Are you living in the past or in the future and ignoring the present? It is happening to us all and sometimes seems to take control of our lives so we may become anxious, stressed and over tired. Mindfulness is a current buzz word, schools are doing it, MPs are doing it, tennis players are doing it and newspapers are reporting it - but what actually is mindfulness? Mindfulness is a learnt techniqu
e that encourages moments of mental stillness and awareness to help develop strategies for dealing with life’s stresses and strains. You learn how to reflect on rather than react to strong emotions, develop coping strategies for dealing with anxiety and stress and to become more aware of the present moment. Mindfulness will not eliminate life’s pressures but can help us respond to them in a calm manner. It has no religious dimensions and you are not trying to achieve some mystical state or spiritual transcendence; just being you. I have been a teacher in a secondary school for 25 years and over the past few years I took up practising mindfulness to enhance my quality of life. I was so encouraged by its benefits to me and my pupils that I have now trained to teach mindfulness to adults and children. I am passionate about mental health for teenagers. For information about taster sessions and the courses that I run- ‘Mindfulness for Me – a lighter approach to Mindfulness’ - email me at amb@rightnowworks.co.uk.
