Mindfulness and Self-Care

"Start living right here, in each present moment. When we stop dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, we're open to rich sources of information we've been missing out on—information that can keep us out of the downward spiral and poised for a richer life.” ― Mark Williams

Here’s my dilemma:

As a therapist, I value and teach self-care. However, as a busy mom, I can’t seem to find enough time in the day! How do I take care of my emotional needs, when there isn’t time to take a break or indulge in a fun hobby?

So, here’s what I did. I created the intention, a mental focus, to get maximum nurture out of what I’m already doing. How? By practicing mindfulness.  

Mindfulness is living with awareness. Mindfulness is being present in your own life in the moment. Amazing research has shown that engaging in mindfulness can improve health, reduce stress and increase happiness.

Here’s a mindfulness exercise that I learned from Dr. Dina Wyshogrod, founder of the Israel Center for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (http://www.mbsrisrael.org) .  It has helped me focus on what is going on inside me when I feel overwhelmed, anxious, or anytime really. This exercise uses the acronym of STOP:

S-Stop what you are doing

T-Take a breath

O-Observe your thoughts, feelings, and sensations (for a couple of minutes)

P-Proceed (continue with what you were doing previously)

When you proceed, you are armed with awareness, with all the information that you picked up while you were observing yourself.   For me, that has made a huge difference in connecting to my body, my thoughts, and emotions. Once I’m connected, I usually make better decisions for myself.

You can try this out! Let me know what it’s like for you.