Stressed? Try This to Get Your Mind Back on Track!

Posted on October 9, 2015 Updated on October 9, 2015

Guest Blogger

I want to take this moment to introduce a wonderful colleague of mine, Basilia Iatomasi! She will be sharing some very simple but powerful Mindfulness strategies that are amazing at rebooting your brain which can help you to manage your stress.

Seriously! Try it out!

“Will I ever get my school work done?”  

“I think I failed that test”

“There is no way I am going to be ready for my mid-terms”

“I want to sleep”…“I WANT TO SLEEP”…Why can’t I get to sleep?

Does this sound like you right now? Lots of mind chatter that’s leaving you feeling scattered, unfocused and stressed. Well it’s not surprising that your mind chatter is in overdrive and more noticeable as the semester gets busier and busier. So much of our mind chatter is worry about future things that haven’t happened yet or chewing over the past events that are over and done with.  When we do this we miss out on and don’t notice what’s actually happening.   So what can you do about this?  One option is to just pay attention to what’s actually happening in the moment without any judgment about what’s happening.  This is called mindfulness.  But I can hear you saying “I don’t have time for this!”.  The good news is that being mindful can be as simple as taking one mindful breath.   We know that even short periods of mindfulness give us mental spaciousness and a present focus that’s good for our well- being.

Here’s some 2 minute mindfulness exercises to try:

• For a couple of minutes listen and follow one sound that you hear.  It can be the sound of someone’s voice, your steps as you are walking or a piece of music.
• Take a few mindful bites of food.  Rather than gulping down your food, notice its taste, texture, smell, and what it looks like.  Drink in the experience with all of your senses.
• Mindfully brush your teeth in the morning.  Notice how you hold your toothbrush and how it feels to brush your teeth and rinse out your mouth.
• Mindfully notice your breath.  Just notice your breathing as it comes into your body and leaves your body.  You don’t need to adjust your breath, just notice it.

So the choice to be mindful is always with us even for brief periods of time.  

Try it out…it just might help with the mind chatter!

 This is a great weekend, in Canada, to really slow your mind, be in the moment, take it all in and be grateful for what is going well in your life.

Happy “Mindful” Thanksgiving!

Dr. Heather Drummond, EdD (Counselling Psychology)

Counsellor * eSuccess-Coach * Passionate Advocate for Student Success

heather.drummond@mohawkcollege.ca