations and desired outcomes of mindfulness, you can easily become frustrated. In a world where we can pretty much have everything we want instantly, it’s a big ask to just ‘go with the flow’ and allow your mindfulness practice to work it’s magic over time. It isn’t a quick fix and as we will learn in the next article, focusing on what we want from the future, on what we don’t have right now, will rob us of some of the pleasure of our present, our here and now.
While some studies show various benefits from a consistent mindfulness practice in only 8 weeks, Mindfulness is not a magic pill, nor does it produce the same results in everyone. Some people may notice an enormous sense of peace when they meditate; others find that they struggle with constant distraction, or spiralling thoughts.
If you are struggling, it’s not a problem – just keep on going! Remember the three P’s? Practice, Persistence, Perseverance. Follow the three P’s and you will succeed.
Don’t accept the excuses you give yourself as to why mindfulness isn’t for you. If you can’t sit still, or you struggle to concentrate, you are likely to need mindfulness the most.
The busier your mind, the more stressed and anxious it will be. Convince yourself that you can practice mindfulness, through affirmations….
Say to yourself, or out loud, “I can happily and easily sit and do mindful meditation for at least 5 minutes”.
Repeat, several times a day and your subconscious mind will begin to work with you to make it happen.
If you do the practice, whether it is in the shower, or breathing, or when enjoying a hot drink, you’ll completely transform how you feel on a day to day basis. Those with the most difficulty sitting still, who struggle to read a book, or who lose focus carrying out tasks, are typically the ones who end up appreciating mindfulness practice the most because they benefit from it and appreciate it the most.
We often have to learn from tough experiences in order to finally appreciate something. Remember too, that practice makes perfect. You will already have had to practice many things in your to achieve results – maybe learning to play the piano, practising driving to pass your test, practising your times tables until they are just there in your head. With enough practice, things become second nature.
Adopt the daily practice of mindfulness and begin to enjoy slivers of time filled with peace of mind. Priceless!
Day 4 – The 10 Breaths
This mindfulness practice exercise will probably seem simple and easy to achieve, since all you need to do is to count 10 in breaths and out breaths. Your mind, however, probably has other ideas!
This a 3 minute exercise. As your ability to be mindful improves, increase the time to 5 minutes, or even 10 minutes.
Here we go!
Set a timer for 3 minutes. Sit down on a dining chair, where you can sit comfortably upright. Have your hands resting on your thighs, or comfortably in you lap.
Get into a relaxed, easy rhythm of breathing gently in and out, through your nose. When you are ready, beginning with an exhale, count 1 and then another 1 as you inhale.
With the next exhale, count 2 and another 2 as you inhale, keeping your attention on your breathing, the whole time. With the next exhale, count 3 and so on, right up to 10 and the begin again, until your timer brings you back.
If you realise that you have stopped counting, because you have wandered off in your mind, begin again at one and just keep practising. Your mind is so used to doing what it wants, you will need to focus hard to get to 10!
Day 5 – Are you a “waiter?”
How much of your time do you spend waiting?
There’s waiting in queues, maybe in the Post Office or traffic queues, waiting for friends or family to arrive, waiting to see your GP, waiting for an Amazon delivery. These are all small scale “waits”, which are pretty much part of our lives and for the most part, these “waits” are outside of our control.
Then there’s large scale waiting. Waiting for a better job, waiting for your next holiday, waiting for the perfect man/ woman in your life, waiting for the end of the school holidays, waiting for success, waiting for more energy!
This large scale waiting, when you think about it, is a state of mind. It says that you want the future; you don’t want the present. You don’t want what you have got, (the present job/present situation/present time/present energy levels) you want what you haven’t got.
When you are in long-term waiting mode, you unconsciously create inner conflict between your here and now, where you don’t want to be, and your desired future, where you do want to be. This unconscious conflict in your mind, will rob you of some of the pleasure and happiness you feel in the present, because, subconsciously, you feel that you haven’t got what you want right now. Your quality of life will be all the poorer for being a “waiter”!
