Happy Wednesday Everyone!
Today's "Wellness Wednesday" topic is: Mindfulness in Nature. We will be discussing what mindfulness is, the benefits that come with it, and how to practice mindfulness in nature. A "Wellness Wednesday Challenge" will also be provided to hopefully further support you with implementing more mindfulness this week.
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is being aware in the present moment. It means paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment. Often we are thinking about what we need to do next, or worrying about what happened yesterday and what tomorrow will bring. This can cause our minds to be on overdrive, and lead us to feeling fatigued, burned out, stressed, anxious, depressed, and even less productive. Since practicing mindfulness supports us with being more present in the moment, it can promote a variety of health benefits including: decreased risk of depression, increased emotional regulation, reduced anxiety and stress, improved memory, stronger relationships, cognitive improvements, and enhanced physical and spiritual health.
Mindfulness in Nature:
Now that you have a little information around what mindfulness is and the benefits that can come from it, let's discuss some strategies to support you with implementing it into your lifestyle. There are a variety of ways to practice mindfulness, but since spring is right around the corner, I thought we could just hone in on one method today: mindfulness in nature. Here are some ways to practice mindfulness in nature:
Take a walk or hike with no electronics, and notice what you see, hear, smell, and feel.
Read outside
Watch wildlife
Do some gardening
Build a sand castle with your kids
Journal outside
Smell flowers
Have a picnic with mindful eating (aka slow down when you are eating, and pay attention to how it tastes, the texture, the smell, and how it makes you feel).
Color or paint outside
Watch the sunrise or sunset
Go barefoot, and notice how it feels to have your feet grounded in the grass, sand, etc.
Watch the clouds
Count the stars
Play I Spy with your kids outside
Practice deep breathing outside
Do yoga outside
Meditate outside
Color with sidewalk chalk
Do an outdoor scavenger hunt with your kids
Do rock painting outdoors
Pray outside
Practice gratitude outdoors
Look for a rainbow
Do a guided walking meditation
Listen to a spiritual podcast or soothing music while walking outside
Wellness Wednesday Challenge:
Aim to do at least one of these mindfulness activities today, and journal how it made you feel. If the weather doesn’t allow you to go outside, you can still do a lot of these activities inside such as: meditation, prayer, color, paint, read, journal, deep breathing, etc. Please feel free to comment here or message me directly with any successes or challenges you faced with implementing this mindfulness activity, and consider sharing this challenge with someone else that could maybe benefit from it.
FYI- One of my favorite outdoor mindfulness practices is a guided gratitude walking meditation. I do this daily during my 15 minute break at work, and it makes such a difference. It's a great way to get some movement in and some fresh air, meditate, and practice gratitude, which in returns supports with physical, mental, and spiritual health. It typically leaves me feeling more energized and in a better mood, and helps with my mental clarity and productivity for the rest of the day. Here is the link if you would like to try it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9qTY8ttGUo
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you found some value from this, and have a happy and healthy rest of your week!
