Mindfulness

Are you present in your life?

So often, we are on "automatic pilot", reacting to life. Not really paying attention to what is happening in our lives. Often times we find ourselves thinking about something else, remembering things, imagining possible futures, and acting out habitual patterns, or more accurately, reacting to people and situations based on old habits of perceiving, thinking, feeling, and behaving. In this way, we are either in the past or the future not in the present.

Mindfulness meditation involves intentionally stepping out of automatic pilot to be present, aware and responsive. This attention has a quality of curiosity, patience, spaciousness and care. In other words, mindfulness involves learning to direct our attention to our experience as it unfolds, moment by moment, with open-minded curiosity and acceptance. Rather than worrying about what has happened or might happen, it trains us to respond skilfully to whatever is happening right now, be that good or bad.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is not just useful for people with specific health problems; it can be used by anyone to improve their overall quality of life and ability to live life to the full. Practising mindfulness has been proven repeatedly to improve health and wellbeing, and to give people more insight into their emotions. It can help us to notice stress building, and when our minds become caught in unhelpful thought patterns. With mindfulness we can respond skillfully, with choice rather than through habitual reaction. It also helps people of all ages to learn more effectively, think more clearly, improve attention and concentration, perform better and to feel calmer, less anxious, and less depressed.

Mindfulness helps

• Supports restful sleep
• Improve attention and concentration
• Improve creativity and productivity
• Supports efficient and effective work
• Improves self-esteem and self-worth
• Enhances emotional intelligence and resilience
• Helps counteract the stress response
• Enhances communication skills
• Reduces anxiety
• Reduces depression

Mindfulness in daily life

We can practise mindfulness almost anywhere anytime! One of the greatest benefits is that it is mobile and flexible. Mindfulness can be woven into the fabric of everyday life- eating, travelling, exercising, socialising, being on your own, even cleaning up!

Mindfulness is increasingly being used in business to improve staff wellbeing and satisfaction, in sports training to improve performance, and with children and young people in schools to enhance wellbeing and learning. Mindfulness is now recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence.

Mindfulness courses for individuals and groups click here for information

Mindfulness for children and adolescents click here for information

Mindfulness for Teachers click here for information

Feedback from a member of the course:

"I joined the mindfulness meditation course because I am often frantic and my mind is full of chores, work, home, childcare. My mind often feels out of control and disorganised. Since starting the course I am slowly seeing a difference in my stress levels. The daily meditation really helps to put a break on my busy mind. I enjoy watching my thoughts without any pressure to react or respond, it is extremely liberating!

I was interested in the CBT perspective on thoughts and feelings. The three-minute breather is a great way to calm down when I feel like I'm about to lose control and react negatively to a situation. The best thing about it for me is realising that I do not have to feel guilty about investing in myself - and that when I do the people around me benefit more than when I don't." 

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/11/julie-myerson-mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/wellbeing/9772911/Nows-the-moment-for-mindfulness.html 

Courses now conducted via Skype and Zoom. Please contact Catherine for further information.

Take your first step call Catherine on 0753 547 7191 or email me at info@catherineayensu-cbt.co.uk

15 mins free consultation