So, when you catch yourself wishing for a newer car, or a better job, or more energy, recognise that you are a “waiter” and remind yourself that waiting is making you feel unhappy with your present life.
Snap yourself back into the present moment. Be mindful for a minute or two, focusing either on your breathing, or on an object near you and then set your mind to thinking of three things that you are grateful for right now. Take back control of your happiness!
Day 6 – Make the elephant disappear!
This is a fun exercise to do, but it is quite profound too!
Think of an elephant.
Now “unthink” the elephant. Try saying to yourself, “There is now no elephant”.
Has your elephant disappeared?
Actually, it’s not possible for you to “unthink” your elephant. For one thing, which you may not appreciate, the brain cannot recognise negative statements. For example, you have taken an amazing step forward in deciding to kickstart the improvement of your health and wellbeing, by committing to this bootcamp. You are to remove sugar and sugar substitutes from your diet for the next 30 days.
Try out this statement.
“I am not going to eat chocolate for the next 30 days”.
What has popped into your head? Chocolate.
Now, try this statement.
I am going to eat healthily for the next 30 days. Amazing! No chocolate in sight!
The second reason why you cannot “unthink” the elephant is because you are engaging with your thoughts. When you engage with thoughts, they stay put. So, let’s be mindful.
Think of your elephant again.
Now, wiggle your fingers and take your attention to how that feels, what your fingers look like.
You will find that while you were focused on your fingers, the elephant left the room!
To recap then:
• By turning negative statements into positive statements, we help ourselves get to the result we want much more easily, e.g. I am not going to fail
I am going to succeed
• By practising mindfulness, being in the present moment, we stop our thoughts from taking charge and we choose where we want our thoughts to be.
Day 7 – The Magic of Mindfulness
“The appearance of things changes according to the, emotions, and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves”.
Kahlil Gibran 1883 – 1931 Poet, author and artist
When we see magic and beauty in our lives, these are often moments when we are being completely mindful – we are right slap bang in the middle of the here and now.
The first time you see your baby can be an amazingly mindful experience, heightened by 9 months of waiting for that very moment, not to mention the end of a painful labour. You are totally absorbed in looking at everything about your baby, from the colour of their eyes and hair, to their tiny finger nails, their little toes and the sensation of holding this newborn, little one close to you. Just for a short time, before the spell is broken by a midwife, doctor, or anyone else, who takes you away from being totally immersed in the present moment, you experience great joy and happiness and your mind is clear of thought, other than the thoughts around your baby. Magical!
A stunning view can also be a very mindful experience. Have you ever seen a view so amazing, that it left you speechless, in awe, lost in the wonder of it? The sheer beauty of what you see, stops all other trains of thought. Our emotions, however, can totally change how we view things. Imagine you are at the place with the stunning view.
Imagine that two days earlier, you were unexpectedly made redundant and you are still shocked, hurt and angry. Would you even notice the view? Would your eyes see it, or would the negative thoughts running rife through your head prevent you from being able to access the beauty of the moment and enjoy the experience?
I’m guessing the thoughts would win.
It is obviously important to feel the emotional response and to process the practical implications of the situation. What can happen, is that your thoughts continually return to the situation, re-living it, over and over, getting stuck in a loop. You create a cycle of negative thinking and self judgements that will simply cause you to continue to suffer and to lose the beauty and magic of moments in the here and now.
So, what to do?
Think of the thoughts and emotions as clouds, moving across the sky. When you think of the situation in a mindful way, allow the thoughts and emotions, like the clouds, to move through your mind, without reacting to them. Giving them any of your emotional energy empowers them, so recognise the feeling or the emotion, acknowledge it and allow it to drift away by switching your focus, mindfully, to something else. Remember – you made the elephant disappear (day 6) and with practice, you can mindfully accept emotions and dissolve the cycle of negative thoughts.
Take back control – allow the beauty and the magic in you to shine through 🙂
Day 8 – Being Mindful with ProArgi-9!
