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Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

NikNikSenior Contributor07 Oct 2016, 11:54 am AEDT

Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Hello everyone!

From Sunday 9 Oct - Saturday 15 Oct, Mental Health Week is taking place all over Australia.

@CherryBomb & I were thinking about a challenge we could set ourselves for the week - something small that could improve our wellbeing, which we could fit into our day.

We were reflecting on the great sessions we did recently on Everyday Mindfulness and thought we should put that into practice!

We were hoping you all were up for the challenge too!

So each day we are going to pop in and share how we're going integrating mindfulness into our daily routine & we'd love to hear how you go as well.

Over the weekend it would be great if you started by posting your goals for the week. That way at the end we can look back and see if we each reached our goals and if we didn't what we could change.

So my goal for the week will be:

1) Enjoy my morning tea. I typically run around like a headless chook in the morning and sip my tea between drying my hair, ironing my clothes. So my challenge will be to have a cup of tea each morning without doing anything else at the same time.

2) Body scan. It takes me a while to wind down when I go to bed at night, so I'm going to incorporate a body scan in my night time routine. I'm not good an keeping concentration, so I might use the Smiling Mind app

If you're looking for inspiration on what you can do, here is some inspiration:

What mindfulness app is right for you: A great blog rating four of the most common mindfulness apps

What is minfulness?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnpQ6hRp8ek

Practical activities: Have a look through our Mindfulness session to find great ideas for activities.

So - who's in & what's your goals?

I will provide my first update Monday 🙂

53 replies

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In response to: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Unknown userMember10 Oct 2016, 6:22 am AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Good morning,

I thought the challenge started today... well I'm starting today.

I don't always feel like meditating (sitting meditation) but alternatively I can do yoga meditation which has not the same but similar effect. Yesterday I chose mindful housework instead of meditation 🙂 Today I will do a sitting meditation. They are the most beneficial for me, but I cannot do them with a racing mind and thoughts drifting off to the past.

Happy Mental Health Day to all!

Have you made your mental health day promise!?

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

NikNikSenior Contributor10 Oct 2016, 8:55 am AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Good morning everyone!

Thanks @Shaz51 @Former-Member @Sahara @Former-Member for sharing the goals you have set yourself.

So I'm reporting in after day 1 (sunday). I completely forgot my first challenge and didn't really have a mindful cup of tea - but I did do the body scan before I went to bed I did drift off to sleep pretty quickly afterwards. I'm not sure if this was because I had a hectic weekend of the mindful activity relaxed me (maybe both?).

Lets see how day 2 goes

I was going back over the Every Day Mindfulness session from the Forums and found this useful tip from Mindfulness Expert & our special guest of the session, Jordan:

....set a reminder in your diary. I also think there are some apps available for that. Best to practice regularly and during transition times eg. before dinner, after you get home, before bed - this helps the body embedd it as a habit

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Unknown userMember10 Oct 2016, 5:10 pm AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

@NikNik - Thanks for the update. And I am pleased that you have commenced one of your challenges. Hopefully today you can get on top of that mindful cup of tea that you promised yourself.

Okay, so the challenges I set for myself for this week were:

1. Mindful Walking
2. Mindfulness of Physical Discomfort (a bit like the body scan)

Yesterday I walked around my back yard and took in everthing I could see, hear, smell and feel. I did not have the opportunity to use my sense of taste. I live on a semi-rural 3 acre block so there really is a lot to take in. I saw birds in the large gum trees at the bottom of our block. I heard a pied currawong as he sat in another tree and continued to call out to his mate, I smelled the scent of horse manure as I walked along the far fenceline (they keep horses there), and I felt the spiny spikes on the lemon tree. And in between all that I walked mindfully, taking in everything as I walked. Taking note of how the grass crushed under my feet, how some little birds scattered as I approached to close to their nest where they have 3 babies. I noticed how there were some mosquitos out already.

The body scan thing for mindfulness of physical discomfort I also did last night. I noted how my body was aching, how the electric shock type pains ran down my leg, and the feeling of pins and needles in my foot. I noted how my heart was beating more rapidly than it should, and that I had a slight shakiness in my body. I acknowledged all of this and then tried to breath through it, and to just accept it.

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

AppleblossomSenior Contributor10 Oct 2016, 5:33 pm AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

This is a great idea.

I will set 2 goals.

1) mindful walking & meditation as usual

2) mindful removal of self from computer! Being less patient with computer and using any excuse to get up and do something else.

I really like the clear strategy of a body scan. We do need to be aware of the messages our body sends.

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

BlueBaySenior Contributor11 Oct 2016, 10:12 am AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

@NikNik @Appleblossom@Former-Member@Former-Member@Shaz51

I have been doing my mindfulness meditation at night before bed. Last night I uploaded the Headspace mindfulness app on my phone. It was really good.

At the moment as I am typing, I am listening to some healing music I found on my computer. I really enjoy listening to relaxing music/sounds while sitting or knitting. It seems to calm me 🙂

How is everyone going with their challenges?

In response to: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Unknown userMember11 Oct 2016, 11:57 am AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Hi @BlueBay

I should have set myself the challenge to be kind to myself, as usual I'm beating myself up because I st a goal and I haven't been able to do seated meditation...

So being kind to myself I acknowledge that I am having a tough time and that it is okay to skip my meditation and do something mindful instead - I was sitting on my meditation cushion this morning watching the trees outside.

I find it so so hard to be kind to myself - when I pay attention to my inner talk, it's cruel.

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Shaz51Senior Contributor11 Oct 2016, 12:06 pm AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

That is soo good @BlueBay xx

Hello @Former-Member xx please try to be kind to myself as I have not done my Mental Health Week Challenge yet

you were sitting on your meditation cushion this morning watching the trees outside.-- this is great @Former-Member xx, keep going my friend

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

NikNikSenior Contributor11 Oct 2016, 1:30 pm AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

I'm not doing so bad. I forgot the scan last night, but it was because I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

This morning I forced myself to do to a cafe which was a bit of a walk away (there's a cafe right next to work - so I usually buy a coffee and keep working). The walk back was lovely and I kept my focus on the coffee - which was lovely 🙂

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

NikNikSenior Contributor11 Oct 2016, 1:32 pm AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Here's another resource for you all:

It's a mindful meditation from our wonderful Mindfulness Expert Jordan. If you have a few mintues now, you might want to give it a go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VODCe4R3jA

In response to: Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Shaz51Senior Contributor11 Oct 2016, 1:38 pm AEDT

Re: Mental Health Week Challenge: Every day mindfulness

Good afternoon @NikNik xx

I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow last night as well --

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