Are you looking for time-friendly ways to boost your mental health? If so, continue reading as we share 3 micro-practices that help you efficiently invest in your wellbeing without spending a lot of time each day.
In a perfect world, we’d have hours, days, and even weeks to spend promoting our mental health. Unfortunately, the real world is full of responsibilities, busy schedules, deadlines, and jobs that require long hours. Don’t let a hectic lifestyle keep you from practicing self-care. The truth is that you don’t need a lot of time, choosing effective practices will keep you feeling centered and balanced. Implementing micro-practices into your daily life can significantly boost your overall mental health with minimal amounts of time spent.
The three practices we are covering include 10 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of reflective writing, and 15 minutes of emotion informed movement. All together, this micro-routine only lasts 35 minutes and the benefits are worth much more!
10 Minutes of Daily Meditation
Meditation is one of the greatest ways to relax and anyone can practice this ancient technique. To meditate, find a comfortable and quiet place to take a seat or lay down. Focus your attention on your breathing or an object and allow your mind and body to completely relax. It’s important to note that meditation takes practice and it’s okay if you struggle with racing thoughts! Instead of becoming frustrated, simply let the thoughts pass by and then return your attention to the focus of your choosing. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to stay focused.
10 Minutes of Daily Meditation
Meditation is one of the greatest ways to relax and anyone can practice this ancient technique. To meditate, find a comfortable and quiet place to take a seat or lay down. Focus your attention on your breathing or an object and allow your mind and body to completely relax. It’s important to note that meditation takes practice and it’s okay if you struggle with racing thoughts! Instead of becoming frustrated, simply let the thoughts pass by and then return your attention to the focus of your choosing. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to stay focused.
Before it became a common theme for trendy wellness apps, meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and there are so many benefits of meditation! Some benefits you can expect to experience after incorporating meditation into your daily routine include:
- Decreased stress and increased relaxation
- Reducing of negative emotions
- Focusing on the present
- Increased self-awareness
- Increased patience
10 Minutes of Daily Reflective Writing
Reflective writing is one of the best ways to really check in with ourselves and assess how we’re doing. It’s an opportunity to reflect on our days and organize our thoughts. Grab a journal and try out this quick practice to boost your mental health. Find a comfortable and quiet place to allow your mind to speak freely about your day. Journaling for the first time can feel confusing and maybe a little overwhelming, so we’re here to help. Below are some ideas for your daily reflective writing session.
What is something that made me feel good today?
What is something that triggered negative emotions to rise up?
What do I wish I had done differently today?
These are basic examples and you can write about anything you’d like! The goal is to reflect on a situation or event and the emotions it brought up. From there, you’ll want to analyze those emotions to gain a better understanding of yourself. Practicing this daily will improve your self-awareness and will allow you to better understand your emotions.
15 Minutes of Emotion Informed Movement
Have you ever heard the phrase “the body keeps the score”? Our bodies store trauma and negative emotional responses, but luckily we can free our bodies of this. Emotion informed movement is a great way to boost your mental health while releasing negative emotions. We suggest trying dance movement therapy, which is a creative art psychotherapy that utilizes dancing to help boost our physical, mental, and emotional health.
Emotion Informed Movement has many benefits including:
- Promoting calm
- Increased self-awareness
- Improving coping skills
Participating in emotion informed movement can help treat anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and more. This will boost your mental health, your confidence, and it will be fun!
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