"Wherever you are, be all there"

If there is one small thing that each one of us can do to enrich our lives, it's to practice mindfulness. "Be all there"… Mindfulness refers to a state of being fully present in the present moment, with acceptance and without judgement. Sometimes this is easier said than done…we are often juggling a number of different commitments; it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or distracted.

“Practising mindfulness briefly throughout the day is going to have an effect on your neural development — it’s going to have an effect on your capacity to self-regulate.” (Catherine Phillips, Edmonton psychiatrist) Self-Regulation is our ability to gain (or regain) a sense of control over our behaviour and emotion in our lives.

So, whenever you feel yourself floating away and running on auto pilot, or killing time by being glued to your device…stop; take a deep breath, take in your surroundings and, check in with yourself. How is your body feeling? Are you tense? Unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders, relax your body. What is happening around you? Are there things you can smell, hear, touch, feel? Are you being fully present in the moment? Are you connecting to the person you may be with? Or with the activity you may be doing?

By doing these small check ins through out your day, you will start finding more joy and connection with others, your passions and with the everyday actions that make up your routine. If you are more connected you will have an easier time figuring out how to spend your time in ways that actually matter to you. Why run on auto pilot if it means missing out on what can be a wonderful life! Take time to disconnect to reconnect, rebuild relationships and community and to be true to yourself and your owns needs and desires... be all there!

xo

Krystal

Little Bird Holistics