Nice article, interesting thoughts on the pursuit of happiness, in my.experience of mindfulness I’d have to agree.
In recent years we have seen great improvements in awareness around mental health, stress and depression. There’s lots of work to be done still but the stigma is slowly being cut through. So with that in mind and the new year kicking off we decided to team up with Josephine Lynch from The Mindfulness Centre to get some simple insights from her on the small things you can do to take care of your mental health in 2017. Josephine has an M.A. Mindfulness-based Approaches (Bangor University) and has been teaching mindfulness and pro active approaches to taking care of your mental health for over 12 years.
Believe it or not, trying to be happy is stressful. The more we want happiness, the further it seems to be. In fact, so often the life we want is somewhere else; in the future when we get the job we really want, the partner we really want, the recognition we feel we deserve and so and on. This is not to say we shouldn’t aim to change jobs or look for a partner but thinking that either will make us completely happy is an illusion and causes stress.
The constant striving to improve ourselves means there is always some frustration about the present life for some people. Beginning to open up to the life that is here, with all its faults and imperfections, is the start to experiencing less stress and anxiety and puts you on the way to improving your mental health.
Take a moment to think about how you would talk to a friend who had made a minor mistake at work, would you shout at them, berate them or would you listen to them, try to help out and point that we all make mistakes and get things wrong from time to time and that they’ll feel better in a few days.
Now take a moment to think about a time when you made a minor mistake. How did you talk to yourself? What would you say to yourself, what sort of language did you use, what tone of voice?
It is often alarming when we see the contrast between how we relate to a friend who is struggling a bit and how we relate to ourselves. We are so often judging ourselves critically and harshly even over very minor things. It is like we can’t tolerate parts of ourselves that are not perfect all the time. This is very stressful for the body and the mind and there is evidence that shows that self critical inner talk contributes to low mood and depression.
Often this is so habitual and so familiar it’s like second nature and we don’t notice how much of this is going on. So it takes a certain amount of awareness and mindfulness to get to know this aspect of ourselves that can be so judgmental and harsh. Sometimes this can show up as ongoing low grade frustration with ourselves or others.
There is lots of evidence that shows that being kinder and more self-compassionate gives us more resilience in the face of the natural ups and downs of life, improves the immune system, improves relationships, decreases anxiety and stress and many other benefits.
So the next time you are frustrated with yourself, pause, take a moment to notice the internal voice, the resulting tension in the body and say to yourself “this is human, this is stressful and I am not perfect.” This needs practice and further information available under resources on www.mindfulness.ie which will help you learn more about being mindful and taking care of your mental heath.
Here are 3 mindful tips from this article for better physical and mental health for the new year ahead.
The second part of this article will talk about how mindfulness can help us connect with ourselves, to slow down and to begin to enjoy what’s in front of us. Be sure to keep an eye out on the homepage and our socials for part 2 and check out the work Josephine is doing with The Mindfulness Centre
In recent years we have seen great improvements in awareness around mental health, stress and depression. There’s lots of work to be done still but the stigma is slowly being cut through. So with that in mind and the new year kicking off we decided to team up with Josephine Lynch from The Mindfulness Centre to get some simple insights from her on the small things you can do to take care of your mental health in 2017. Josephine has an M.A. Mindfulness-based Approaches (Bangor University) and has been teaching mindfulness and pro active approaches to taking care of your mental health for over 12 years.
Believe it or not, trying to be happy is stressful. The more we want happiness, the further it seems to be. In fact, so often the life we want is somewhere else; in the future when we get the job we really want, the partner we really want, the recognition we feel we deserve and so and on. This is not to say we shouldn’t aim to change jobs or look for a partner but thinking that either will make us completely happy is an illusion and causes stress.
The constant striving to improve ourselves means there is always some frustration about the present life for some people. Beginning to open up to the life that is here, with all its faults and imperfections, is the start to experiencing less stress and anxiety and puts you on the way to improving your mental health.
Take a moment to think about how you would talk to a friend who had made a minor mistake at work, would you shout at them, berate them or would you listen to them, try to help out and point that we all make mistakes and get things wrong from time to time and that they’ll feel better in a few days.
Now take a moment to think about a time when you made a minor mistake. How did you talk to yourself? What would you say to yourself, what sort of language did you use, what tone of voice?
It is often alarming when we see the contrast between how we relate to a friend who is struggling a bit and how we relate to ourselves. We are so often judging ourselves critically and harshly even over very minor things. It is like we can’t tolerate parts of ourselves that are not perfect all the time. This is very stressful for the body and the mind and there is evidence that shows that self critical inner talk contributes to low mood and depression.
Often this is so habitual and so familiar it’s like second nature and we don’t notice how much of this is going on. So it takes a certain amount of awareness and mindfulness to get to know this aspect of ourselves that can be so judgmental and harsh. Sometimes this can show up as ongoing low grade frustration with ourselves or others.
There is lots of evidence that shows that being kinder and more self-compassionate gives us more resilience in the face of the natural ups and downs of life, improves the immune system, improves relationships, decreases anxiety and stress and many other benefits.
So the next time you are frustrated with yourself, pause, take a moment to notice the internal voice, the resulting tension in the body and say to yourself “this is human, this is stressful and I am not perfect.” This needs practice and further information available under resources on www.mindfulness.ie which will help you learn more about being mindful and taking care of your mental heath.
Here are 3 mindful tips from this article for better physical and mental health for the new year ahead.
The second part of this article will talk about how mindfulness can help us connect with ourselves, to slow down and to begin to enjoy what’s in front of us. Be sure to keep an eye out on the homepage and our socials for part 2 and check out the work Josephine is doing with The Mindfulness Centre
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Nice article, interesting thoughts on the pursuit of happiness, in my.experience of mindfulness I’d have to agree.
Thanks for the feedback John, it’s a really interesting subject.
Excellent advice – sound and well articulated. The three key tips are very useful.
Thanks for the feedback John, glad you enjoyed the tips.
Nice article, interesting thoughts on the pursuit of happiness, in my.experience of mindfulness I’d have to agree.
Thanks for the feedback John, it’s a really interesting subject.
Excellent advice – sound and well articulated. The three key tips are very useful.
Thanks for the feedback John, glad you enjoyed the tips.