So hopefully you’ve heard all about Mindful Monday, Try Out Tuesday and Workout Wednesday (if not, where have you been?!).
Today is Thoughtful Thursday.
There was a report on BBC Breakfast this morning following a survey which revealed that more than half of office workers regularly work through their lunch hour, eating at their desks while emailing etc. Not only does this mean they’re not concentrating on eating which could lead to weight gain because their brain isn’t registering what they are eating or how much of it, it could also have a big impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
With support and guidance from Mind, Action for Happiness and Mindapples, Team v is saying to everyone: ‘Make Time For Your Mind‘. The research and work carried out by these organisations shows that we can improve our mental health by taking really simple steps to look after our minds. The five GREAT steps are Giving, Relating, Exercising, Appreciating and Trying Out.
As it’s Thoughtful Thursday, I think we should focus on Appreciating – noticing the world around us. This is vital in learning to be more mindful, and can be done anywhere at any time. Take time to be more aware of your surroundings or what you’re doing, for example on your walk to work, and get out of the office at lunchtime. We’ve all heard someone say “I’m just going for a walk to clear my head” – we all need to take a moment each day to stop and take notice, give our minds a break from daily worries or anxieties, and be thankful for the little things in life.
I’m terrible for getting drawn into work/job hunting/Team v campaign planning/research and spending hours glued to my desk without taking proper breaks. Our Make Time For Your Mind campaign has already had a positive impact on me though. I was already doing my five-a-day for the mind – such as walking, listening to music, talking to parents/partner – but I suddenly realised that I was squeezing these things in between everything else, or doing them at the same time as working. I wasn’t truly appreciating. I’ve still got a long way to go to be able to fully switch off from everything because life is pretty manic at the moment, but taking breaks certainly helps me to deal with it and put everything into perspective.
Living in Derby means we’re about as far away from the sea as you can possibly be on our little island, so I savour any trips to the coast and always take a photograph. I’m finally getting round to printing them to decorate our walls with, hoping they will serve as a daily reminder to stop and appreciate the world around me.
On Thoughtful Thursday, take a moment and appreciate. Tell us, what did you notice today?
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