(Title Quote By Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Shades readers, for the month of April, we are going to focus on our health and wellness.  We all have things we want to work on from a wellness perspective and there is no better time like the present as the weather is getting better and there is a spring in our step! 

Today, we are going to discuss the idea of Mindfulness. 

Have you ever felt busy, distracted, disorganized or overwhelmed? Had so much on your mind, you don’t remember loading the dishwasher or talking to your neighbour? Yes, I am sure these are everyday feelings for most of us as we get through the busy-ness of our lives!  It is medically proven that the stresses of contemporary life can cause health issues and can affect us adversely in our interactions, relationships and in the way we see ourselves.

The opposite of being inundated by all of those feelings and being so stressed is being mindful.  

Mindfulness can help us slow down and appreciate everything around us, allowing our stress levels to decrease which can benefit our overall health. Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Many of you may scoff at the idea of mindfulness but we live in a world where we are confronted with never-ending distraction so don’t knock it till you try it – it just might make you happier. 

So how does one become more mindful?  There are several approaches and the pursuit of mindfulness can be a very individual one but here are some general guidelines: 

• First things first, slow down and try to calm your thoughts down as well  

• Take in your environment and appreciate what is around you  

• Take that moment to smell the roses and enjoy being present 

• Be kind to yourself.  Stop thinking about what you haven’t done or what you did wrong

• Take deep breaths and be quiet 

Shades readers, take some time every day to practice the above tips and let us know how they work for you.

Have a great week and please share us on your social media channels!