Five Minute tips for better mental health, anxiety, family, marriage and more.

Flinder Ranges, SA

I’m not much good at writing blogs, but great ideas come across my desk every day, so for the time being, I am going to send a quick blog out when I think it will be helpful.

A Basic tip for coping with Anxiety using a simple Mindfulness exercise

One of the big problems with Anxiety is that is hijacks your “thinking brain” making it much harder to think yourself out of the overwhelm. This is not an entirely bad thing, especially if you are in genuine danger. This is why simple tips are the best. (Ive put a bit more info about this at the bottom if you have another minute to read).

Mindfulness of the Cup of Coffee using all 5 senses - Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, Taste

If you practice this daily, it will get alot easier. The extra few minutes that this exercise will take should significantly reduce the stress of your morning as you engage with all your senses while you do something from your morning routine that, quite likely, is regularly carried out on “autopilot”.

Don’t judge yourself when its challenging. Just compassionately bring yourself back to the focus. (If you don’t make yourself a coffee in the morning, choose something that is a regular part of your routine, like making your cereal, cleaning your teeth, doing your makeup, packing your childrens’ lunch, even driving your car. I’m assuming its coffee but you can be creative with it.)

1. Take 3 or 4 slow deep breaths. (If you can feel you are breathing quickly, do this a few more times)

2. Take your cup out of the cupboard, dishwasher or whereever it is. Feel the sensation on your hand as you open the cupboard/dishwasher door. Focus on that sensation. Is it cold, warm, soft, sharp, grainy? What sound do the hinges make? What colour is the door handle? What shape is it? Allow yourself the time and mindspace to investigate each of these things with curiosity. Suspend any judgement of these sensations or of yourself.

3. If your mind wanders, don’t judge yourself for this. (Its totally normal). Mentally scan your body for the physical outworking of that stress (eg headache, heart racing, stomach pain, etc etc)

4. Continue the process of making your cup of coffee (keep your breathing slow and take a little extra time) enjoying all the sensations with curiosity and non-judgment. Pay attention to (for example)

   • the sensation of the coffee container as you open it.

   • the rich earthy aroma of the coffee beans/grounds/granules

   • the sound of the coffee beans falling into the grinder or the granules falling into your cup

   • the sensation on your hand of the differnt parts of your apparatus. Take a few moments to do this.

   • watch as the coffee or water swirls into the cup and the steam rises and blows away.

   • what else can you see? what else can you hear? feel? smell?as your create this warm enjoyable drink

   • when you come to drink your coffee, take a moment to enjoy the aroma and the warm feel on your hands of the cup, and the delicious taste, the sensations on your body of the chair you sit in to drink, or wherever you partake of your coffee.

   • If you also have milk and/or sugar, you have all those additional chances to enjoy the amazing sensations associated with those actions, with curiosity and focus.

   • I hope these simple tips bring calm to the beginning of your busy day and help you to thrive through it all.

If you have extra time to read, here is a bit more info about why anxiety prevents you from thinking clearly:

Anxiety triggers a fight-or-flight response that floods your brain with stress hormones and diverts vital energy away from your logical thinking center. This neurological shift prioritizes immediate physical survival, which temporarily impairs your memory, decision-making, and ability to process complex thoughts. This is an evolutionary adaptation which was really helpful when you were living in a world where there was constant threats to your survival, where that was paramount. We are still here, because of that adaptation, and so its something to be thankful for (mostly).

Heres more info on this topic for a time when you have the space to read it.

Plus - this weeks favourite Instagram resource

The Pocket Psychologist