Practice Mindfulness, Meditation, and Relaxation

Sometimes we have thoughts that make us feel sad or stressed. Practicing mindfulness can help you work through these feelings. Here are a few ways to use mindfulness to stop and enjoy the moment:

Stop to enjoy your favorite things

Eat your favorite food. Turn off the TV, place the food in front of you, look at it, smell it, and taste it. Enjoy it!

Listen to your favorite song—or any music that you love. Focus on the sound of the music and how it makes you feel physically and emotionally.

Take a journey in your mind

Think about being in a beautiful place – like at the beach or in the mountains. Close your eyes and think about what it would feel like to be there right now. Use your imagination and engage all your senses. Enjoy every little thing about this beautiful place!

Take a walk outside

Walk slowly and really focus on being there. Notice what you see, hear, feel, and smell. After some time, it’s normal for your typical thought patterns to start again. Keep returning to the present and focusing on your environment.

It’s easy to let negative thoughts take over. When you are having negative thoughts or feelings, follow these steps:

1. Stop and take a deep breath. Find a quiet place where you can reflect for a few minutes.
2. Ask yourself, what thoughts and feelings are present? How do these feelings show up in my body? It could be a tightness in the chest, a pit in the stomach, or something else. Sit with this feeling for a bit without resisting it.
3. Ask yourself, why am I feeling this way? What are these feelings trying to tell me about my physical, emotional, or spiritual needs? Sometimes just identifying what your needs are can help you learn how to soothe negative thoughts and feelings. Take some minutes to integrate what you identify.
4. Take another deep breath and move on with your day.

Do you ever notice that you’re harder on yourself than you are on other people? Try to give yourself a break and treat yourself like you would treat a good friend with these three steps:

1. Think about a time when things did not go the way you wanted, or a time when you felt like you said the wrong thing or messed up somehow. How did you feel? What were you telling yourself?
2. If this same thing happened to your closest friend, what would you say to them?
3. Try saying nice things to yourself like you would to a good friend.
4. Do something nice for yourself. Go for a walk, take a bath or just soak in the tub, paint your nails, call a friend, go to a movie, or play with a child or a pet. Do whatever feels good to you.

Take some time to let go of tension and clear your mind with this relaxation exercise:

1. Lie comfortably on your back or find a comfortable and quiet place to sit.
2. Close your eyes and breathe gently and naturally through your nose.
3. Relax all your muscles, starting at your toes and moving up to the top of your head.
4. Focus on your breathing.
5. Continue for 5 to 20 minutes.
6. When you are done, sit quietly for several minutes, first with your eyes closed and then with your eyes open. Wait a few minutes before standing up.

Deep breathing can help you manage stress. This exercise can be done with your eyes closed or open, wherever you happen to be.

1. Find a comfortable and quiet place to sit or lie down.
2. Relax your face, jaw, neck, and shoulders. Gently place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly button.
3. As you breathe in, allow the breath to expand your belly, chest, and lungs. As you breathe out, gently press your hands against your chest and belly to let out more air.
4. Focus on steady breathing.
5. Take your time.

Progressive muscle relaxation shows you how to relax your muscles through tension and release. This can help lower your overall tension and stress levels and help you relax when you are feeling anxious. Practicing this exercise will help you learn what relaxation feels like and to notice when you get tense during the day.

1. Plan to take about 15 minutes to do the exercise.
2. Find a quiet place where no one will disturb you.
3. First, apply muscle tension to a specific part of the body. You may want to start at the feet and work your way up the body. Take a slow, deep inhale and squeeze the muscles as hard as you can for about 5 seconds.
4. After about 5 seconds, exhale and let all the tightness flow out of the tensed muscles. The muscles should feel loose as you relax them. It’s very important for you to notice and focus on the difference between tension and relaxation.
5. Stay relaxed for about 15 seconds, and then do the same thing for the next muscle group. Once you’ve gone through all the muscle groups, take a moment to enjoy the relaxation.