Ease Stress with 3 Minutes of Mindful Listening

This week finds my town rapidly shifting into a pre-covid state which is giving me a lot of big feelings. I'm excited that we're able to connect with others again, yet I'm also still cautious about how safe it all feels.

Have you experienced something similar as your area opened up? Or are you somewhere that's facing more restrictions and safety precautions?

Either situation has a lot of potential stress associated with it, big changes (even positive ones) and threats to well-being are some of the biggest sources of stress we encounter.

Not to mention that we’re basically adding more stress to already high levels of stress. Since most of us haven’t had enough space and time to fully process the ridiculous amount of stress, personal and collective, we’ve encountered over the past year we're already operating with some high levels of chronic stress.

So basically now is a pretty important time to check in on your mental health and give yourself some stress-care. To help you along I’ve got a quick and simple MIndful Listening tip to share with you today.

The Power of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with the present moment and tune into your mind and body. Practicing mindfulness-based interventions helps you relax, release feelings of stress and anxiety, and has also been linked to greater overall health and quality of life in numerous studies.

So let me ask you: Are you Mindful or is your mind FULL?

If you’re like most folks, you experience a mix of the two throughout the day, but the more we can shift our thinking patterns into mindfulness, the greater the benefits are!

The beauty in mindfulness is you can practice it anytime, anywhere!  

As a gift for you, I have a quick 3 minute Mindful Listening Meditation that will help you cultivate awareness of your surroundings and find a peace of mind. 

Mindful Listening Practice

If you can’t listen to this recording you can also do a DIY version by following these steps:

1. Assume an upright but comfortable seated position.
2. Close your eyes or let your gaze shift inward (if you’re comfortable and it’s safe to do so)
3. Send your attention to notice all the sounds you can hear* for the next 2 minutes (use a timer with a gentle and pleasant chime if you like).
4. You don’t have to name or engage with the sounds, allow your mind to focus on the sensation of hearing them.
5. After a couple of minutes allow your attention to return to the space around you and open your eyes.
6. Take a brief pause before moving on and notice how you’re feeling. If you have time, write a description of the experience in a journal.
7. Then feel more presence throughout the rest of your day!

Try today and feel the benefits yourself! 

And feel free to save this meditation for the next time you feel emotionally reactive or overwhelmed. 

Other great times to try mindfulness include: during a meal, while taking a walk, during work to help with focus and clarity, and before bed to soothe the nervous system for a deeper sleep!

The more you practice mindfulness, the more calm, grounded, and present you will be (and the easier it gets 😉)!

Let me know how it goes and what are some of your favorite ways to practice mindfulness.