If you are like me- I am feeling a little shell shocked from the Coronavirus. I am finding myself getting crankier by the minute. This is such a stressful time. I know that I am not alone. Something I am finding to be helpful is doing mindfulness exercises.

Here is an article that explains what mindfulness is better than I can. Check it out.

http://learningfromdogs.com/2020/03/20/mindfulness-and-health/

Before this Coronavirus situation started, I was in the process of learning different mindfulness techniques. I am a newbie when it comes to the world of mindfulness. I am finding them to be extremely helpful in how I am handling the extreme stress of this pandemic .

So for the next 30 days I am going to do a different mindfulness exercise or two- and report back- how it went for me. Feel free to join me on this journey! The more we use these techniques the more we reprogram our brain in how we react to things.

Yesterday- I was incredibly anxious! And I decided to use a walk in my neighborhood to really focus on the things things around me. I was not allowed to look at my phone, I did my best to not let my mind wander. This is a real struggle- so when I found myself thinking of my to do list or anything other than the moment- I would without Judgement redirect my mind back to the present and my surroundings. Sound easy- try it- it surprisingly difficult. My mind is very quick to wander. If you can’t do the whole walk- just set the timer on your watch for 15 minutes. If this is too long just do 5 minutes. Anytime spent doing these exercises helps.

Technically mindfulness has no judgment- so I admit I kind of did this task of mindfulness “wrong” in that I was making judgements about what was pretty and then being objective about the things that didn’t really blow me away. For instance- I did pause to observe the holly bush and the intricate details of the leaf and the red berries. I did not pause to take a picture. I noticed the store signs that I passed again- I did not think about whether they were good or bad- they just were. But I did pause at all of the flowers and notice how much beauty there was. And Wow! I was surprised how many different kinds of flowers I saw.

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I also was surprised that as I continued to walk and be present- I felt the tension slowly fade from my body. One of the things that makes this time in the world – so unsettling- is the fact that everything is different and we feel out of control. But controlling your mind and how it is reacting- calms the nervous system a bit and helps with the anxiety and stress. I can’t make COVID-19 go away. I sure wish I could. But this is something I can do.

Talk to you tomorrow! I always love to hear your feedback -comment below. We can all learn from each other. 😊