In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnected. The constant influx of information and demands on our time can leave us feeling stressed and reactive. Cultivating mindfulness, the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment, can be a powerful antidote. Thankfully, numerous free apps are now available to guide us on this journey towards greater awareness and inner peace.
Several excellent free apps offer a fantastic starting point for anyone curious about mindfulness. Insight Timer boasts a vast library of guided meditations, talks, and music tracks led by teachers from around the globe. Its community aspect and diverse content make it a rich resource for both beginners and experienced practitioners.
Smiling Mind, offers a range of free programs designed for various age groups, including adults, children, and educators. Their meditations focus on stress reduction, sleep improvement, and overall mental well-being. Finally, Aura provides personalized mindfulness exercises, sleep stories, and music based on your mood. Its free version offers a daily three-minute meditation and access to a basic library of content.
While these apps offer valuable tools and guidance, the foundation of mindfulness often comes down to something incredibly simple: breathing. In the midst of a busy day, taking even a few moments to consciously focus on your breath can make a significant difference.
Think of it as a mini-reset button for your nervous system. When we feel stressed, our breathing often becomes shallow and rapid. Consciously slowing down our breath signals to our body that it’s safe to relax. Even a minute or two of deep, intentional breathing can help to calm racing thoughts, reduce muscle tension, and bring us back to the present moment.
You don’t need an app to practice mindful breathing. You can do it anywhere, anytime. Simply find a comfortable position, close your eyes if you wish, and bring your attention to the sensation of your breath as it enters and leaves your body. Integrating short breathing breaks throughout your day can be surprisingly impactful. Try taking a few deep breaths before starting a challenging task, during a moment of frustration, or simply as a pause between activities. These small moments of conscious breathing can accumulate, fostering a greater sense of calm and presence throughout your day.
The journey to mindfulness doesn’t require hours of meditation. By leveraging the accessibility of free mindfulness apps and prioritizing even a few moments of conscious breathing, we can cultivate greater awareness, reduce stress, and navigate our lives with more ease and intention. So, take a deep breath, explore these resources, and discover the power of finding calm in your everyday life.
Valentine’s Day is often associated with grand romantic gestures, chocolates, and flowers, but at its core, it’s a celebration of love. Additionally, for those who may not have a partner, it can sometimes feel like a day of loneliness, often referred to as Single Awareness Day. Let’s start looking at Valentine’s Day differently. While we may frequently focus on showing love to others, it’s just as important to show love to ourselves. Self-care is the ultimate act of self-love, and what better time to prioritize it than during a season dedicated to the heart?
Why Self-Care Matters
Self-care isn’t just about indulging in spa days or treating yourself to your favorite dessert—though those can be wonderful! It’s about intentionally caring for your mental, emotional, physical, and, if possible, financial well-being. In our busy lives, we often put others first, whether our families, jobs, or community commitments. We usually push our own needs aside. However, there’s a reason why flight attendants instruct us to put on our own oxygen masks first before assisting others. Ensuring our own well-being first enables us to better support those around us. Taking time to nurture ourselves allows us to show up more fully for the people and responsibilities that matter most. Seeking guidance is also a form of self-care. This could be reaching out to a friend, a family member, or a counselor.
Simple Ways to Practice Self-Care
If you’re unsure where to start, here are a few simple yet meaningful ways to prioritize self-care this Valentine’s Day:
1. Nourish Your Body
Remember to eat like you love yourself! Fuel yourself with foods that make you feel good—both physically and emotionally. Cook a nutritious meal, enjoy a cup of tea, or savor that piece of chocolate guilt-free. You can find healthy recipes on www.FoodHero.org. Meal planning, shopping smart, and preparing healthy meals can also be a from of self-care as it takes the stress away of meal time. Try meal prepping at the beginning of the week to save time and make healthier choices easier.
2. Move in a Way That Feels Good
Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. Whether it’s a walk outside, a yoga session, or dancing in your living room, find movement that brings you joy. This could even be something small, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking farther away from the door when going somewhere. Did you know that getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week can significantly lower your risk of developing chronic diseases? Small daily changes can add up to make the biggest impact. It’s also a natural antidepressant that can help brighten these cold, dark winter days.
3. Prioritize Rest
Give yourself permission to slow down. Take a nap, go to bed earlier, or spend some time reading a book without distractions. It’s okay to skip an event if you need time for yourself. Establish a nighttime routine to help you wind down. This could mean putting electronics away at a certain time or taking a few minutes before bed to stretch. Listen to your body and rest when you need it.
4. Engage in Activities That Bring Joy
What makes you feel truly heart happy? Maybe it’s painting, gardening, playing music, playing with your fur babies, or simply taking a mid-day nap. Carve out time for the things that make you happy. Start small by dedicating 10 minutes a day to something you love. Treat it like an important meeting with your boss—one you wouldn’t cancel.
