MENTAL HEALTH

MINDFULNESS

Lorna Feeney
Head of Mental Health Risk
This is a Basic Introduction to Mindfulness

How can we be mindful.

4
Why be mindful.
3 5 The benefits.

How do I begin?
What is 6 – Five minute
mindfulness. 2 mindfulness /
meditation practice.

Helpful hints and

Anxiety in the
midst of global 1 7 information.
pandemic. • The benefits.
• Other things to do.
• Mindfulness
exercise
instructions.

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COVID-19 Anxiety and Mindfulness

QUARANTINE
COVID-19

*Mental Health.gov

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Mindfulness – What is it?

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of

where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or
overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

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Mindfulness – Why be mindful?

Mindfulness practice can help us to increase our ability to regulate

emotions, and decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also help
us focus our attention, as well as to observe our thoughts and feelings
without judgment. As we become more present in our lives and in relation
to others, it can help us to make better decisions, to manage our emotions,
and to be more fully engaged in life.

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The Benefits

Calms and
It is also very
Lowers stress focuses us in
effective for pain
and anxiety. challenging
management.
situations.
Music sounds It improves your
better, food tastes emotional and
better, helps social
weight loss. intelligence.
Develops your Improves study Improves
empathy and and focuses memory and
compassion. attention. performance.

Helps with Increases energy

addictive and boosts
behaviours. immune system.

Source: NHS, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/

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How do I Begin?
Start Small – Five Minutes a Day – Practice

Full
Take a seat
instructions
somewhere
Listen along to are in the
You need a quiet where
the practice “Helpful
timer. you can relax
exercise. Hints and
and won’t be
Information”
disturbed.
section.

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Regular Daily Practice

A mindful start can help you focus and prepare for busy day ahead. In the morning,
give yourself extra time to get ready.

In the shower.

Stick with it –
Eating Regularity is essential. All the
(remember the Taking a walk.
chocolate) evidence points to regularity being
You can the key to gaining benefits. It is the
practice accumulative effect of slowing down
mindfulness: your mind, and calming anxiety and
repetitive or obtrusive thoughts that
is so powerful.

Washing The massive

Hands queue.

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 Q&A
THANK YOU

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Q&A

Thank you

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 HELPFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION
THE BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS

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The Benefits

It lowers stress, anxiety, and other destructive emotions (Mindfulness actually shrinks
1 the brain’s “fight or flight” centre, the amygdala. This primal region of the brain,
associated with fear and emotion, is involved in the initiation of the body’s response to
stress; this is the part of the brain responsible for so many destructive emotions like
fear, unhappiness, and anger).

It reduces depression (clinical trials are showing that mindfulness is as effective as

2 medication with no side effects).

It decreases insomnia, increases your sense of well being, reduces lethargy and
3 increases energy both mentally and physically.

4 It is also very effective for pain management.

5 It sharpens your memory and increases your focus and attention.

Source:
MARSH NHS, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/ 11 March 2021 11
The Benefits …Continued

6 It improves health and boosts immunity. In fact, mindfulness is shown to have

beneficial effects on many serious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.

7 It creates clearer, more focused thinking and improves efficiency at work and at home.

8 It improves confidence and emotional resilience.

9 It reduces compulsive and addictive tendencies and has also been shown to work
better than any diet for effective long-term weight loss

10 It turns out to also be the single most important determining factor in whether or not you
will be happy in your life (once your survival needs are met).

11 It improves your emotional and social intelligence and develops your empathy and
compassion. It is also shown to improve relationships.

Source:
MARSH NHS, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/ 11 March 2021 12
Other Things To Do…

Mindfulness/meditation Journal things Draw circles

There are lots of apps; it may be useful to write down drawing circles; circle of
Headspace and Calm you on a notebook or journal your control and a circle of no
have to pay a small fee for. worries. Allow yourself to influence – and fill them with
Alternatively, you can go on worry, put it down in writing in things in your life that you
to Youtube and search for a notebook, and then put that worry about. This helps you
guided mindfulness and away. Once you have written to remember what things you
guided meditation. I suggest it down, let it go. can impact and those that, no
that you do this before bed matter how much you worry,
and first thing in the morning. you can do nothing about.

