take notice and relax
Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.Evidence shows: being trained to be aware of sensations, thoughts and feelings for 8 to 12 weeks has been shown to improve well-being for several years. Mindful engagement with the world, being actively aware of our surroundings, is important for mental health.
Mindfulness Based Therapies
These therapies are often called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. They have been adopted in other regions to help carers cope with the challenges of caring and have been recommended by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) to reduce repeated bouts of depression. They combine meditation techniques with aspects of modern psychotherapy to deliver simple training in attention and awareness. By paying mindful attention to sensations in the body, and to thoughts and feelings as they arise, it is possible to develop a day-to-day awareness that is more balanced and centred, when circumstances may be difficult. "By noticing how one negative thought can lead to another, you can learn to recognise the first negative thought and prevent a chain of negative thoughts occurring. This can help you reduce stress and cope with problematic thoughts and feelings." (NHS Choices) These techniques have also been shown to help with chronic illness and physical ill health.
Ideas
- Try the Headspace free meditation programme for 10 minutes a day, for 10 days to find out how mediation can make a difference.
- Cambridge Mindfulness Centre – this is a new private initiative to make Mindfulness-Based psychological interventions accessible to all in Cambridgeshire. Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and non-judgementally.
- Cambridge Buddhist Centre – the centre offers courses in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to our experience which helps to free us from the cycles of reactivity which make our life more unpleasant.
Tips
These five ways to well-being don't need to be pursued on their own, you could think about trying the following activities:
- Go for a walk with a friend and stop to take notice of your surroundings.
- Try an activity like yoga that increases your sense of well-being and improves your fitness levels.
Share your tips and ideas
- Do you have any tips that may help other parents in Cambridgeshire take notice?
- Do you have an activity you would like to share with or advertise to parents?
- Why not share your ideas with others through our well-being forum.