Focusing mindfully on an easy task is a great way to ground yourself in the present moment and a very simple way to build mindfulness into your daily routine.
Next time you make up your ProArgi-9, take the time to do it mindfully…
Use a clear glass.
If judgements or thoughts enter your mind as you go through this exercise, recognise them, let them go and bring your attention back to the glass.
How does the sachet feel in your hand?
Will you tear the top, or use scissors to open it?
Watch as the granules pour out of the sachet, into the glass and then look into the glass.
What do you see? Colours? Shapes?
What can you smell?
As you add water to the glass, notice the smell and the sounds and how the ProArgi-9 changes.
Take a spoon and gently stir; notice the sound of the spoon in the glass?
Look into the glass and see how the liquid swirls around. Then lift the glass to eye level. Notice the colour and texture, how some of the granules are still visible.
When you are ready, take your first sip.
Notice all the sensations of the drink in your mouth.
Is there a scent as well as a taste?
When you swallow, can you feel the liquid travelling into your stomach?
Make each sip mindful and when the drink is gone, remind yourself of the goodness and nourishment that you have given your mind and body, through the combination of mindfulness and ProArgi-9.
Day 9 – Mindful Fun: Colouring and Drawing
Have you ever become so absorbed in something that time just flew by? What seemed like 10 minutes was actually an hour? When you give your whole attention to an activity, you are being mindful. When that activity is pleasurable and undemanding, your mind will be focused in a positive way, with your inner critic side-lined and quiet, for a while at least!
If you enjoy drawing, sketching, or painting, set aside some time today to draw, paint or sketch. Even 30 minutes will bring you so much benefit. Instead of drawing “something”, draw whatever comes into your mind. It could be a scene, an object, random shapes, or a geometric pattern – it doesn’t matter at all. Just get your ego out of the way and see what comes out of the pencil or paintbrush.
If you aren’t confident about your artistic abilities, give it a go anyway. You may impress yourself! Alternatively, you could use a mindfulness colouring book or download and print some mindfulness colouring images. Overcome the potential feeling that you are too old to be colouring and simply enjoy the calm and peace of mind it brings.
If you find your thoughts wandering, bring yourself back to the present moment by giving your awareness back, entirely, to the colouring, or the drawing.
Be brave! Post your results on the private Facebook page!
Day 10 – The Unexplored Continent
‘The human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams.’
Earl Nightingale
An unexplored continent. Would you go there? Would you travel to an unknown and unfamiliar place – especially by yourself? Probably not? Maybe that’s why mindfulness can be challenging. It is so much easier to keep company with external realities and to allow the voice in our head to dictate everything we think about! Imagine the richness of your mind, if you were to take back control and CHOOSE your thoughts. Surely you would choose positive thoughts over negative thoughts? Happy thoughts instead of sad? Action, rather than procrastination?
Today, just for a few minutes, sit quietly. Take a trip to the unexplored continent of your mind. Listen to the voice which dictates and recognise that the voice is not you. Decide that, in this moment, you will quieten that voice and choose what you think about. Choose thoughts which will enrich your mind – supportive, nourishing, positive, encouraging and loving.
If you are struggling, think of any little victory that you have achieved, either recently, or in the past and congratulate yourself! Remember how you felt when you succeeded! This could be something as ordinary as finally cleaning the oven, or finishing decorating a room, or it could be something extraordinary, like running a marathon.
Whatever the victory, think about it now! Being mindful in this way, brings so many benefits!
1. YOU are choosing what you think
2. You are practising mindfulness and focusing on positive,
uplifting thoughts
3. You will feel, again, all the happy feelings of your victory
4. Your mood will improve
5. You will smile
6. You will boost your self esteem by reminding yourself of
your past successes
7. You will feel motivated to achieve another victory
What’s not to like?! Do a little exploring today!
Day 11 – Quality, Not Quantity
‘The quality of your thinking today, determines the quality of your life today.’
