My day starts with Lucy!
Between feeding her and breakfast for the rest of the family, there are the usual tasks: cleaning up, tidying up, reading messages, and catching up with the news and social media. After breakfast, I move to daily activities on health coaching and essential oils: some training, some research, and some writing. I have a daily schedule I try to stick to.
Then something happens, time flies by and it's already dinner time.
I'm sure you can relate. I'm not the only one who feels days are passing by on high speed, am I?
There is always something to do and so much information that we have to process that it's difficult to sit still. You have to be intentional about relaxing your mind. As mentioned in my previous blog, the parasympathetic nervous system needs to be activated for health and wellness.
This is where my bite size well-being tips come in!
All you need is to put aside 10 minutes every day. According to research done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after 8 hours of mindfulness practice, the gene sequencing in the brain changes, including reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes. This means that mindfulness helps recover from a stressful situation, improves immune system functions, and reduces aging at a cellular level.
Here's how I spend my daily 10 minutes:
Every morning before I begin my daily chores, I take some time for stretching. I start with rolling a tennis ball under my feet to release the fascia (for more on this, click here) and do simple exercises to stretch my back, hips, and legs.
Then I sit comfortably and set my timer for 5 minutes—sometimes a little longer. I close my eyes and start breathing in through my nose. With each inhale, my belly goes up. I think about something positive I'm breathing in. With each exhale, my belly goes down. I think about something negative I'm breathing out. This method helps me concentrate on my breath and keeps my mind from wandering off.
I breathe in happiness; I breathe out pain.
I breathe in energy; I breathe out tiredness.
Breathing in I smile; breathing out I let go of tension.
Breathing in I relax; breathing out I let go of anxiety.
I can't stress enough the importance of active relaxation. According to research it even increases creativity.
10 minutes a day! That's all you need to set aside to start. Your health will thank you and you might connect with your creative muse!
Stay healthy, stay happy.