Mindfulness and self-care
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By Jennifer Springham, @jlspringham2
Joint Appointment: Lecturer in Mental Health and Practice Development Lead, My Care Academy.
Mindfulness is the ability to focus your awareness on the present moment, paying attention to thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment. I was inspired having read Joanne’s blog reflecting on her time as a newly qualified nurse, and how Mindfulness helped her with managing stress. I realised that I had neglected practising Mindfulness for a long time, even though taking it up in the first place had really changed my life for the better.
I got into mindfulness 5 years ago when I completed
There are lots of choices of guided meditations, and everyone is different in terms of their preferences and what works well for them. There is growing research on the benefits of Mindfulness on health and wellbeing when practiced consistently. The NHS Apps Library has a list of apps that include Mindfulness, some paid and some free. After reviewing some of the free ones I decided I liked the Feeling Good app the best. There is a gentle introduction to Mindfulness and a choice of guided meditations for relaxation or resilience building. And personally, I love the guitar picking in the background. The idea is to listen to these meditations regularly, depending on your activity. Having a variety of meditations are nice, however it is also good to find a guided meditation that you really like as you’re more likely to listen to it again.
If you are interested in trying Mindfulness there are lots of resources out there. You could try out an app, or sign up for a Headspace account where you can learn the basic techniques for free. Or you can set a reminder to take at least 5 minutes out of your day to feel more grounded. I like the forgiving nature of Mindfulness, n