5. Set Boundaries
Saying ‘no’ can be an act of self-care. Protect your time and energy by setting boundaries that allow you to prioritize what truly matters. Boundaries help create balance in your life and prevent burnout. They allow you to manage your emotional well-being by limiting interactions that drain you and focusing on those that uplift you. Setting boundaries might look like turning off your phone during personal time, declining commitments that overwhelm you, or clearly communicating your needs to others. Remember, setting boundaries is not about shutting people out; it’s about making space for what brings you peace and fulfillment.
6. Practice Self-Compassion
Be kind to yourself. Speak to yourself as you would a dear friend, and let go of perfectionism. You are worthy of love and care exactly as you are. Self-compassion also means acknowledging your progress, no matter how small, and celebrating the effort you put into improving yourself. Give yourself grace on difficult days and remember that setbacks are a part of growth. Practicing self-compassion can also involve journaling positive affirmations, engaging in self-care activities that make you feel valued, and surrounding yourself with people who uplift and encourage you.
A Valentine’s Day Promise to Yourself
This Valentine’s Day, promise to love yourself a little more and be kinder to yourself. Whether that means treating yourself with kindness, taking a break, or simply acknowledging your own worth, Understand that taking time for yourself might feel unusual, and change can be scary and uncomfortable, but prioritizing self-care is essential and takes time. Self-care is not all or nothing; it’s about taking it one day at a time. Recognize that you are just as deserving of the love and support you give to others. Self-care isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. You are important and you matter to so many people.
So, while you’re celebrating love in all its forms, don’t forget to celebrate yourself too. You deserve it.
Written by: Galena Flores, SNAP- Education Program Assistant, and Tillamook County Wellness Contributor
In our busy lives, there is much to pull our focus and distract our minds as we move through our day. The constant buzz of the phone in our pocket, ever-present screens, and ambient noise from a world in constant motion contribute to all the distractions. All of these disturbances lead to inattention and are not ideal for our bodies or minds. This is where the concept of mindful movement can come into play. Using mindful movement helps to increase awareness of your body, which, in turn, will help increase the enjoyment of activities, improve mental focus, and reduce stress. This article will help you explore the benefits of mindful movement and simple methods of incorporating mindfulness into your daily life.
What is Mindful Movement?
Mindful movement is creating an awareness of your body by bringing your full attention to the present moment and the current activity you are engaging in. Mindful movement is done without the intent of judging yourself. Instead, you are acknowledging how the body feels and responds to movement. The difference between exercising and practicing mindful movement is intent. You can exercise by merely going through the motions of the movements with the hope of seeing physical benefits. However, with mindful movements, you notice things like your breathing, how the floor feels under your feet, and the stretch in your muscles as you move them.
Mindfulness originally started as a form of meditation. It became more mainstream as yoga gained popularity, and mindfulness was frequently added to the end of a yoga practice. Practicing mindful movement with exercise then expanded to other forms of exercise, including Pilates and stretching. However, mindful movement is not limited to just formal exercise. It can be incorporated into the things you mindlessly do every day, such as walking the dog or sitting at your desk while working.
The Benefits of Mindful Movement
As the practice of mindful movement grew, so did the research showing the benefits of moving mindfully.
It is generally accepted that exercise reduces stress and improves emotional well-being. The practice of mindful movement is no exception. Mindful-based interventions show a reduction in anxiety, depression, and stress equivalent to psychological interventions.
Reducing stressors has the additional benefit of improving immunity. Stress is known to suppress immunity by triggering an inflammatory response. By utilizing methods of reducing stress, you can experience boosted immunity by interrupting the inflammatory response pathways in your body.
Routinely practicing mindful movement will help improve sleep. The average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Mindful movement can help achieve this amount of sleep and improve the quality of the sleep you get.
Improved focus, concentration, and control of ADHD symptoms have been observed in adults and children who routinely practice mindful exercise, such as tai chi, yoga, and dance.
Proprioception is the body’s awareness of its place in the space around it and how it moves through space. Mindful movements will improve proprioception. This occurs by using the brain and body connection to retrain the body with new motor skills. These new skills help reduce falls by improving balance.
Examples of Mindful Movement
Mindful movement is for everyone, not just athletes and those who exercise regularly. Mindful movement can be incorporated into your daily activities with both structured and unstructured activities.
Structured:
Yoga
Pilates
Strength training
Stretching
Tai Chi
Qigong
Unstructured:
Freestyle dance, turn the radio on and let loose
Singing in the car
Playing games with children
Gardening
Walking your dog
Washing dishes
Driving
Begin Moving Mindfully
You can start your practice of moving mindfully at any time and easily incorporate it into your daily routine. There is no need for athletic equipment. No level of activity is too small to add mindfulness to it. You can quickly begin with a walk, seated yoga, stretching, or by adding mindfulness to your current exercise routines. Here are some tips to get you going.
