Live Mindfully & Prosper

Good Mindful Monday all – welcome to Live Mindfully & Prosper! Who? As a 20-year counseling professional and fellow human being who experiences ups and downs in life like all other humans, I understand the beauty and challenge life can bring. What? One thing I know that works to help enrich daily life and manage stress is Mindfulness.  Mindfulness is a particular way of noticing and responding to life – noticing vs. judging; responding vs. reacting…think about it, big difference, right?  Mindful living is, in a nutshell, moment to moment awareness of life as it is happening – accepting life as it is happening, with an open mind and heart.  Not always easy to do, but worth the effort for sure with research showing that regular Mindfulness practice can have significant health benefits such as:

• Enhanced emotional intelligence for improved coping and problem solving
• Increased awareness for stronger interpersonal relationships
• Reduced stress for decreased depression, anxiety & blood pressure
• Improved focus and memory for more proficient critical thinking skills

How? Brain science:  Daily life requires us to interact with others, make decisions and respond to all kinds of things, and over time our brains become wired (grooved like a record) to those same responses or reactions we tend to have over and over.  Many times we are reacting emotionally (right brain response) instead of responding mindfully (balance of right brain emotion processing and left brain logical analyzing), but the good news is our brains have what is called neuroplasticity so we can recondition (re-groove) our automatic responses to life to become healthier over time and with practice.  All good things take time and the clinically proven benefits of Mindfulness are no different – to cultivate mindful living skills so they become a more automatic response to life (versus the reactions we have grooved our brings to do) we must practice them over & over again. Why? If you start today with adding one element of Mindfulness to your daily life, possibly immediate, but more realistically over time you will likely notice a positive difference in the way you are living and feeling about life.  It may be that you are more relaxed day to day or that you find yourself responding better to things…maybe you are starting to enjoy healthier interactions with people, or you aren’t as easily agitated or maybe you feel life is perhaps brighter, more manageable or hopeful.

30-Day Mindfulness Challenge! It takes time to change a habit; repetition is key.  Start with one small thing, and build.  Give it a try, see what happens, what do you have to lose?  The possibilities are endless when we live with an open mind. 

Where/when? There are many components to Mindfulness and the benefits are many so this Live Mindfully & Prosper (LM&P) page is designed to be a resource for you in all things Mindfulness.  Visit us weekly for information, education, hands-on skills, inspiration, motivation, support & guidance regarding how Mindful Living can help you to live a healthier, happier, more balanced and fulfilled life. Cheers to Living Mindfully & Prospering all!  Below are a few Mindful Living tips you can get started with right here, right now :). Enjoy & be well always, Lori

• Slow down
• Take a deep breath (Mindful Breathing)
• Let go of judgment
• Pay attention to your body
• Use all five of your senses to notice things
• Seek understanding
• Express gratitude
• Live life for today, not yesterday or tomorrow