Absolutely true! If your mind is dwelling on negative, sad, judgemental, or self-sabotaging thoughts, your mood and energy will be low. Switch to thinking kindly about yourself and thinking positive thoughts and guess what? You have found the feel good factor. Building the awareness around what you are thinking is key. Every time you catch the mindless chatter in your head going rogue, snap yourself back to the here and now and be mindful for a few minutes – choose high quality thoughts! This Mindfulness habit will create a sense of internal peace and clarity in your day.
If you are struggling with unhelpful thoughts, or runaway worries, here are some tools to improve the quality of your thoughts today:
Carve out time for calm.
Lose yourself in an activity, whether it’s meditation, a walk in nature, a jigsaw puzzle, a massage, or a hobby you love. Whatever helps you tap into that inner calm, recognise it and do it regularly.
Focus on what you can control.
You are so much more powerful when you emphasise what you can do and think less about what you can’t. For example, you cannot control other people’s actions, but you can control how you respond to them. If you can’t control it, let it go from your thoughts.
Visualise outcomes.
If your thoughts are worrying over an upcoming event or meeting, visualise a happy, positive outcome. In your mind’s eye, see everybody, including yourself, smiling and content and full of energy, as a result of a spectacular meeting. Try it – it works wonders!
Help someone.
Nothing gets you out of your own head like helping others. In a negative thought loop? Look for someone to help. Maybe a family member, a friend, or a work colleague. Shifting your attention outwards gets you thinking creatively and steers you away from unhelpful mind chatter. It will make that person’s day brighter too.
Improving the quality of your thinking is immeasurably helpful for improving the quality of your life!
Day 12 – Take a Leaf…
The autumn colours are stunning and truly uplifting. We are blessed, year after year, with Nature’s beautiful show. What’s more, it’s free to enjoy and easily accessible, so let’s use it for some outdoor mindfulness practice!
Whether it’s in your garden, or a local walk, find somewhere where you can walk on, or around, fallen leaves. Enjoy the fresh air, the bare branches of the trees and tune in to the birdsong. Focus all of your attention on what you hear, see and smell, in the present moment. Use all of your senses. Consciously relax your shoulders and breathe away any tension in your mind and body. If your thoughts wander, acknowledge that kindly and bring them back to the here and now.
Find a beautiful leaf and pick it up. Really look at the leaf – it may be the first time you have done so in a very long time. Study the colours, the veins, the shape etc. What is the texture and how does it feel in your fingers? Where did it come from? How long has it taken to grow and finally fall?
There, you have just been mindful. Do it again tomorrow!
Day 13 – Do you have decision fatigue?
Do I have a clean mask to wear when I go out?
Is the vet surgery open for the cat’s checkup?
How can I help my elderly mum get some fresh air and safe exercise?
The pandemic has increased our daily questioning, forcing us to make even more decisions throughout the day and maybe, even waking us up at night. It can be overwhelming, making even simple decisions harder. This cognitive overload can lead to feelings of anxiety, irritability, stress, fatigue and worry. We have been asked to adapt, due to Covid-19, to an extent we probably haven’t experienced before and so we don’t have a template for this level of decision overload. Here are a few simple suggestions to relieve the decision making burden.
Make lists
When you are writing your list, you are being mindful! Write everything down, so that the information that’s swamping your brain goes onto the paper and you will have one less thing to fret about. Plus, it’s so satisfying to cross things off lists, (especially with a red pen!) and you will be filled with a sense of achievement.
Take a decision break
These days, we’re working, DIYing, helping children with schoolwork, keeping on top of housework and caring for at- risk relatives, friends and neighbours. All our tasks require decisions. Spending a few moments, being mindful, will ease the cognitive overload. Choose your favourite mindful exercise and do it!
Let it go
You’ve made the decision, so no need to rethink it! Decision remorse, just like buyer’s remorse, will drain you of energy and take away your happiness. Make the decision and then let it go.
Decide not to worry
When things are out of our control, we’re not deciding, we’re worrying. In some respects, we don’t exactly know what shape our futures will be, due to the pandemic and that’s frustrating. As humans, we like certainty, but we need to recognise what is outside of our control and therefore, pointless to worry about.
