Reflections on the Mindfulness Challenge

We want you to continue to prosper with your mindfulness practices, long after this October challenge is finished! So here are some helpful resources to aid you in your journey: MEDITATION: Live a healthier, happier, more well-rested life in just a few minutes a day with the Headspace app. www.headspace.com/mindfulness Try out the free trial and see if it’s for you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6g2mr0p3Q There are plenty more meditation resources out there and on YouTube, in both free and paid form. PRIMING: www.tonyrobbins.com/ask-tony/priming Of course, any content from Tony Robbins is great for shifting mindsets and living a thriving, successful life. Search for him on YouTube for starters! WATCH: Keen to learn more from the comfort of a couch based chill? There's a fantastic series on Netflix right now called The Mind Explained. https://www.netflix.com/nz/title/81098586 READ: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero are just a couple of great reads for mindfulness and personal development. BREATHING: Search mindfulness breathing exercises on YouTube. RESOURCES: If you would like to continue with this, beyond the My Mindfulness Practice month, head to www.webstarwell.me for tools to positively change your life.

Taking a proactive approach to holistic health means looking at all aspects of health simultaneously. These components are: Sleep TRF Gut Health Nutrition Movement Hydration Psychology Here, we’ll talk about pillar seven: Psychology due to its association with our October wellness challenge of Mindfulness. No journey is sustainable without the focus and determination of the mind. You have to ask yourself, who do you want to be? What do you want? Let’s touch on the very basics of getting your mind in the game. Asking these questions to yourself in a structured way will unlock the answers you need, let’s call them goals. If you don’t have goals, then you don’t have something you are aiming for, and you can’t measure your own progress or see yourself moving towards something you value. This is essential to maintaining motivation. As when you see progress towards a valued goal, your brain releases a whole lot of feel good chemicals that keep you motivated. This creates a positive feedback loop that spirals you upwards. So you have to set some goals. Aim high You must have an aim in order to do something. So aim high. When you have an aim; it sets up a world around you. Your life takes on a different form. Your thoughts and emotions organise themselves. After-all, your entire living experience is all happening inside your head. Your world IS your mind. Create an aim that excites you to achieve equally as much as it terrifies you to fail. Meaning is derived from the pursuit of valued goals. So this aim also has to be something that is important to you emotionally. Find the next step Ticking off micro-goals that move you towards achieving a goal that you value is rewarding. It is literally built into your brains biochemistry. You get a dopamine buzz when you see yourself moving toward a valuable goal. The next micro-goal should be difficult enough to push yourself yet have a reasonable chance of success. You create a positive snowball effect and feel good incentive reward system in the brain. Create a schedule Negotiate with yourself like you are someone you care about. You are not your own slave and tyrant. Make a schedule that you are happy with. You need responsibility and effort to achieve what you want in life, that’s obvious. Plan out the tasks you need to do to achieve your valued goals into a time frame. That way you know exactly how long it will take you to achieve what you want. Watching this unfold daily excites and drives you. As part of your schedule, trying journalling if you don’t already. Each morning or night just write down your thoughts and see what you take from it. Be kind to yourself You must have a balance of discipline and play. The trick is to reward yourself with things in your day that please you but are not detrimental to the results you are achieving. Aim for progress not perfection. Unless you are an android built to be flawless; you will trip up. Recognise when you do, forgive yourself for being human, analyse “what can I do to have a better outcome next time?” and continue forward. It’s an art of refinement.

Do food, exercise or other pillars of health have an effect on the brain? Absolutely! Research has shown that the food we put in our bodies, how often we exercise, and the environment we live and work in can all impact our mental health. For example, when we do physical exercise our body releases chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins, which in turn improves our mood and mental wellbeing. It has been shown to help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. But health goes far beyond our physical body and the food we put in it. It starts with our thoughts and emotions. The mind is the most powerful resource a body has! Every year, millions of people take a proactive approach to physical health. You may also see your GP for an annual check up or pursue health screenings for a variety of potential illnesses. Intuitively, we should take the same proactive approach when it comes to our mental wellness. Yet, we tend to neglect the critical role it plays in our lives.