Do you hear that? Even when you’re totally still, in a quiet room, even in the dark. It’s chatter in your head or at least it’s screaming in mine. I would like to say I’m taking advantage of as many New Year, New You principles as possible, but the business of every day life keeps the noise in my head nice and loud. There are plenty of changes I want to make, but the biggest one is starting a path to mindfulness and being aware of my emotions and thoughts.
Just last night as I woke at 3:50am to feed Gemma (or rather she woke me up), I sat in the rocking chair in her peaceful bedroom trying to doze off and just be with my angelic baby, but something was stopping me from being fully present. I couldn’t stop my mind from racing through my schedule and all of the things I needed to get done this week. When I caught myself and realized what was happening I could actually feel the tension in my back and cramping sensation in my feet. It isn’t like this all of the time, but with the end of the holiday and start of the New Year and back to work and school I’m feeling the tension.
Isn’t it amazing what we do to ourselves? Those aches and pains we feel in our body can come from the unnecessary stress we put on our body and minds. How do we push out those thoughts and just be in the moment so we don’t rob ourselves of precious moments like nursing my ever growing baby?
This month I decided to take Aetna’s Month of Mindfulness. Every day over this month you can focus on one challenge to bring your life into a healthier place. I shared some of my stresses from 2015 here, so that I can say goodbye to them and get prepared for 2016. For me this week I’m going to try to be more aware of my thoughts and emotions and allow them to just be. Not putting any pressure on myself to do more than I’m capable of in one day. Sounds simple, but it can be much more tough than you would think. By paying attention to my breaths as they move in and out of my body I can feel more present. Whether I have my eyes open or shut, just this simple act can help me to stay focused on all the positive and shut out any negative or judgmental thoughts. After watching my husband practice mindfulness for years I know how deep the benefits can be.
I hope you will take this month long adventure with me and leave any thoughts in the comments below. Your inspiration will help us all band together for a more peaceful New Year.
This post was sponsored by Aetna, who believes health is about the body and the mind. Stress can affect emotional and physical health, and reducing stress can boost wellbeing. As part of their #Mindful30 challenge, the views and opinions expressed in my posts on the topic of mindfulness are my own, not Aetna’s. To learn more about mindfulness, visit aetnamindfulness.com.
Hello, This is a wonderful practice mindfulness!! I had an accident at my job 12 years ago. The pain management doctor suggested I see the pain management therapist. To my surprise she has been teaching me mindfulness for over 2 years now. I aboutsolutely love it when I take the time to practice it in my life. So I start over and do it again. I have an app on my phone for it and a UCLA website for mindfulness!! Enjoy
My husband has been talking about mindfulness for a couple of months now so I was excited to see this post of yours on your website! Our minds are incredibly powerful and I needed that reminder tonight. Thank you. And love what you do. My kids and I actually made your Graham crackers today, so fun!
Thank you for this post along with the picture of you and your sweet baby. This is something I am working on as well. It is so hard, with 5 children and a husband who works 2 full time jobs. . I love all you do but, my favorite is that you show us that you are struggling too. Thank you for sharing that- in a world where we see a lot of perfection, especially in food shows, it is nice to have share that you are one of us.Happy New Year!