You sit down, close your eyes and focus on your breathing, then your mind wanders straight to your to-do list of work tasks, what you’re going to make for dinner, and of course there’s that message you forgot to reply to. You can’t seem to focus for more than a few seconds, the minutes are dragging out…and did it always hurt this much to sit up straight?!
 
While renowned for its many mental and spiritual wellbeing benefits, meditation can also be a herculean task for some who struggle to simply empty their minds on cue or sit still for longer periods of time. If you’ve tried it and it’s not your jam- at least for now- there are many other ways to reap the same benefits and carve out time for mindfulness that could come in handy as we move into the craziest time of the year that can be pretty demanding on all fronts.
 
Journaling
If you feel like you’ve got too many thoughts buzzing around your brain and you need to clear your head, this one’s a goodie. Imagine if you could pick the thoughts up out of your head, put them down somewhere and then simply walk away? With journaling, you pretty much can. Writing is a great way to clear mind space, let things out and work through feelings, emotions or experiences to gain more clarity about how they’re affecting you. You never have to read back what you write or share it with anyone (you can recycle it straight away if you like!) and it doesn’t have to make sense either. Leave your phone in a different room and put pen to paper. Even just 10 minutes of presence with yourself and getting those thoughts onto paper can help clear some mental space and quiet the noise.
 
Yoga
For those of you who can’t sit still, Yoga is an excellent alternative for practising mindfulness as a moving meditation. Come for the physical benefits and stay for the mindfulness — Yoga pretty much forces you to get out of your head and into your body as you stretch and twist your way into different poses and is an excellent form of stress management due to its reinforcement of deep, rhythmic breathing. According to scientists, breathing this way relaxes the nervous system and calms the mind, which we could all use some more of! If you’re in need of some Yoga studio inspo, check out our What’s New and What’s On page to find a studio or class near you.
 
Walking in nature
You may already find that when you’re feeling stressed, anxious or low, you are drawn to getting outside for a walk to clear your head. As humans, we have an innate knowing that connecting back to the great outdoors improves our mood, but why is this? In a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, data showed that a mere twenty-minute nature experience was enough to significantly reduce cortisol (our stress hormone), with 20 - 30 minutes outside being the sweet spot for the greatest drop in cortisol levels. If the greenery and nature sounds aren’t enough, walking relieves stress as exercise increases concentrations of brain chemicals that moderate our response to stress, and it also releases those feel-good endorphins. To clear your head at the end of a stressful day, forget the meditation and opt for a half-hour walk instead!
 
Arts and craft
With things like colouring books bourgeoning since lockdown,  more people are discovering the benefits of creating art as a way to quiet the mind. Research shows that colouring also reduces anxiety and stress and improves sleep, focus and motor skills — we’ll take that bonus! The practise of creating something with your hands, like a calming pottery session at Clayground, is a great way to get out of your head and induce focus. The trick is to stay in the present by observing the sensations and experiences of that current moment, such as the colours or shape of the design, and to bring no judgements about the past or future to the practise. The goal isn’t to try and paint the next Mona Lisa, but to enjoy an hour or two of mindfulness without distractions. 
 
Cleaning
Yep, your household chores double as a way to practise mindfulness — talk about two birds with one stone! Do you ever struggle to work at a messy desk or feel a lot better mentally after a total clean of your space? It’s true that a messy environment can lead to a messy mind, as it only adds more chaos into your life which may be already filled with enough external stressors. It’s not just the end result that has benefits, either! The act of cleaning itself is a mindfulness practise as, similarly to colouring, you focus on carrying out a physical task — a study by the University of Connecticut found that during times of high stress, people default to repetitive behaviours like cleaning because it gives them a sense of control during a chaotic time. You can even pop on your fave tunes and bust out some dance moves as you do it! Count us in for a mindfulness sesh that leaves our minds feeling as clear and clean as our kitchen! 


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