It has always been important to make our physical, mental and emotional well-being a priority, but never more so than at this challenging time in our lives.
Self care is not selfish.. It’s essential..
When you are relatively calm, happy and operating as the best version of you.. you have more to give anyway.
People who take time out to slow down, smell the coffee and indulge some form of wellness practice are far more likely to thrive and prosper than their stressed out counterparts.
Here are my super seven tips for cultivating and maintaining a profound sense of well-being.
Meditation.
A twice daily meditation practice of just twenty minutes is a super effective and enjoyable way to dissolve deep rooted stress and tension, calm the mind, relax the body and de-frazzle the nervous system.
Meditation is like having your own portable wellness tool to supercharge your calm and your confidence on a daily basis.
Exercise/physical activity.
Exercise.. or some form of physical activity (that you enjoy) are great ways to relieve stress, boost your energy and your sense of well-being, as well as being good for your waistline, balance, coordination and flexibility.
If you’re not a fan of the more rigorous types of exercise, there is always cycling, gentle jogging, dancing, Yoga, Tai Chi, or even just lengthy walks.. especially out in pleasant and natural surroundings whenever possible.
Just get moving, to get your groove on, and feel amazing.
Mindful Breathing.
If you notice a dog or a baby for example when peacefully snoozing away, you will notice that the breath is slow and deep.
On the in-breath the belly rises and expands slightly, and on the out-breath the belly sinks and contracts.
This is the happy contended breathing pattern that was our default factory setting at the time of birth, and throughout our formative years before at some stage in many cases, the habit of “shallow breathing” is developed, either as an unhealthy reaction to stress or simply just through a lack of awareness.
Consciously and intentionally breathing low and slow – even and “especially” when you’re on the go, will keep you in the flow.
Gratitude.
You might be tempted to think “Yeah right”.. I’ll be grateful “when my ship comes in” because then I’ll have something to be grateful for. However… gratitude is as much, if not more, the “cause” of things going your way rather than the “effect”..
Gratitude is the creme de la creme of human emotions because the more you practice it, the more you attract things, people and experiences to be grateful for.
A great way to start amping up your appreciation power is to get a note pad and make a point of jotting down just two things everyday that you’re really grateful for.
Mindfulness.
Mindfulness (awareness) is like a non judgemental observation mechanism that allows you to notice when when you are indulging limiting beliefs or dis-empowering self talk that have a detrimental effect on both your sense of well-being, and your results in life.
When you have a calm clear mind, the light of your awareness is able to shine more brightly, and the more you practice quieting the mind, such as in meditation, the more that awareness expands.
Affirmations.
Telling it how you would love it be,, as if it already is..
Words are powerful – spoken loosely they can sink ships, spoken negatively they can seriously diminish your potential, and spoken “intentionally” and positively they can transform your life.
Writing down your affirmations and placing them where you will see them on a regular basis is really effective – you are quite literally “casting a spell” That’s why It’s called “Spelling”…
It’s the feeling that gives the affirmation its wings, so let it be fun and really get into the spirit of it.
Your subconscious circuitry will obligingly take a new belief on board when it is affirmed frequently in a relaxed manner, and with the corresponding feeling.
I am relaxed, happy and confident..
I am vibrantly fit and healthy.
Things are always working out for me.
Creative visualisation.
Visualisation is doing a mental dress rehearsal of being, doing or having something you want, as if it has already come to fruition.
Taking a dip into the realm of your powerful imagination to indulge a vivid, sensory rich image of how you would love yourself and your life to be, as if it were already a done deal, is a surefire way to influence that outcome.
The subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what is real and what is imagined, in a relaxed (you can’t force it) playful and consistent fashion.
Get out of your comfort zone.
As the saying goes.. “Comfort zones are all well and good – but nothing grows there”
If you want something different, you will need to start thinking, feeling, and doing different things.
The universe loves a mover and a shaker, and when you take inspired action toward creating positive changes in your life, you set powerful creative forces in motion and opportunities will present themselves where previously there where none.
When compared to doing nothing at all.. even the tiniest, most tentative baby step in the general direction of your goals and aspirations, constitutes a massive confidence boosting quantum leap in your personal growth, and in your progress.
I shall elaborate on these tips in more detail in future posts because they really are that significant, but I hope I have informed and inspired you in some way in the meantime to your make your sense of well-being and ultimately your “personal power” a priority.
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About the author.
Darren Pugh is a writer, Tai Chi instructor, long time meditation practitioner and founder and teacher of Zenergie Meditation. He is passionate about sharing well-being practices and empowering people to be the best version of themselves.