Reward time
Factor in some time each day to reward yourself for working hard. For example, phone a friend and catch up – it’s down time, with very little decision making required and you will have jumped off the merry-go-round of life, for a short while anyway!
Decision fatigue is real – help yourself to alleviate it!
Day 14 – Travel, don’t unravel!
Travel can be exciting – especially when we are our way to visit loved ones, or when we are travelling to our holiday destination. Equally, it can be a nightmare! Our drive around the M25 might be blighted by roadworks and take hours, our train might well be cancelled and our holiday mood may plummet, due to a flight delay.
You can be forgiven for getting hot and bothered, annoyed and stressed by any of these scenarios, but does it help in any way? Of course not, it really doesn’t help you at all. The traffic will still be queueing, you will still have to jump on a bus, or wait for the next train and you will have little choice but to wait for your new flight departure time. Here’s a perfect opportunity for a little mindful magic.
If your travel plans unravel and you begin to feel irritated, annoyed, stressed, anxious etc., imagine a gauge, with a dial, numbered zero to 100. The gauge is marked ‘Adrenalin & Cortisol meter’. As you feel more and more negative emotions and you know that your fuse is getting shorter by the minute, what’s happening to the needle on the gauge? Has it reached 50, perhaps 100? Is the gauge about to blow?? Put all your efforts and focus into bringing the needle back to zero, by turning your thoughts away from the frustrating situation and bringing your focus back to the present moment….
“Can I control, or change this situation?” “No, so I am wasting emotional energy by stressing about it.”
“Is stress good for my mind and body?” “No, so I will turn my mind to thoughts which will alleviate my stress.”
“Am I still able to reach my destination, albeit later than planned?”. “Yes and the end destination will be worth waiting for.”
“What will I feel like when I reach my destination?” “It will be wonderful to finally get there and see my lovely family. I can’t wait!”
Needle back to zero and a smile on your face!
Our tendency is to wallow in our annoyance and dwell on all that’s wrong with a situation. Next time you catch yourself in the negative loop, flip it, until you find the positives. Travel – don’t unravel!
Day 15 – The Self Esteem & Confidence Builder
How do you like the idea of having more control over your thoughts and building your self esteem & self confidence at the same time? It’s a win/win situation!
When we speak to ourselves, we are often unkind, which doesn’t make us feel amazing, does it? For example, “I’m too fat”, or “I’ll never get this right”, or “I know I’ll make a mess of it.” We do this unconsciously, berating ourselves for not being good enough and consequently, hammering our confidence and lowering our self esteem. With some mindfulness practice, we can tune into our thoughts ‘in the moment’ and catch ourselves as we say those awful things. Once we have that awareness, we can replace the negative self-talk with positive self-talk.
‘Should’ & ‘Ought’ – “I should have…/I ought to have…” Swap this phrase for, “Next time, I will….” The ‘should have/ought to have’ phrases leave you feeling guilty and inadequate for not being good enough, so ban them!
‘Can’t’ – It is time to stop using this word too, especially as it takes away your power. Replace “I can’t” with “I can” or “I will” or, if it’s impossible, use the phrase “I am unable to.” E.g. “I can’t lose weight” becomes, “I can lose weight, if I improve my gut health and choose to eat healthily!”
“I can’t drive a car,” can make you feel like a bit of a failure. Change it for, “I am unable to drive a car, yet” or, better still, “I will drive a car, when the time is right for me to learn.”
‘Try’ – Yoda famously said, “Do or do not, there is no try.” Well said, Yoda. It’s either “I will” or “I won’t.” When you say “I’ll try…” nine times out of ten, you know you won’t, even as you say it, so it leaves you feeling bad! It’s a “Yes,” or a “No,” after which you can relax, as you have said what you actually meant to say.
Add the words ‘Up until now…’
So, “I’ll never be successful,” becomes “I’ve never been successful, up until now.”
“I’ve never been able to exercise every day, up until now.” Plant the seeds of success!
