mindfulness Tag

USING A STRESS MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS

The funny thing about stress management is that when people are under stress, they genuinely believe there is no time to be healthy, or relax. Yet, a simple 15 minute time investment or an adjustment in attitude is sometimes all it takes to keep it together, and even improve the experience. Interestingly, as little time as there seems to be in a busy, hectic schedule, people seem to find time “managing stress” in ways that actually drain them more, such as taking a cigarette break, having a drink, watching mindless TV, emotional eating or ranting/complaining on the phone or through...

New Service Targets Overstressed Vancouver Residents

In today’s world of endless distractions, always-on connections, and breakneck speed work, it’s easy to feel drained and anxious. Instead of addressing the root cause of stress, too often we medicate it away with caffeine or even prescription drugs, which, over the long run, run our batteries still lower. These symptoms of low energy include: feeling frequently tired, anxious or overwhelmed and over time, this will lead to deficiency in self-care, especially around energy and health. It’s an unfortunate fact, but in today’s world of endless distractions and rapid pace, self-care in the area of health frequently falls to the bottom...

Self-Care: An Inner Revolution

"For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe we will end up being kind. If we shame ourselves, we believe we end up loving ourselves. It has never been true, not for a moment, that shame leads to love. Only love leads to love." Geneen Roth Remember that day that didn’t have enough hours?.. when you rushed, pushed, tried to squeeze as much in as possible, worked overtime, had to eat on the go, judged your body/hair/look of exhaustion when you passed a mirror, ignored...

Simple Tips for Staying Mindful

“Mindfulness” is blowing up as the new hot word among neo-spiritual, new age, western, hippy, yuppy, yogi, meditators. In spite of its trendiness, mindfulness is truly such a valuable practice. One who is mindful strives to be aware of the habitual nature of the mind. One who is mindful has the desire to deepen the understanding of ones own mind. The practices of mindfulness need to be embodied and remembered in all situations. Of course, we will rarely maintain perfect and consistent awareness through all the ups and downs but we can try. A saying that captures this point is “two steps forward and one...

The One-Breath Meditation

We have all heard how meditation can be a useful way to calm the mind, reduce stress and gain energy, and yet the thought of trying may seem somehow daunting. The image of the yogi sitting peacefully for hours may just seem too far from our reality to consider meditation as a viable method to de-stress and centre oneself. Yet the fact of the matter is that probably every single one of us has at one time or another been in a meditative state when we are doing something that completely occupies us, whether it is painting, rock climbing, playing...