Mindfulness

‘I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become’ – Carl Jung

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

Have you ever been driving and arrived at your destination, and suddenly thought, ‘goodness,I’m here already’ or even ‘how did I get here?’ We spend so much of our lives racing from one thing to another, always thinking ahead, ruminating about the past, struggling to combat the  ever increasing complexities of life. So much so, that you may suddenly become aware that a lot of your time almost seems to be driven by autopilot. Mindfulness teaches us to slow down, to be kind, patient, and compassionate to ourselves through meditation and other techniques. It encourages you to become more aware of each present moment and to face life’s obstacles. Mindfulness can provide you with the tools to become  less anxious and fearful of the challenges of life.

MIND-BODY AWARENESS

‘To cultivate Mindfulness truly, we need to become fully integrated with our body once more’ -Mark Williams & Danny Penman

An integral part of Mindfulness is re-connecting to our bodies and becoming more body aware. In other words, we can learn to take notice of what our body is telling us through Mindfulness. What signals are being sent to us by our bodies that we tend to so easily ignore? Our emotions are frequently translated by physical symptoms and changes in the body but how often do we actually pay attention to the signals being sent to us? Such signals if we pay attention to them closely, may literally save out lives.

‘If we hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step from where we are standing. If we don’t really know where we are standing… We may only go in circles…” -Jon Kabat-Zinn

THE BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS

The NHS has endorsed Mindfulness as; ‘Mindfulness for Mental Well Being’. The practice of Mindfulness has been clinically proven to aid sufferers of anxiety, stress, depression and feelings of exhaustion.It enables you to turn around what can often be habitual, negative thinking into positive thinking. It can be an effective alternative to taking ant-depressants and encourages you to take back control of your life.

If appropriate, I can guide you to explore the meditations and skills of Mindfulness and find techniques which suit you and your lifestyle. A successful outcome, is highly dependent on your willingness to practice and use the techniques on a regular basis. It is not by any means complicated however it does require your time and commitment above and beyond attending weekly therapy sessions. Mindfulness is about you investing in yourself.