In the chaos of our always-busy world, slowing down to take a moment to breathe is more important than ever. Small mindfulness practices can help create these much-needed moments and improve your overall mental health over time.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re prone to anxiety, stress, or feeling overwhelmed, try the quick mindfulness tips from professional therapists below.<\/p>\n
Take time to observe<\/strong> Take breaks to breathe<\/strong> Set a morning intention<\/strong> Close the evening with G-L-A-D<\/strong> xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"In the chaos of our always-busy world, slowing down to take a moment to breathe ...","author":7532823,"featured_media":146686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/18104949\/mindfulness.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/18104949\/mindfulness-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"October 18, 2019","category_name":"Wellness","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"Anna Mason","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#eb6ded","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532823"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLana Seiler, a licensed clinical social worker and primary therapist for the trauma program at All Points North Lodge<\/a>, explains how difficult it can be to see clearly when we haven\u2019t fully examined ourselves. To help understand why we\u2019re feeling stressed or which needs aren’t being met, she suggests basic mindfulness meditation to check in with yourself. She says, \u201cTo start, [take] three to five minutes of quiet time to \u2018go inside\u2019 or \u2018notice.’ Just sit and be for a few minutes.\u201d Those quiet moments can help you unplug, calm any worries you may be feeling, and give you a little space between yourself and your stress.<\/p>\n
\nIf you don’t like meditating, try taking 10 two-minute breaks to breathe instead. Even though it’s short and sweet, it can still be effective in helping you ground yourself. Trauma therapist Ryan Soave<\/a> suggests, \u201cBreath seven times, in and out through the mouth, as slow as you can.\u201d Why? Soave explains, \u201cOur breath regulates our nervous symptom and experience. There is a breath pattern for every emotional and mental state. If you want to change your mind, change your breath.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nLicensed clinical social worker Ashton Dunphy<\/a> explains that many people rush out the door and into their day without imagining how they want it to go. Setting your mind to the goal of an intention for the day can help you better navigate challenging circumstances as they arise. She says, \u201cOur thoughts affect our emotions, which affect our behavior.\u201d Start positive, resolve positivity, and maintain it. As Soave says, \u201cIt\u2019s much easier to stay dry during a rainstorm if you plan to bring a raincoat and umbrella.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nJust like a great team would debrief after an eventful day at work in order to regroup, refocus, and strategize, you can do the same for yourself. Licensed professional counselor and licensed addiction counselor at All Points North Lodge Nanami Matsui<\/a> shares, \u201cIn the evening, right before going to bed, I do GLAD. G is for gratefulness \u2013 what I am thankful for from the day. L is learning \u2013 what did I learn today? A is achievement \u2013 what did I accomplish today? D is delight \u2013 what made me happy today?\u201d Stress can pile up and overwhelm the joys of life. So as you sort through what could have gone better, don\u2019t forget to enjoy the simple pleasures too.<\/p>\n