I would like to focus on two types of mindfulness in this section. 

1. Guided mindfulness

In these recording you are guided through the practice of mindfulness. I recommend the following apps: 

• Headspace

  • Start with the free guided mindfulness sessions which introduce the techniques of mindfulness. 

  • After this there is a cost involved, so you may want to try or transition to the Smiling Mind app. 

• Smiling Mind

  • This free app provides guided mindfulness activities. 

  • It is of excellent quality, particularly considering there is no cost involved. 

2. Mindfulness while doing daily activities

• I would still recommend the above apps to learn the basic principles of mindfulness first. 

• You can take the principles of mindfulness and apply them to everyday activities. 

• Two good examples are eating and showering. 

• See the link below from the Black Dog Institute more information about mindful eating. Mindful eating may help with weight loss. 

• For information about mindfulness while showering, try this New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/well/mind/how-to-be-mindful-while-taking-a-shower.html

  • • Focus on the processes and steps of showering yourself for example picking up the conditioner and the feel of the bottle, the feel of the conditioner as you apply it. 

See the following fact sheet from the Black Dog Insitute: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mindfulness-in-everday-life-fact-sheet.pdf

My favourite mindfulness activity is the Stress Management section on the Smiling Mind app. I have listened to the various sections many times and often recommend this to patients as it is particularly useful during times of heightened stress and anxiety. It contains different zones based on how distressed or anxious you are and exercises for each zone. 

Deep Breathing 

Another relaxation practice you might want to try is deep breathing exercises. These exercises focus on taking 5 breaths by breathing into your belly for a count of 4 seconds, then exhaling for a count of 7-8 seconds. The extra length of the out breath helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which assists with relaxation. 

I think a great way to implement this is by doing it once every hour. Allowing you to dribble a bit of relaxation throughout your day. You can do this either by setting up alarms on your phone (try to pick a relaxing sound like a buddhist bell or gong). Alternatively there is an app called Mindfulness Bell which will ring on a specific interval. 

Grounding 

Grounding exercises involving anchoring or grounding yourself in the present. They are particularly useful during times of crisis and when feeling anxious, distressed or emotional. There are many different examples but one that is commonly involves taking deep breaths while naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. 

For additional grounding exercises check out the Smiling Mind app and go to:

Adults->Stress Management->The Red Zone

My Experience

If I'm being honest I have an on again, off again relationship with these practices. I first learnt about mindfulness in first year medical school. I quite enjoyed it actually. Since then I have used it at times of particularly heightened stress and distress. I have always found it helpful but found it difficult to maintain. I think one of the most useful activities is the deep breathing exercises throughout the day. I think after writing this section I will try to reintroduce it into my life to add to the positive coping mechanisms in my life (see stress bucket section).