Feel Good Healthstyles: Slow down for mental wellness

Feel Good Healthstyles is a new column the Advocate-News and The Beacon are proud to introduce and it will be appearing on a monthly basis. Send your health and wellness-related questions to Hope@FeelGoodHealthStyles.com.

One of my friends expressed to me last week that she didn’t know how to slow down her brain anymore, her mind was in constant distraction mode, constantly online, always checking her phone, feeling like an addict, and carrying an uncomfortable baseline level of anxiety around with her.…she wanted to know my thoughts.

Well.

I am guilty too… Sometimes I check my phone first thing in the morning and get immediately sucked into the news vortex for way too long which doesn’t always lead to a joyful day. Sometimes I spend hours creating meals only to rush through them…Did I even chew? What was the hurry? Sometimes I take a walk only to realize I was not present as was so deep in my thoughts of the future and the past, and no I didn’t look up to see the whales that were epic that day. Sometimes I rush to get on my yoga mat, only to think about what I have to do next, planning, then replanning my day, taking so many rides in my mind. Sometimes I ironically go sit down on the couch to “relax” after working most of the day on a screen, and then take my computer or phone with me…. and get lost in that online world of information, social media, and entertainment until my eyes, neck, wrists, mind, and heart hurt…and then I am reminded by my pain that I am not present.

What I have found out after spending decades working on being more present and witnessing my thoughts is that the mind often automatically resists coming into the present moment, and also the mind today is often addicted to distractions.

Most of us literally have to retrain our brains to come back from the constant onslaught of information coming at us 24/7 these days. The good news is that there are tools we can use to bring us into the present moment, and then as we continuously practice these tools, we become more present in our lives, which creates an invitation to heal ourselves, develop more satisfying relationships with others, allow authentic listening and creativity to blossom, and often invokes joy and wonderment at the world we inhabit; Of course sometimes when we still our minds, we are forced to reckon with the shadow sides of our being, which ultimately will lead us to our healing if that is what we seek. The best news is that it truly becomes easier to bring yourself back to the present moment the more you practice. It is worth it 100%, if only to breathe easier and have a better quality of life.

Here are some tools that help me:

NOTICE your thoughts when you feel rushed. This brings you into the present moment. Take some breaths, relax your shoulders, soften your face.

Don’t JUDGE your thoughts or yourself. Seriously, you are not your thoughts, and the mind acts like a wild and wacky roller coaster inhabiting many universes. Be the witness, watching them roll on by. Make friends with, and learn to laugh at some of your thoughts. I sometimes am like “oh hi, it’s you again, let’s chat”.

Notice which thoughts are repeat offenders. Sometimes certain thoughts visit us for years, decades, lifetimes which provides valuable insight letting us know we either need to stop procrastinating, make it a priority, just let it go, or choose to just keep hanging out with it. Consider therapy with a licensed professional if you are concerned about your negative thought patterns.

Develop a daily routine that is not dependent on technology. Journal pen to paper, yoga, meditate, play with your kids or animals, grow a garden, sit in nature, write some poetry, breathe.

Intention: Be deliberate with your intention to being present. Stop thinking you get more done multitasking, you aren’t saving that much time. If your default is rushing through life at high speed, it’s pretty certain you will be missing out on what matters most.

Mindful eating. Sit down, breathe, give thanks. Chew and really taste your food, feel your body.

Active listening; seek consciousness with who you are in conversation with, listen with all your senses versus already speaking your rapid response.

Exercise daily, schedule it as time where you can intentionally move and listen to your body while getting your stress-relieving endorphins pumping.

Seek healthy balance. No one says you can’t watch the news, but perhaps only an hour a day. Set boundaries with technology. It’s ok to content create on social media, just don’t forget to look up and SEE your world.

Practice Meditation, it’s worth it.

Heidi Hope Faivre is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, gardener, culinary creator, yoga lover, and writer who lives on the Mendocino Coast with her husband and three cats. She loves to take daily walks and breathe fresh air. Please send your health and wellness-related questions to Hope@ FeelGoodHealthStyles.com.