Practicing mindfulness. This might not have been a phrase that was in your vocabulary pre-pandemic but since we had all the time for self care for quite a few months, for many of us it became part of our daily routines. Instead of commuting on a packed train, we were meditating or doing yoga. And instead of running a million errands, we were going for long walks in our neighbourhoods. And while many of us are looking forward to living life again, we can and should think about taking these healthy habits with us and establish new mindful routines.
Journaling / Scripting / Gratitude Journaling
Scripting is an exercise which involves writing positive affirmations in your journal, best as part of your morning routine. Use five minutes to set intentions for your day, for example think about what you want to manifest into your life, a healthy body or plentiful cash flow? A fulfilling job or self love? Focus your affirmations around the area that you want to improve.
Gratitude Journaling can be used as part of your evening or morning routine to shift your mindset. A positive mindset will change your life, so get journaling as part of your morning or evening routine will make the world of difference to how your day goes.
Journaling in the evening as a debrief on your day as an outlet for your thoughts is a fantastic way to identify what might be on your mind and has the potential to identify what might be causing stress.
Meditation / Positive Affirmations
Meditation has so many benefit’s it’s hard to summarise! But what most people would have found during lockdown was the way it could be used to combat negative emotions and reduce stress. The further benefits when practiced over a long period of time include gaining a deeper understanding on your own subconscious thoughts, and even increasing imagination and stimulating creativity. The possibilities really are endless when it comes to meditation, so tonight why not take 10 minutes at the end of your day to wind down with a guided meditation and day by day start to feel the benefits fly in!
Positive Affirmations can be built into your routines in lots of different ways, through listening on your headphones, having them play in the background while you work or reading and repeating out loud. Whatever method works best for you, the idea is again to re-frame your mind with positive thoughts. Eventually, you will see learn to replace negative thoughts with positive ones as they crop up during the day, leaving you with a much happier and healthier outlook.
*several resources available on youtube*
Yoga / Walks
Our designated exercise during lockdown was for many of us, a saving grace. It gave us a much needed reason to go outside and be with nature. Take our mind off whatever was troubling us at the time and just generally decompress. Moving your body, whatever way you choose has endless benefits and a morning or evening walk when worked into your daily routine will just become a part of your lifestyle.
Yoga when practiced often and mindfully can also act as a form of meditation. Connecting the mind with your body through breath. Certain postures, for example, simultaneously calm and stimulate the brain which activate and stimulate vital organs by supplying fresh blood to the brain, making it alert but relaxed. How fascinating!