Add to everyday activities: Focus on basic activities like walking, breathing, gardening, or gentle stretching.
Minimize distractions: Turn off your phone for the duration of your mindfulness practice. Find a quiet space away from others where you can really focus your mind without interruption.
Focus on breathing: Use your breath to regulate your mind. Slow, deep breaths help to slow your mind and keep you in the present moment.
Engage your senses: Pay attention to the sounds around you. Can you smell wet rain on the ground or the fir tree in your yard? Reach out and touch trees, rocks, and flowers as you walk.
Pay attention to your body: Acknowledge any aches or pains, but do not dwell on them. Notice how your hair moves as the wind blows through it, how the ground feels under your feet, or the movement of your muscles with the activity. If your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your body.
Starting small with activities you already do in your daily life makes it easy to add mindful movement gradually. Begin with activities you enjoy or that fit into your lifestyle. Taking the time to pay attention and focus on your movements allows you to gain a new appreciation for the amazing piece of machinery that your body is. By focusing on your body, you are doing more than simply going through the motions of an activity. So remember to be patient and kind to yourself by focusing on progression, not perfection.
Hoping to slow down and embrace living in the moment this year? After another unsettling year, many of us are looking to regroup and find a “new normal” as we enter into the new year. Dedicating a few minutes a day to mindfulness can help reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity, and promote happiness – and who couldn’t use a little more of that in 2022?
Too often, we find ourselves in a frenzied, unhappy and unsettled state-of-mind. Many people simply feel there are not enough hours in a day. Cultural norms tell us that multitasking is good, that “busy-ness” is both normal and noble. People are told to learn to say “no” but find it difficult because everything seems to be of equal and vital importance.
This constant state of activity and worry places a heavy toll on both the mind and the body. It can contribute to anxiety, depression, addiction and damaged relationships. An overloaded nervous system, in a constant state of fight-or-flight, produces chronic stress that has far-reaching effects.
Enter Mindful-Based Stress Reduction. Through a regular practice of cultivating awareness of experiences and sensations and learning to view them without judgement, things begin to fall into place. Priorities shift and emerge. Our sensory system remains calm amidst a stressful day. We experience life with a sense of clarity and objectivity.
We can only change something if we know what the root of the problem is. A mindfulness practice strips away every voice – including our own. We become an interested observer of what is happening in the body and the mind. It is like watching a movie with flashbacks and foreshadowing. We are “let in” on the back story that explains the characters’ behavior.
The practice itself can be as simple as spending five minutes each day, sitting quietly, breathing deeply and simply being present with acceptance. We accept who we are, where we are, just as we are in that exact moment. Thoughts may come and go and that’s okay. Often, they provide clues as to the source of our anxiety, past hurts, and frustrations. Rather than stuff them or block them, we allow these thoughts and feelings to appear. We greet them at the door but we don’t invite them to stay.
While a regular, defined practice is ideal, we can incorporate mindfulness into everyday activities. We can catch ourselves reacting to a situation and tune into it through our mindfulness viewer. Research shows that awareness in and of itself is enough to alter patterns of behavior. It takes on a snowball effect. The more we catch ourselves, the more quickly we hit the reset button until the brain recognizes the situation as non-threatening and resets itself. It is important to remember that, when we catch ourselves in an unhealthy habit, we do not attach any negative self-criticism. Acceptance without judgement is key. Setting an intention for healthier behaviors and self-healing are equally important.
As with any new task, the more often we practice the new habit, the more automatic it becomes. And just like building our muscles or mental focus, regular practice creates a new default. Two important benefits of a mindfulness practice are nonreactivity and self-regulation. Without expressly working to develop them, these two traits emerge. We often only realize it when we catch ourselves remaining calm in a situation that would have generated fear or anger before. Mind-body classes such as Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga include a component of mindfulness. Locally, class schedules can be found at the Tillamook Family YMCA or in the Tillamook Bay Community College course catalog under the community education, Fitness & Health section.
To learn more, check out the New York Times “How to Meditate” for mindfulness and meditation basics, at-home exercises, and strategies for any challenges you may face. If you are looking for guided mindfulness videos, there are many worth exploring online. Try checking out the “Goodful” page on YouTube for meditations, or look for the “Calm” or “Headspace” pages on YouTube, the app store, and streaming platforms (you can find “Headspace Unwind Your Mind” on Netflix or “A World of Calm” on HBO Max).
AUTHOR: Tillamook County Wellness
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
It’s hard to be anxious, sad or angry when we are counting our blessings. This makes sense but it can be hard to see bright spots when life is throwing curve balls at us every day. The real curve ball is that, by practicing gratitude, we can actually avoid becoming anxious, sad or angry when faced with challenges. There is some pretty amazing science behind why practicing gratitude improves our mental and physical well-being.
