Mindfulness in your life. Yes, it’s so worth it.

Adding mindfulness to your life even if it’s boring never has been easier.

“I can’t meditate.” “It’s too boring.”  “My mind wanders.”  “I just can’t relax.”

I hear this all the time and you know what?  I thought the same thing.

Trust me, I respect your opinion.

But I have a question for you. How do you relax?

What are you doing to take care of yourself?

Is your choice a healthy option?

I want to share my healthy choice with you,  which is Meditation.

Meditation facilitates profound changes in the body.

Some of those changes  are associated with lowering pulse rates and respiratory rates. The other change, which is associated with reducing stress hormone levels.

As First Responders we face a high rate of stress daily in our jobs. Add life and daily struggles to that mix and I am sure it raises it even higher. Studies have shown that daily meditation can alter your mood nearly as effectively as antidepressant medication.* ( I get this from My Pocket Meditations by Meera Lester).Studies have also shown that the deeply relaxed state of mind that happens in meditation triggers a release by the brain of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins.  These are all associated with feeling good.  Isn’t this amazing news?

Meditation can also stimulate creativity, strengthen the immune system, and reduce anxiety associated with pain.* This is why I talk about this all the time.

I often hear people say I can’t sit and meditate, it’s too boring, I can’t concentrate.  You are literally writing a to do list in your mind.

It has happened to me many times.

Here are some tips that have helped me with my daily meditation practice:

1. Set a timer. I use my Apple Iphone’s alarm and label it meditation. I set it for either one minute, 10 minutes or even 20 minutes. And sometimes add music in the background.

2. I find a comfortable place to sit and just close my eyes.

3.  I practice my deep breathing and count my breaths if I am having a hard time focusing.

I wanted to leave you with this thought. Have you ever tried something and not liked it? Of course you have, I know I have as well. Did you always quit everything that you tried the first time? No. I didn’t either. So try it and see if it will help you relax. Even better yet, why not make it the way you want it and personalize this practice with your own style. I think it will be worth it.

For more tips head on over to www.itsmetoni.com, on Facebook @wellnessforyoupage, Instagram wellness_4_you and a weekly flashbriefing on Alexa @Wellness for you.

Stay safe out there.