What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a form of therapy to assist those of us with stress or anxiety disorders, to help us view life in a positive way. If you compared the statistics of mental health from those living indiginously that have had little involvement with the developed world, to people from the western world, you would notice a significant difference. Many therapists and scientists agree it is because they remain in a world of nature, with little distraction like mobile phones, and therefore spend time living in the moment (mindfully)

During the end of the 1950s and into the sixties life-style in the Western world has got faster, fuller, more competitive. This is when we began to lose touch with our sense of self and our connection to nature.

Many people live by the seat of their pants, how many times have you heard someone say, their just aren't enough hours in the day?

Mental Health issues and suicide rates have been on the increase in the last decade, and the Covid - 19 pandemic has increased this further.

'Today's new data from the Office for National Statistics, which reveals that depression rates have doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began, forewarns of a growing mental health crisis in the UK.   source and further reading,

More and more people are choosing or being referred to mindfulness programmes to re set our brains to focus on the task in hand the present moment, but what is mindfulness?

Its roots stem from Buddhist practices, which were introduced to the Western world by an American scientist in 1979. Mindfulness is when your mind is in the moment, you aren't thinking about anything else other than focusing on what you are doing at that moment in time.

You aren't thinking about an argument you had with your partner that morning, nor are you thinking about what you are going to cook for dinner tonight. 

Many of us have had experiences of operating on auto-matic pilot, and this is not healthy, it is a warning sign that perhaps you are doing to much, or at least thinking too much, which can lead to anxiety and depression.

Simple acts of mindfulness that you can apply to your every day life could be, watching the water run from the tap, listen to the noise, feel the cold, imagine it's journey and be thankful 

Cooking a meal, notice the smells, shapes, textures, colours even sounds as you chop the ingredients. Taking a walk in nature and soaking in the environment, like watching and listening to leaves dance as they leave the tree in Autumn, noticing cloud shapes, hearing the birds. You will enjoy your experience much more.

It's about being in touch with our senses, our minds and our bodies, and just 'being' in the moment. Its not easy if you are already struggling with anxiety, and your mind has a thousand things in it, and you can't even make small decisions, but with help from a practitioner, be it in person or using a digital aid like Youtube you could over come this problem until you can go it alone, and just embody this into your daily life.

One method is doing a body scan, please click on the link below to try my 10 minute body scan.

10 Minute Body Scan

Sewing and Mindfulness

 Sewing is a love in my life that I have done since I was a teenager, and the activity of sewing can be used as form of relaxation and mindfulness.

Hand sewing is the act of repetitive small movements of the hands and the eyes which helps slow down the brain and the fact that you have to focus clears the brain from unproductive thoughts.

You do not need to be trained or particularly skilled in sewing, you could start with something simple like a beginners cross stitch or some simple patch-working, you ideally need to enjoy what you are doing.

Apart from being mindful, and stopping any unwanted thoughts, the feeling of achievement can boost your self-esteem when you have completed your work, you have a visible record, which if needed you can refer back to for a boost. 

Colour also has a big impact upon our well being, so if you want to lift your mood you may choose to work with yellows and pinks, or for a more calming or grounding effect chose threads or fabrics in shades of green and browns.

Charitable organisation Fine Cell Work , help prisoners in the UK, by giving them skills, confidence and a boost to their self esteem, by encouraging them to do embroidery, I believe it helps them in more ways than they perhaps realise. 

Teaching prisoners high-quality needlework boosts their self-worth, instills self-discipline, fosters hope and encourages them to lead independent, crime-free lives. (quote from Fine Cell Work)

I recall a period of time after having my daughter, I had brain fog, I had anxiety, and I felt like I had lost the ability to sew. I wasn't functioning too well, and this affected my confidence greatly, as I have always sewn In the past I have made the most exquisite and beautiful garments, and it felt like I had lost all my ability. I would spend lots of time sorting out my sewing stuff, fabrics, scraps, threads, looking for inspiration, and making myself feel like I was still 'that person'. Eventually, it was beautiful fabrics that gave me a spark, and I decided I had to take it easy, by just doing straight lines and patchwork, non judgmental, just pure mindful straight stitching, on the machine, this way, I could have a quick fix and produce things in a short time, which would give me back the feeling of achievement. It was probably the only activity I did that had my mind focused on one thing, not foggy, or overloaded with too my channels talking me to me about totally irrelevant things. So I am a big advocate of sewing for mental health, and have come up with an idea where I can help others.

A while ago I wrote a blog about patch-working, which you may like to read, as this too is a great mindful activity

A passion for patchwork

New Beginnings

To those that know me..

Hi, I've missed this and I am back with a new inspiration.

To those that don't, hello and welcome.

Firstly here is a poem that bests describes me (I think)

A Generation Xer, Once hedonistic raver. Trained designer and teacher, with 3 degrees in my favour. Next, careers advisor, tutor and a hippy livaboard boater. Then a geriatric Mother, Frack- tivist and climate doomer. Now a *Peri-Meni, middle ager, Poet, blog writer and vlogger That has a daily saviour of meditation or some yoga.

Intro to my YouTube Channel

In this blog I will be sharing ideas for mind and soul well being, I will be posting my latest meditations that I have written,and anything is inspirational, in particular the latest in alternative healing practices.

I will be blogging alongside my YouTube channel where you will find, guided meditations, and anything related. You can check out my channel, and also find chants for generating energy, and soothing music for relaxation and meditations.

The thing about me is, I am a very regular type of person, that hopefully you can relate to, I am honest and speak from the heart, and most importantly I don't wish for you to aspire to me, as I AM NOT perfect. All I aim for is to empower you and give you tools that may help you in your daily life, to avoid ill health, in particular your mental health.

Meditation and Mindfulness isn't a cure, but it can alleviate problems, and is best used as a preventative. It is to be enjoyed and embraced, so without thinking about it, it may become part of the routine of your life, be it daily, or weekly.

Namaste