Fit for Learning – Be Mindful

Momentlive in the

Being mindful is the first step to a more relaxed and less anxious you, and meditation is one of the most effective routes to achieving a state of mindfulness. “You’ll start to feel a general sense of wellbeing and calmness”

While studying towards a career in hairdressing is a fantastic experience, it can also get stressful at times. It’s important to look after your mental health and try and enjoy the moment rather than letting anxiety and stress spoil things.

All too often, when we try to enjoy a special moment, or just get on with our day, those niggling doubts, anxieties and worries creep in and take control.

“You will start to feel less anxious and stress levels will fall”

MORNING MINDSET

Sometimes we need to retrain our brain to be more mindful and the first step towards this is meditation. And if you thought meditation involved hours of lying on your back or sitting in the lotus position, think again. You can start your mindfulness journey with just 10 minutes of meditation a day. When you first wake up, just take a few moments to sit up, take a deep breath and then continue to focus your mind on your breathing for 10 minutes without dwelling on any other thoughts or questions that may enter your mind. If you find it hard to do this without help, there are lots of apps offering free guided meditation, including Wysa and Calm, that you might want to try.

Keep this up for a few weeks and you should start to feel a general sense of wellbeing and calmness. When your mind isn’t holding on to unnecessary thoughts and worries, you will start to feel less anxious and stress levels will fall.

MAKE SPACE FOR MEDITATION

If you enjoy meditation and want to make it a bigger part of your life, it’s a great idea to create a space in your home dedicated to it. And don’t worry, if you don’t have a big enough home to dedicate a whole room to your meditation space, a corner or an alcove will do. This is your space, your personal refuge from the activity of everyday life, so choose somewhere that feels right for you. A meditation space should be free of clutter but it should still be personal to you. If you have an item that helps you feel calm, such as a particular picture, ornament or plant, include this in your meditation space. You also want your space to be comfortable, so put cushions on the floor and maybe a blanket. A scented candle is also a nice addition to a meditation space – choose one with a relaxing aroma, such as lavender or bergamot.

Music is certainly not essential to meditation, many find it distracting rather than helpful to achieving serenity. But if you live on a busy road, soothing music can help block out the sounds of traffic or passers-by. Again, it’s down to personal choice, but select music that will relax you, whether that’s a New Age instrumental track, a beautiful piece of classical music or something more contemporary — whatever works for you.

Making meditation and mindfulness part of your everyday routine will also make it easier for you to deal with difficulties that arise each day, because you will be more able to focus on the problem at hand, and the solution, without being distracted by other thoughts and concerns. You’ll also get more out of everyday pleasures, from your morning cup of tea to unwinding at the end of the day, with your feet up, watching your favourite film – bliss!