Mindfulness Matters

Mindfulness Matters: I know, I know. It's so cliche to be talking about mindfulness. But right now more than ever, you don't have to be granola-ish to be taking just a few small moments a day to stop and be present. It can change your brain and create neurological pathways to more peaceful responses in times of stress (like when doing life stuck at home with those coworkers of all sizes).  So if you hear us talking a lot about mindfulness in the coming weeks, it's because brain science tells us that under stress, our brains automatically default to fight or flight (like fighting with our sibs or wanting to hide under the covers until this thing blows over). This happens even more quickly when we have had a lot of hard times or trauma in our life.  Right now, and for the next while, we are all essentially LIVING in this fight or flight space. This can make us irritable and snappy. But science also tells us that just 2 minutes of mindfulness twice a day for 8 weeks can create new pathways in the brain to help us cope. The more mindfulness, the sooner a more a peaceful response to stressors becomes the default. 

So here is a mindful moment you can create at home, and we'll send some more as the days go on: 

A Sensory Walk- Take a walk with your family, but this time, set your phone timer for 2 minutes and spend those minutes only listening to the sounds you hear. When the two minutes are up, talk together about what you noticed. Then change it up and a few minutes later and do two minutes of only smelling the smells around you. Smell the fresh air, smell the grass, smell a flower, or for giggles, smell each other! Again, after the timer is up, talk about what you smelled. You can repeat again for each of the 5 senses, or just choose one or two, whatever works for you! Any time we use one of our five senses to actively notice the things around us, we are being present in the here and now, and that is what mindfulness is all about.