Mindfulness Challenge Week 8: It Matters
Mindfulness Matters!
We have discussed so many reasons and ways mindfulness matters to our health. But in case you have forgotten, there are so many benefits of mindfulness!
- Decreased stress
- Enhanced mental health and functioning
- Increased emotion regulation and self-control
- Decreased anxiety, depression, worry, and rumination
- Greater ability to lose weight
- Improved ability to manage chronic pain
- Reduced incidence of problem drinking and symptoms associated with problem drinking
- Better sleep
- Improved attention
- Improved social and relational skills
- Reduced symptoms of burnout in employees
- Reduction in aggression and problem behaviors in children
- Increased ability to cope with bullying
- Enhanced resilience in children
How to Improve Mindfulness:
- Focus on one thing at a time.
- Slow down.
- Eat mindfully.
- Keep phone and computer time in check.
- Move! And be aware of your body’s sensations as you do so.
- Go outside.
- Go easy on yourself.
- Prioritize mindfulness.
- Be patient.
- Let go.
- Have fun!
Don’t accept the excuse that mindfulness isn’t for you. Those who have the most difficulty sitting still are the ones who need mindfulness the most. If you’re constantly moving to the point where you can’t imagine yourself sitting still for more than a few minutes at a time then your mind is very, very busy. And the busier your mind, the more stressed and anxious it is as well.
Weekly Challenge:
It Matters: Carrying Mindfulness Forward Challenge
Why It’s Important: You should know this by now- mindfulness matters!
Your Challenge: Using the many mindfulness exercises and techniques we’ve learned in the past two months, choose some to implement into your everyday life. Whether it’s to help control you anxiety or to be more aware of your eating habits or to help you look at yourself with less judgement, finding a mindfulness technique to assist you in gaining control of your health is vital to your long-term success.
