Colour-me-calm

What does colouring in have to do with reducing stress? And how exactly could it help you?

They key to all of this is that colouring in is an activity which focuses the mind and the hands at the same time. Active meditation focus on simple, repetitive-motion tasks, and colouring in has the same meditative effects.

Concentrating on colouring in a picture or image:-

• focuses your mind on the present
• replaces negative thoughts
• blocks out intrusive thoughts
• creates a state of peace
• helps you find an inner calm

Colouring in not for you? How about one of the new crazes like dot-to-dot for adults, or  paint by numbers?

Still not convinced? We challenge you to try 10 minutes of colouring in for the rest of this week. Before you know it, you'll have switched off and done 30.

What is Mindfulness?

We all hear so much these days about "mindfulness" and how it can reduce stress, enhance emotional intelligence and handle painful thoughts and feelings. But do you REALLY know what it is?

Put simply, mindfulness is a form of self-awareness training adapted from Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation. Some call it "the art of conscious living".

We like this definition from Jon Rabat-Zinn, leading authority on mindfulness:-

"Paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgementally."

Why not take 2 minutes this morning to think about that definition and how you might be able to apply mindfulness techniques in your professional environment? And look out for more hints and tips  later this week.

Meditation for Beginners

We all hear and read a lot these days about the benefits of meditation, but have you ever actually tried it? It's not easy, and that's why you've probably tried it a couple of times, and after the grand total of 18.26 seconds sitting with your eyes closed, given up.

Meditation is not easy. It takes practice, it takes determination, and you shouldn't expect to be any good at it at first. But here's the inside scoop - the more you practice, the better you get. And once you get better, you start to reap the benefits: increased mental focus, improved breathing, enhanced self-esteem, less worry - the benefits are endless.

We've pulled together some meditation basics to kick start your first week. Use these to get you started with just two minutes of meditation today and for the rest of this week. More importantly, you can use guide as a checklist to help you stick with meditation until the benefits are obvious, and meditation becomes part of your daily routine.

Download your copy of our Brisbane Mediations Guide to Meditation here. Stick it on the fridge and give it a go this week. Good luck!