Finally, a very powerful one – “I have to…..”
How heavy and onerous do those 3 words sound?
In truth, there is nothing you have to do. We always have a choice. You may not like the choice, but there will always be one. Say, “ I choose to…” instead of “I have to…” Now, doesn’t that make you feel empowered?
Remember – the way you talk to yourself dictates how you feel about yourself. When you catch yourself talking to yourself unkindly, mindfully bring your attention to what you said and change the phrase into a positive, uplifting one. Practice talking positively and kindly to yourself – it will boost both your self esteem and your self confidence.
Start boosting!
Day 16 – My Body and I…..
Do you have a good relationship with your body? Is your body how you’d like it to be?
Does your body feel the best it possibly can?
Any “No’s”? Then I invite you to read on, to learn how to turn the “No’s” into “Yeses”.
Firstly, it’s not your body’s fault! Your body tries its best 100% of the time, to function as well as it can, in the circumstances. It is up to us to take responsibility for optimising the way our bodies work. You are taking responsibility right now, because you recognise that your body is not as good as it could be and you are committing to the 30 day gut reset bootcamp, to kickstart your journey to better health. These 30 days will bring you many wins and improvements, even transformations, but they are only the first 30 days. If you return to your pre-bootcamp habits, (in my case chocolate and sweets everyday, very little exercise) you will undo all the hard work that you and your body have achieved together so far. Keep the new, healthy habits going!
Here is a little mindfulness exercise, with a big impact, to help you continue to support you and your body going forward. It’s perfect way to get yourself off to sleep, or back to sleep when you wake during the night. It is also easy to take 5 minutes out of your day to sit quietly and do this simple exercise, which will benefit you longterm.
Close your eyes and bring your focus to your breathing. With every inhale, say to yourself, “My body and I…” With every exhale, say to yourself, “…are on a journey of amazing transformation.”
There are three very good reasons for doing this!
1. When you exhale for longer than you inhale, your body
goes into relaxation mode.
2. When you give your mind something to focus on –
breathing and saying meaningful words – it is much easier to keep your thoughts from wandering and that will help with relaxation.
3. By repeating this positive sentence, it becomes an affirmation. Research has proved that affirmations trigger our subconscious mind to work towards the desired outcome.
Just a few minutes a day, or night, and you will greatly enhance your chances of continuing on your amazing transformation journey!
Day 17 – Charlie Chaplin’s Wise Words
When you give your concentration over to something completely, you are in that lovely place where you are simply focused on the moment. All other thought recede, save those required for the task in hand. Reading can take us to that mindful place. Some books can be so engrossing that you keep reading until 2am, or miss your station on a train journey.
I came across these profound words from Charlie Chaplin. It is believed he wrote them aged 70. I hope you enjoy reading them too.
“As I began to love myself
I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.
Today, I know, this is Authenticity.
As I began to love myself
I understood how much it can offend somebody if I try to force my desires on this person,
even though I knew the time was not right
and the person was not ready for it,
and even though this person was me.
Today I call this Respect.
As I began to love myself
I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything
that surrounded me
was inviting me to grow.
Today I call this Maturity.
As I began to love myself
I understood that at any circumstance,
I am in the right place at the right time,
and everything happens at the exactly right moment. So I could be calm.
Today I call this Self-Confidence.
As I began to love myself
I quit stealing my own time,
and I stopped designing huge projects
for the future.
Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way
and in my own rhythm.
Today I call this Simplicity.
As I began to love myself
I freed myself of anything
that is no good for my health –
food, people, things, situations,
and everything that drew me down
and away from myself.
At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is Love of Oneself.
As I began to love myself
I quit trying to always be right,
and ever since
I was wrong less of the time.
Today I discovered that is Modesty.
As I began to love myself
I refused to go on living in the past and worrying about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where everything is happening. Today I live each day,
day by day,
and I call it Fulfilment.
As I began to love myself
I recognised
that my mind can disturb me
and it can make me sick.
