These days we’re prone to doing several things at once. We’re checking our phones while we’re at work, we think about work while we’re cooking or doing the laundry, we plan our schedule for the day while we’re eating breakfast. This may seem like an efficient way to get things done, but it means we’re constantly busy, and our minds never get the opportunity to rest. Being caught up in the swing of things is the first step to being burnt out. To avoid this, try practising mindfulness.
Practising mindfulness means taking a step out of busy schedule and focusing on our thoughts in the present moment without reacting or being overwhelmed by them. When you’re mindful you are aware of what’s happening around you moment to moment. Seems simple enough right? It should be. But we’re often distracted by social media or worried about our growing to-do list that it’s difficult to spend time just focusing on the present.
It’s easy to knock off mindfulness as another thing that only the hippies do. But with its wide range of benefits, it’s something you should consider doing too. Mindfulness has been proven to reduces stress, lower blood pressure and improve sleep. Anyone can practice mindfulness, it doesn’t matter how old you are, or what your religion or cultural background is.
There are different mindfulness techniques. You can choose to either focus on your emotions, your senses or even just repeat a mantra while sitting quietly.
Not sure where to start? We’ve rounded up four apps which will teach you to meditate and live mindfully.
Calm
The first thing that this app asks you to do is breathe. You’re then met with calming sounds of water running and birds chirping, which allows for an overall relaxing experience. Calm offers guided meditation sessions in various lengths allowing you to choose a session that fits well with your schedule. Work through calming your anxiety, managing your stress, or improving your sleep. Paying for a premium subscription unlocks even more material, including masterclasses and a ten-minute daily meditation. Lull yourself to sleep with the app’s bedtime stories which are available in both the free and premium package.
Headspace
Clear your head with this meditation app. Not only does it teach you basic techniques, it also sends you notifications throughout the day to remind you to be mindful. Headspace guides you through your meditations with fun animations. Meditations are all sorted into different packs based on what you’re hoping to achieve. Choose between the happiness pack, the health meditation, Brave meditation and many more. Most of these packs are only available to premium members, but you can make use of the free meditations to decide if you want to commit to a paid membership. The app encourages your family to join you by offering specific meditations for kids.
Stop Breathe & Think
Not sure which theme to meditate on? No problem. Stop Breathe & Think starts by asking you to check in with yourself. Based on how you’re feeling physically, mentally and emotionally, it recommends different mindfulness activities, from pressing various acupressure points, a quick yoga flow or a guided meditation. Its customizable timer allows you to choose how long you want to meditate for. Upgrade your membership to premium to unlock more content.
Mindfi
Looking for short mindfulness exercises tailored to different aspects of your day? Mindfi hosts short mindful activities for when you’re eating, commuting or just taking a break. Like Calm, Mindfi plays relaxing sounds as you work your way through the app. It encourages you to be meditate with your eyes open while listening to audio guided sessions. The sessions are split into shorts (3 minutes) and longs (10 minutes). It’s distinctive feature is ‘deep work’ which asks you you to focus on a task for 25 minutes. The app will then send distraction beeps for 10 seconds if you attempt to close it before the time is up.
All apps can be downloaded through Google Play or the App Store
Written by: Megan Flemmit
Fuente: www.mh.co.za
