Feeling a little stressed with what feels like an endless lockdown? Or indeed by anything that's cropped up in your life and making you fearful, angry or distressed.
Mindfulness is a really effective way of helping you to feel calmer and lessens that feeling of spinning out of control many of us experience when something's gone wrong.
There's no mystique about it. It's just done to persuade your mind to stay here in the present moment. Because here, right now, is about what's actually happening. Our minds chatter on and race away into the future, predicting outcomes (usually the worst ones), or persuading us the future's wonderful so that we feel let down when something doesn't come to pass. We can rest in the present moment, our memories behind us and our futures still to come.
Today's suggestion is to practice making a cup of tea (or coffee/chocolate if you like), mindfully. Mostly we do this as fast as we can; in ad breaks in our favourite TV shows, or to have when we come in from work, etc.
Why not try making it an experience, as for example a whole Japanese tea ceremony is.
Choose your mug carefully and thoughtfully.
Notice the steps you take to fill your kettle, from lifting it, through filling it to turning on the switch or placing it on the hob. Do the same for opening your fridge and taking out the milk, or the sugar from the cupboard. Notice which spoon you choose.
Think about all that's gone into the production of your tea. From the leaves growing on a hillside to the people who pick them, their being dried and blended by experts. How they came to be in your country and your supermarket.
What about the things you add? The milk, the sugar, the mint, the honey. All have their story and journey to tell.
Continue in that vein through brewing your tea.
When you sit down to drink it, notice how you pick up your tea, move it towards your lips. The warmth of the tea as you swallow it.
If you concentrate on all of this, you'll find at the end of the process, that you haven't had time to think about your worries... for as long as it took to enjoy your cuppa!
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Thank you Callandersgal, I enjoyed reading your process of mind over matter if you like, it's a good path to train the brain 🧠 and the mind for that matter into thinking that this horrible period that's effecting All of our lives to one side, at least until we can be close together again 🙏🤗. My mother is back in hospital again with 2 infection's Inc mild pnumonia, she had a blockage in the bowel as well & she couldn't keep anything down for 6 days, it's now 10 days since she's eaten anything! They took x-rays and a scan & the blockage is definitely in the bowel, we thought it was in the bladder 😔but she's had a tube in her mouth to the stomach for the last 8 days! We had to call for as ambulance on two occasions over 4 days before they took her into hospital, we've been told that it's possible that she could be returning home very soon 🙏, She's been through so much stress and anxiety/pain it's amazing she's still with us!🤗
Hi MikeMan. I'm sorry to hear about your mum, it must be such a worry. Back in the late eighties, my mum had a blockage and couldn't eat anything and kept bringing up strange stuff. It turned out to be a femoral hernia (strangulated) which they had to operate on quickly for safety reasons. It was such a worry so I know how you must be feeling. I hope all will be well with your mum as mum's are so special. 🙏 xx
Thank you springcross, your poor Mum, & what a big worry that must have been for you! At least today we have better technology in the medical world that is helping to save lives 🙏, the blockage mum had was that every drink of orange squash or water came back up and it was the colour of gravy! & it stank so much I had to wear a mask because I have a have the nose of a bloodhound, so basically everything she drank went into her bowel & back up again! She's still in hospital on a drip cos she hasn't eaten solids for 11 days! & The antibiotics are still going through her cos she has 2 infections, god knows how long this will go on for 🙏.Take care of you and your family honey X
This is what happened to my mum Mike. She had been in bed for a few days unwell and we were having to go and stay the night. She wasn't being sick as such, just bringing up this brown and green gunk which turned out to be the content of her bowel as the hernia had strangulated. They were having problems finding out what was wrong until a young doctor discovered a lump the size of a cherry in her abdomen and they didn't realise what it was until someone in the know arrived. They had to operate straight away and remove a piece of the bowel (not a great deal) to remove the twist. She was very out of it for a while as I think it all came as a shock to her but she recovered very well eventually. You take care tooMike, hope you and your family keep safe. xx
HiI'm so sorry to hear about your Mum. It's so hard isn't it. It is made even harder if you have to battle with drs as well. I know they do a good job but sometimes they need to listen to the patient's relative. I've been there with this and it's very upsetting. I'm sorry I've gone off on a tangent again. I would just like to say I'm here if you need to offload. Love to you, your Mum and your family.
Thank you Lynne, yes it has been tough for mum for over a year since it all started when she fell & broke her hip, all we can do is wait to hear when she can return home 🏡 from the hospital, stay safe & take care of yourselves. x
Hi Mikeman58, I'm glad you enjoyed that. So sorry to hear your mum's back in hospital. I know it's been touch and go for quite a while, but things had been looking up a little, previously. Thinking of you and I hope you manage to get her home again soon. Very best wishes and thank you for updating us. 🙏
On my way to to the airport to catch a plane for a major trip, I started to have an anxiety attack. For some reason unknown at the time, I decided to concentrate on the floorboards in detail. The anxiety quickly subsided. ❤️🏄♀️Didn’t know it was called mindfulness until later. It’s amazing what a person can do when in survival mode. It worked then and still works today.
One lesson I have learned from all this is how very little in life is urgent and important and how the vast majority of things can wait and can easily be done another time.
Thank you so much Mydexter, & I'm so sorry to hear your poor Mum, it's a horrible desease, hopefully 1 day Dementia will become a thing of the past 🙏x
Hi Sue, really good post again you have put out , I try to train my brain away from my pain and try to focus on something to do and take my time it isn't easy but I try and do my meditation and think of lovely things and it also helps me to help with this lockdown and what I want to do when it's lifted. x
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Hi Clive, I'm pleased that you found that interesting. The brain is so complex, as its relationship with our physical and mental pain, and it's a really good thing when we find a way to manage our difficulties by looking at them in different ways. I'm glad you've stuck with your meditation. Just a few minutes a day can be so beneficial. It's good to think a little about what we hope for in future!🌈😊🙏
Thank you Sue. I really enjoyed reading your post and it hits the nail on the head as most of us just put the kettle on, walk to the fridge, get the milk out, put a teabag in the mug, pour the boiling water over the teabag and milk and take the teabag out and drink. I for one do not think of the process and this is a very good way to think mindfully, as you say whilst you are busy about what you're doing you're not thinking negatively.
Alicia🙏🙏
Thank you Sue. This has really helped me to think about what I'm doing and to really focus.Lots of love and hugs Lynne xxxx ❤️🤗💜🤗
Hope you enjoyed your tea and the experience of having it mindfully 👍😊Jerry!
My grandmother had senile dementia, my mother vascular dementia, am I next? 😥
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