3 Ways to Increase Happiness
Hey there moon child !
Since March is my birthday month, I wanted to speak about one of my favorite topics, Mindfulness! If you see me for therapy, you know how much I preach about being present in the moment. It’s a topic I love to speak about as it has a made a huge change in my life. A few years ago, I started looking into mindfulness techniques after my own stress became unbearable. Me, being a problem solver, tried to tackle my high stress by researching the latest ways to deal with it. The one that resonated with me was the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course (MBSR). This course changed my outlook on everyday life and how I show up for myself. Here are my 3 biggest takeaways from the course:
Being present-focused is not only about meditation
Usually when I bring up mindfulness, people say, I’ve tried meditation and it doesn’t work. Mindfulness is more than just sitting in silence and trying not to think of everything on your mind. It can be as simple as focusing on what you are doing right here, right now. Simple exercise can be: as you’re reading this blog, is your mind somewhere else or on these words? If you find your mind drifting off, just redirect back to what you are doing, even if it takes, 10, 20 times, that okay just keep working at it.
It is possible to relax and find calm
Yes, you read that correctly, it is possible to relax and find calm in your life. It happens and it is possible for you too, even if you don’t believe it right now. There have been plenty of times that I have fallen asleep in a meditation or yoga class and that is perfectly okay! It just shows how comfortable and calm I was to literally fall asleep in a room full of people. There is something about letting go and doing something you genuinely enjoy that makes you relax, even without realizing it.
Connection with vulnerability is everything
One of the major components of MBSR course was reflecting back with others on our experience of utilizing the skills throughout our week. It was such honest conversations about what our struggles were and how we approach it. Even if we didn’t use the skills, people related and shared how they have had similar experiences. Connection and being vulnerable is literally everything, because it can make the biggest difference with how you view yourself and the world. Even if you don’t find yourself in a MBSR course, yoga or meditation class, you can still practice this every day.
Now, I am not here to tell you to go to a MBSR course and everything is going to be different in your life. However, I will say, that finding what works for you and aligns with your values is essential when it comes to your mental health. Maybe for you its taking an art class or being outside, which ever it is know that you’re doing it for you. I loved taking that course, because I did it for me. I spent the hours going and committing to something that I knew was going to help me on my own journey. That’s what it takes when it comes to going to therapy or even just committing to a coping skill. You know what’s best for you, so go out there and do it.
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness skills or therapy, schedule a free 15-minute consultation call with me at 512-522-2765.