When it comes to your mental health, it can certainly seem like there are more solutions than ever, which means it becomes tougher to find the right ones for you, but it also means it can be a major challenge to implement the real long-lasting ones. The fact is, we go about our days chasing our tails, and if you are someone who is incredibly busy and feels like life is too busy to squeeze in an hour-long meditation or incorporate all of those practices that CEOs seem to have infinite time for. However, here’s where you can get the benefits in small doses:
Mindful Chewing
We have to remember that being mindful is. very simply, about not thinking about the past or the future and just being in the present. Chewing mindfully is something that can positively impact various aspects of our mental well-being.
Mindful chewing can lower cortisol levels, and by focusing on the act of chewing, we can become more aware of our emotions, develop healthier coping strategies for dealing with difficult feelings, and be more attuned to our body’s hunger and fullness cues as well. If you combine this with something like CBD, which is very popular at the moment, you are getting a double dose, particularly if you order edibles online that contain CBD. It’s a great way to be mindful without necessarily investing a huge amount of time. Get some gum or CBD edibles and see what it can do for you.
Sensory Awareness
Sensory awareness is an excellent way to ground you in the present moment. Practicing the five senses exercise can make a big difference here. This encompasses noticing five things you can see, four things that you can feel, three things that you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Again, it goes back to that sense of mindfulness where you are not focusing on the past or the future but being rooted in the present moment. There are other little things that you can do to stimulate your sensory awareness, including a quick body scan to identify any sensations, focusing on wiggling your toes and licking your lips to practice being present in your body, and also working from the top down or the bottom up.
Holding Your Breath
Of course, we all hear about the benefits of breathing exercises, but there’s a small pocket of people who are talking a lot about controlled breathholds. It can actually have several calming effects on the body. Breath holds can trigger the mammalian diving reflex, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the rest-and-digest system.
Controlled breathing can actually lower levels of stress hormones in the blood, and holding your breath can promote several relaxation effects because it increases carbon dioxide in your bloodstream. There are techniques like the Buteyko method, which are based around holding your breath or having a mild air hunger. Just remember to practice it safely!
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed throughout the course of the day, there’s no point in trying to push through and get back to baseline hours after the event. Instead, microdosing mindfulness can make all the difference.
