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Mindfulness in May

Werribee
01 May 2020

Welcome to Mindfulness in May!

What is it?

Mindfulness in May is the world’s largest online mindfulness campaign, encouraging everyone to spend the next four weeks of May training our minds. 

Mindfulness can help you in many different ways – it can help you become calmer and more confident when faced with stress, it can help you control your emotions and responses, reduce ‘mind chatter’, and become more resilient with better coping mechanisms.

Today, I sat down with fellow Youth Advocate Maddy to discuss one of her many passions – mindfulness!

 

What does mindfulness mean to you?

“Mindfulness means… being present in the moment, slowing down and paying attention to how your mind and body feels”.

Are there different kinds of mindfulness?

There are many different kinds of mindfulness, including (but not limited to):

  • Mindful eating
  • Practicing gratitude and appreciation
  • Progressive muscle relaxation
  • Diaphragmatic breathing (deep breathing)
  • ‘Leaves on a stream’
  • Yoga

 

You can also be mindful when doing different daily tasks, like:

  • Getting ready in the morning
  • Eating food
  • Going for a walk
  • Working
  • Drink a glass of water
  • Journaling 
  • Studying

 

What are some apps you can recommend for someone who is interested in mindfulness?

  • Smiling mind (free), Australian and produced by psychologists and educators
  • Calm 
  • Headspace, produced by the UK

 

What do you do when practicing mindfulness?

“I try to practice it every morning when I wake up. I will play a 1-minute meditation (usually the body scan on smiling mind app)… If feeling stressed, I will do it then too… and sometimes before bed, in the car before work, and would be good to do when leaving school, university, or work”.

 

What are the benefits of mindfulness?

There are lots of benefits, including:

  • Stress relief 
  • Improved sleep
  • Improved mood
  • Helps boost concentration

 

When should we practice mindfulness?

  • Whenever you want
  • Whenever you feel stressed
  • Anywhere and everywhere
  • Wherever you feel comfortable

 

Anything to add?

“You don’t have to be good at it, or need anything to do it. You don’t have to do it for long, as 1-minute is enough. Also, different mindfulness activities can work for different people.”

If you would like more information on mindfulness, you go on mindfulinmay.org for more information or you can contact headspace for more resources, tips and techniques.

#mindfulinmay

 

 

Blog post produced by Clare, Youth Advocate