{"id":36362,"date":"2020-02-19T16:04:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T21:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.massagebook.com\/massage-therapy\/?p=36362"},"modified":"2020-02-19T16:09:06","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T21:09:06","slug":"your-easy-guide-to-mindfulness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/massagebook.com\/massage-therapy\/your-easy-guide-to-mindfulness\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Easy Guide to Mindfulness in 5 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Mindfulness has become a huge part of the #selfcare conversation recently, but what <em>is<\/em> it, exactly?<\/h3>\n<p>Mindfulness is a technique that allows you to be present in the moment\u2014accepting your feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations within the world around you.<\/p>\n<p>In a world that often feels like it\u2019s moving very quickly and beyond our control, mindfulness can help bring you back to center. You focus inwardly, acknowledging the feelings that you\u2019re having and accepting them. With this awareness, you can regain your self-control and focus on positive momentum.<\/p>\n<p>But, like everything worth doing, <em>it takes practice<\/em>. So how can we practice mindfulness?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve got five easy ways to get started:<\/p>\n<h3><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36382\" src=\"https:\/\/www.massagebook.com\/massage-therapy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ezgif.com-video-to-gif-1.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>1. Start journaling<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We know what you\u2019re thinking: diaries are for angsty teenagers. But that\u2019s simply not the case. Many people find journaling incredibly therapeutic, and when they\u2019re honest in their writing, it brings clarity to their thoughts and feelings they might not have otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>So how do you start journaling? It\u2019s all very scientific:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Grab a notebook.<\/li>\n<li>Grab a pen.<\/li>\n<li>Just start writing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t have to be cohesive or about any subject in particular at first. Write what comes to you and with no audience in mind but yourself. With practice, you will start to notice big emotions coming through the events you catalog: fear, anxiety, elation, joy. Notice these emotions and don\u2019t turn away. Accept their presence and keep writing.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Create a mantra<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you have journaled about what is important to you\u2014your sense of well-being, your purpose, your family\u2014write down some easy phrases\u00a0(seriously, no more than five or six words) that can help you focus on what\u2019s important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might say something like \u201cI am in control of myself\u201d or \u201cI flow from love\u201d or \u201cEverything will happen in its time.\u201d The more succinct, the better!<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And remember to keep your language active and simple.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you have a mantra, practice saying it every day. You can start in the morning before you brush your teeth or in the car on the way to work. As you say it more and more, you are training your brain to know that this mantra is true and important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you have moments of distress, confusion or overwhelm, you can repeat this mantra back to yourself. It will bring you away from those worries and into the present moment with \u201cI can do this!\u201d feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Say \u201cthank you\u201d every day<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This is a fun one. Saying \u201cthank you\u201d is easy and it makes others feel great, right? Well, we\u2019re not talking about just when someone holds open a door. Finding meaningful reasons to say thank you every day means the big stuff, too.<\/p>\n<p>Finding new ways to say thank you every day means that you will be more present and mindful throughout the day and taking more time to notice the things other people do for you. (Are you getting the theme here?)<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Learn to meditate<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For some, meditation seems daunting.<\/p>\n<p><em>I can\u2019t turn my brain off.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>I have kids, dogs, a job, a life!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>I can\u2019t focus for hours on end on nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But these are actually all the reasons to <em>start meditating\u2014<\/em>not reasons to avoid it. When it comes to meditation, no one starts out by being able to do it well, and they especially can\u2019t do it for an hour. It\u2019s okay for your mind to wander, and it\u2019s okay to start in increments of three or five minutes. The practice of meditation is all about becoming aware: aware of how your body feels, aware of your thoughts, aware of your distractions.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re new to meditation, we recommend starting with a guided meditation practice. You can find these in apps like Headspace and Calm. You can also find some free resources on the internet as well. Guided meditations gently remind you to focus on your breath and help you to acknowledge your thoughts when they wander\u2014without sacrificing too much of your focus.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re practiced at meditation, you can do it anytime, anywhere. When you\u2019re feeling confused or overwhelmed, you can do a little meditation to center yourself and then say your mantra. <em>See\u2014it\u2019s all coming together now, isn\u2019t it?<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Spend time in nature<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s nothing quite like nature to give you perspective about your worries or struggles. Simply walking outside for a few minutes a day can give you back a sense of belonging and mindfulness. So leave that phone on the counter, get outside and breathe some fresh air.<\/p>\n<p>(Bonus points if you spend time meditating or journaling while you\u2019re out there.)<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>Looking for another great way to be present in the moment?<\/p>\n<p>Try a relaxing massage to add some clarity to your day!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.massagebook.com\/?utm_source=social&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=Feb_PU_1\">Find and book a highly-rated massage professional on MassageBook today.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mindfulness has become a huge part of the #selfcare conversation recently, but what is it, exactly? Mindfulness is a technique that allows you to be present in the moment\u2014accepting your feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations within the world around you. In a world that often feels like it\u2019s moving very quickly and beyond our control,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":36371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[72,8],"tags":[144,20,64,143],"class_list":["post-36362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-healthy-living","tag-journaling","tag-meditation","tag-mindful-living","tag-mindfulness","description-off"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Your Easy Guide to Mindfulness in 5 Steps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mindfulness helps you accept your feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations within the world around you. 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