According to Justin Hersom, LCSW at Adventist Health Tillamook, “it is natural for us to have a slight negative perception in life, as it helps us stay safe.” He goes on to say, however, that people tend to “over-practice” negative perception and then struggle to notice positive things in life. “Learning to stay present inhibits anxiety and learning to develop gratitude shifts neuropathways which can allow us to experience more fulfilling interactions and events in life.” As part of his practice, Justin often guides clients toward gratitude practices, such as daily gratitude journals of 3 to 4 things a person is grateful for that day, no matter how big or small; “and it can’t be the same thing daily.” He points out. “Sometimes we are not in a place to experience gratitude. In that case, working with a mindful belief system, we can just try to have the desire to be grateful.”
Justin Hersom, LCSW at Adventist Health Tillamook
Mindfulness can mean different things to different people. Justin explains to clients that being mindful is an intentional focus on the present, defined as now to the past 8 seconds, without judging our emotions but just accepting what we are experiencing in the moment.
These good feelings are not just fleeting. A regular practice of gratitude or mindfulness, especially if we include deep breathing, can be a game changer when it comes to our health. Just as it takes time and intentionality to build other healthy habits, over time, a regular practice of mindfulness can change the way the body functions, reversing the negative impacts of chronic stress. As part of his Lifestyle Medicine program at Adventist Health Tillamook, Dr. Ben Douglas shares that “patients who struggle with anxiety or depression often tell me they have trouble sleeping at night because their brain won’t be quiet. Mindfulness and deep breathing are techniques that can teach your brain that it is ok to be quiet and go to sleep.”
Health Impacts of Deep Breathing Practices
“Take a deep breath. You got this.” This is the advice my son’s baseball coach gave each player as they approached the batter’s box. What do we do when we have to speak publicly and are nervous? We take a deep breath. What do we tell a child who is crying, upset or angry and trying to tell us what happened? Yep. “Take a deep breath.”
We know deep breathing helps us calm down in stressful situations. The reality is that most of us live in a chronic state of stress. This deep breathing helps regulate the body’s stress response. And, just like a baseball player’s batting average gets better with practice, our bodies adapt to a regular mindfulness practice in ways that make the body more efficient and healthier.
A growing body of research shows that mindfulness and deep breathing techniques make positive changes to virtually every system of the body. When performed consistently, deep breathing practices have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, anxiety and pain and offer many other mental and physical benefits.
When our nervous system is calm, we feel safe and are better able to handle stress when it comes our way. We can keep things in perspective, avoid overreacting emotionally and have healthier relationships with others. This practice can also improve our executive brain function and memory. This is because chronic stress engages a part of the brain that “turns off” our planning and organizing brain (pre-frontal cortex) and “turns on” the fight-flight or freeze part of our brain (amygdala).
So how does it work exactly? There is a muscle in our body, the diaphragm, that is like a shelf between the heart, lungs and other organs. There is also a long nerve, called the Vagus nerve, that connects to all those organs. When we breathe deeply, the movement of the diaphragm and the activation of the Vagus nerve, shifts our body and mind from “fight-flight-freeze” to “rest and digest.” Our heart rate decreases, we get more oxygen to all the parts of the body, including the brain, and levels of stress hormones like cortisol are reduced. All of these changes reduce inflammation in the body which can prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
So how does it work exactly? There is a muscle in our body, the diaphragm, that is like a shelf between the heart, lungs and other organs. There is also a long nerve, called the Vagus nerve, that connects to all those organs. When we breathe deeply, the movement of the diaphragm and the activation of the Vagus nerve, shifts our body and mind from “fight-flight-freeze” to “rest and digest.” Our heart rate decreases, we get more oxygen to all the parts of the body, including the brain, and levels of stress hormones like cortisol are reduced. All of these changes reduce inflammation in the body which can prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
It might feel awkward at first to try a mindfulness practice but, just like with other new activities, it gets easier with regular practice. The good news is that it can be done anywhere, only takes a few minutes and it costs nothing.
In Breath: Deep, slow inhale through the nose, fully inflating the lungs, belly visibly rising/extending for 3-4 seconds.
Out Breath: Slow, controlled outbreath through the nose, belly draws in, diaphragm up, fully exhaling for 5-7 seconds
In his practice, Justin Hersom encourages clients to practice the cycles of inbreaths and outbreaths for 3 to 5 minutes at a minimum.
If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, chronic pain or are experiencing other mental health concerns, please contact your primary care provider.
AUTHOR: Michelle Jenck, M.Ed., Community Well-Being Director, Adventist Health Tillamook
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