But as I connected it to my heart,
my mind became a valuable ally.
Today I call this connection Wisdom of the Heart.
We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations, or any kind of problems with ourselves or others.
Even stars collide,
and out of their crashing, new worlds are born. Today I know: This is Life!”
Day 18 – Home, sweet home
This is a lovely mindfulness exercise to do, especially when you are having trouble sleeping, when you are feeling overwhelmed, or when you just want to distract yourself from spiralling thoughts.
Direct your mind to a favourite home. It doesn’t have to be a home that you lived in, just one where you felt completely “at home”, totally relaxed and happy, a place where you felt safe and secure. Perhaps it was your childhood home, or your grandparents’ house, or maybe a holiday home?
Take yourself back there now and in your mind’s eye, see yourself standing outside the front of the house. What part of the world are you in? Town or countryside? What shape, colour, size is the house? Is there a garage? Does it have gardens? What are the gardens like? Enjoy re-visiting the complete outside of the house, along with any happy memories attached to the outside areas.
When you are ready, go to the entrance door, the one you tended to use. Where is the door? Front, back, side? What is the door like? What colour is it? Go through the door. Are you now in a hallway? If not, where? How is this first room decorated? Remember furnishings, wallpapers, pictures, photographs, ornaments, plants – all the details.
Have fun re-visiting all of the rooms in turn and remembering as many details as you can about each one. Recall the happy memories attached to the rooms too.
Now the people. What happy memories do you have of the people in your favourite home? Notice how you feel when you recall those happy memories. Are you smiling?!
Another simple, fun to do, mindfulness exercise, which gives your mind a few minutes rest, to refresh and re- energise you.
Day 19 – The Monk’s lesson
Two monks on a pilgrimage came to the ford of a river. There they saw a girl, dressed in all her finery, obviously not knowing what to do since the river was high and she did not want to spoil her clothes. Without more ado, one of the monks lifted her onto his back, carried her across and put her down on dry ground on the other side.
Then the monks continued on their way. But the other monk, after an hour, started complaining, “Surely it is not right to touch a woman; it is against the commandments to have close contact with women. How could you go against the rules of monks?”
The monk who had carried the girl walked along silently, but finally remarked, “I set her down by the river an hour ago. Why are you still carrying her?”
Day 20 – Fill your ‘thankful’ tank
There is no doubt that focusing on gratitude and giving thanks for the good things in your life, will lift your mood and swap your glass from being half empty to half full. This is a particularly good exercise to do when you are struggling to get to sleep, or when your thoughts are spiralling downwards! The feel good factor, combined with focusing your mind, helps to quieten your inner critic and to slow down your thought processes.
Simply say to yourself, “Today, I am grateful and thankful for…….” and then list those things.
What are you grateful for?
Who are you grateful for?
What has happened today that you are thankful for? What/who are you proud of today?
What opportunities are you grateful for?
Remember to be thankful for your successes too, however small!
Practice being grateful for a minute or two each day and embrace another positive, helpful habit!
Day 21 – A Mindful Stroll in Nature
Did you know that we are biologically programmed to find trees, plants water and all of the elements interesting? It follows then, that we are more likely to be absorbed in what we are experiencing through our senses, when we are out and about in nature. I’m sure we have all felt uplifted by the sights, sounds and smells of the sea, the quiet serenity of a forest, or the breathtaking view from a mountain top.
Next time you take a stroll in nature, set aside a few minutes of your walk, to stroll mindfully…..and enjoy!
Top tips:
Notice how you are feeling, without judgement and use the next step to bring your mind and thoughts back to the moment.
What do you feel under your feet as you walk?
Notice how you walk – how are your arms, body, legs and feet moving together?
What else can you feel within your body?
Notice your breathing – where do you feel your breathing and can you hear it?
Open all of your senses. Notice what you can hear, see, taste feel and smell.
When you get lost in thought, use your next step to return to the present moment.
When you reach the end of your mindful stroll, choose a place to stand still and take in everything around you and reflect on how you are right now, in the moment.