Welcome to Day 4 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! It is still early days with The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal, but hopefully you are beginning to build some habits that will have a positive effect on your health and wellbeing. In today’s blog, we are going to move away from setting goals for the future and focus on being mindful in the present. This is one of the biggest lifestyle changes that you can make!
Penn Buddhism
One of my first experiences of consciously practicing mindfulness came when I attended a Buddhist class with my mam around five years ago. After listening to our teacher explain the goal of the session’s breathing exercise, I sat upright in my chair, tried my best to relax, and prepared to be whisked away for a deeper connection to the universe.
Alas, the best laid plans of mice and Ben...
Instead of disappearing into the present moment for twenty minutes, I spent the exercise trying to remember the name of the actor who played Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs. The harder I tried to push this question aside and focus on the present, the more I needed to remember his name. By the end of the session, I had successfully remembered his name (I’ll put the answer at the end if you haven’t got it yet), but I had got no further in my journey to becoming a zen master.
The reality is that mindfulness is a skill. As with any skill, it requires practice before you get good at it. I could not expect to get it right at the first attempt, and I have been trying to get better ever since.
Box Breathing
In essence, mindfulness is being where you are, whether walking, talking, eating. It is oneness with the moment. Yet, many of us are conditioned to live in the past or future, which neglects the now.
Although practicing mindfulness can be as simple as lying down and breathing, Being Mindful is the habit in the W9AD that I have struggled with the most. When I first started using The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal, my goal was just to lie down and be present for 10 minutes. For whatever reason, I either could not bring myself to do it, or I spent the time distracted by random thoughts that came to mind (Here’s looking at you, Nice Guy Eddie).
Thankfully, I walked in on my girlfriend watching Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, just as he was learning about box breathing, and I found a great way to introduce mindful practice into my daily routine.
The idea behind box breathing is simple. There are four parts to it; inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Then repeat the cycle. Each part should last the same length of time, hence the name box breathing.
I began with four seconds for each part, and four cycles. If 10 minutes was too much, I could certainly commit to 64 seconds. To start the journal, I set myself the goal of doing three sets of box breathing each day. As I progress with the journal, I will increase the duration and frequency until the habit of using box breathing to reconnect with the moment becomes part of my daily life.
Call to Action!
Give box breathing a go! Use the video below to guide you through a minute of box breathing. The technique can sometimes feel unusual at first, but it gets easier with practice. As you learn the technique and begin to condition it into your daily life, you can change the duration and how many cycles you do to tailor the exercise to your own needs.
*Answer time! Nice Guy Eddie was played by Chris Penn – well done if you got the answer before you finished reading! Unless you are a very slow reader, you beat my time of 18 minutes!
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This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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