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 HELPFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION
OTHER THINGS TO DO

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Other Things To Do

Stay connected Laugh Eat healthy and exercise

Either by FaceTime, Skype, Get the endorphins going, We know it maybe difficult for
or by telephone. Maintaining watch comedies, read joke some at this moment in time,
strong connections will help books. The ability to find the but where possible choose
you to feel supported and funny pumps oxygen into fresh fruit and veg, limit the
surrounded by positive and adverse situations. With amount of caffeine and
good energy. humour, we can live our lives alcohol intake. Take walks or
a little more honestly, and take part in free YouTube
less fearfully, even though we exercises. This will all help
can’t make bad things go contribute to a good healthy
away. mental mind.

Remember we are all in this together and the storm will pass. Keep positive and keep
the faith.

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Useful Self Help Guides

My recommendations for self help books or Audible are:

1 2 3 4 5
Chimp paradox – Everything is You can heal The Ultramind Be Extraordinary
by Prof Steve F***ked (A book your life by Solution by Dr by Jennifer Wild
Peters - about hope) by Louise Hay – Mark Hyman – – Discover how
Recognise how Mark Manson change your Learn how to you to can
your mind works, circumstances heal from flourish with
understand through the depression and renewed resolve
emotions and power of the way anxiety to face any
thoughts and you think problem with
become the grace and ease.
person you would
like to be.

NHS website has recommendations on Self-Help Therapies

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Useful Self Help Guides

For inspirational messages and videos, follow the below on YouTube,

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, some have podcasts to:

1 2 3 4
Jay Shetty Brene Brown Nawal Mustafa Russell Brand
A former monk, turned Researcher, Story The brain coach – Actor and now self
host, storyteller and Teller on Mental PHD student – Clinical care expert
virtual creator. Health Neuropsycology

Follow groups on Instagram and Facebook such as Happyplaceofficial, projecthappiness_org,

findyourshinetherapy, iamfearlesssoul, positivevibes
There are lots of Ted talks and motivating speeches on YouTube. Replace watching soaps with
this and see your life improve massively.

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 HELPFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION
MINDFULNESS EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS

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How Do I Begin?
Start Small – Five Minutes a Day – You Need a Timer and Quiet Space

Basic Mindfulness/Meditation

1 2 3
Take a seat, it can be a chair, a Now let’s pay attention to our Focus on the upper half of
settee, office chair, car seat, or lower half: our legs, feet, your body now: the torso. We
even a park bench. If you prefer bottom. If you’re on a cushion want to straighten but not stiffen
the floor, you could sit on a you could simply cross your our spine. Try leaning over a bit
cushion. The key thing is to legs comfortably in front of you. first, letting yourself relax down,
make sure you have a stable, Make sure your knees are at the and then lift up. Allow your spine
solid seat – a position that same level or below your hips, to have its natural curvature,
doesn’t leave you feeling as otherwise, it’s going to be which is the shape of a question
though you’re perched or as uncomfortable after awhile. If mark. You should have a feeling
though you might rock back and you’re seated on a chair, it’s a of being upright. If you have
forth. You can even do this good idea to have your feet on some issues with your spine,
standing up. the floor, fully touching the floor. just get yourself into whatever
works for you as a comfortable,
upright posture.

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Start Small – Five Minutes a Day – You Need a Timer and
Quiet Space

4 5 6
Now for our arms and hands. Let’s focus on our head and The last part we pay attention
The upper part of our arms eyes now. The first thing we do to is our mind and body
should be parallel with our is just drop our chin slightly and together. First, notice points of
torso. And we let our hands allow our gaze to lower. At this contact. Notice how it feels to
drop and rest naturally from point, you can let your eyes have your feet touching the
there. As long as your arms are close or you can keep them floor. Or if you’re seated cross-
parallel, that keeps you from open. Just feel the relaxation of legged on a cushion, notice the
hunching over or being too stiff. your eyes – they do so much contact that your legs have with
work so much of the time. This that cushion; feel your bottom
is our opportunity to let them touching your chair or cushion.
relax. It’s very important where you
have your points of contact.

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Start Small – Five Minutes a Day – You Need a Timer and
Quiet Space

7 8 9
Now tune into your breath, Be Kind to your wandering Now, let’s take one last deep
simply pay attention to your mind. You can notice here that breath in … and fully out. And
breath. Your breath coming in, you think all sorts of thoughts. open your eyes.
and going out. Notice when and You mind may start to wander, it
where you feel your breath in is not a problem. Just let your
your body. Breathe in slowly and mind flow and then bring your
think “rising” breathe out slowly mind back to being in your chair
think “falling”. Do this for 5 or redirect your attention to your
minutes and increase to 10 breathing. If something upsets
minutes then to 15 minutes a you, come back to your
day. breathing, and back to just
being settled.

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