Getting Started With Mindfulness

 

Mindfulness has enjoyed a tremendous surge in popularity in the past decade, both in the popular press and in the psychotherapy literature. The practice has moved from a largely obscure Buddhist concept founded about 2,600 years ago to a mainstream practice available at any time on your smartphone. Today, mindfulness can be defined as guided or self-directed meditation that helps an individual gain a greater awareness of their body, thoughts, and breathing.

 

Regardless of your stage in life, taking care of your mental health and making time to decompress your mind and body should be a top priority. Unfortunately, making time for and prioritizing self-care is not always a simple task.  We have all been socialized to work hard in order to reach goals and be successful in both career and personal life, so it is understandable why taking a break for something like self-care feels counterintuitive.  

 

Fortunately, a silver lining of the pandemic has been a renewed focus on mental health and self-care. As a result, it has never been easier to develop a unique and reasonable self-care plan that fits into any schedule.

 

With the help of smartphone technology, everyone can access dozens of mindfulness and wellness apps that make it easy to relax, unwind, and most importantly make time to establish self-care rituals. The key to incorporating consistent good self-care into your daily life is to MAKE time, just like you would make time for dinner with friends or to watch your favorite sports team. Here are some free and low-cost apps to explore so you can kick off your self-care journey today!

 

1) Meditopia 

Guided meditations right at your fingertips, the best part is that if you are an avid apple watch wearer you can connect your mediations to your watch and can completely disconnect from your phone as you meditate. 

 

2) Mindfulness Daily

Great for beginners to learn the basics and begin a daily mindfulness practice for a few minutes each day. Easy to incorporate into a busy routine and free of charge. 

 

3) EXHALE 

“EXHALE is an emotional well-being app designed for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC). It’s time to exhale – to let go of all that isn’t serving you and breathe in life, energy, healing, and love. “

 

4) Stop Breathe & Think

Guided and non-guided meditations, as well as breathing timers, allow for the time and space to recenter yourself no matter where you are or how much time you have.

 

If you’d like to learn more, click to read some evidence-based information on the power of mindfulness.

Importance-of-mindfulness

 

The team at Rivia Mind endorses meditation and self-care in all our work with clients. Schedule an appointment to meet with a provider today who can partner to keep you focused on your journey to wellness.