meditation Archives - Jamie English

October 30, 2020 by Jamie English Leave a Comment

Mindfulness Resource

I know my clients and friends think I am a broken record when I am continually asking if they meditate or have a mindfulness practice. But the research has shown for decades now that there are multitudes of benefits to meditating and mindfulness. Research continues to come out regularly, showing physical and mental benefits. So, what are you waiting for?

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a class that I have had my eye on for a while. I have considered taking a course for several years now, but I had not followed through for various reasons. I learned that this class is offered online and for free, so my husband and I took this class over the last couple of months. True learning comes in practicing, and that is a huge component of this class. Check out this resource and let me know what you think!

May 15, 2020 by Jamie English Leave a Comment

What If I Don’t Know the Next Thing?

A quip I like to refer to that comes from Alcoholics Anonymous is “do the next right thing.” This can be helpful when we are overwhelmed. Things become overwhelming sometimes when we start future tripping and worrying about things that are coming up. When there are just too many things to do, and they start piling up, slow down and do the next right thing.

Because so many of my clients struggle with perfectionism, the word “right” can trip them up. Just do the next thing can be helpful here, take out the word “right,” it isn’t always necessary. But….what if you don’t know what the next thing is?

I learned from a client this week, and she believed she got it from Julie Andrews (point me in the right direction, if you know)–if you don’t know what the next thing to do is…..sit.

I absolutely love this! Anxiety often has us feeling like we need to keep moving, keep doing, and running around. But to retrain our brain, we can just sit. I am a big fan of meditation, which I have talked about before, and this could be a form of meditation. It is mindful. Just sitting and noticing can be so powerful. Clarity will come. And when it does, you will know what the next thing is.

June 7, 2019 by Jamie English 1 Comment

And Breathe

You may think I am a broken record, but I am going to AGAIN talk about meditation. Don’t click away just yet…hang with me. Please know that meditation can look so many different ways. Finding the way that works for you is part of the journey!

My favorite thing said to me when I recommend meditation is, “I tried that once. It didn’t work.” My response to this is….ummm, okay, but how do you know it didn’t work? You may have actually changed your neural pathways a bit. Plus, it is a practice that you do over and over….to relieve stress, among other things. It won’t always feel like bliss and peace, but it might for a few seconds here and there. Those seconds will increase over time as you practice.

I once gave a speech in honor of meditation and used “Serenity Now” as an acronym. “Serenity” was a list of why to meditate. “Now” was for 3 easy steps to start. To keep this simple, I am just going to list the items. Feel free to search for your own information. It seems like more and more research comes up with the benefits of meditation and mindfulness.

S Stress. Meditation lowers stress. Research has shown that meditation lowers the stress hormone, cortisol. One study determined that the average person is stressed for 2 hours and 11 minutes per day. Another study showed that as little as 10 minutes per day can lower the stress hormone levels.
E Emotions. Meditation helps us process emotions, and not just at the time we are meditating.
R Recall Improves. Memory recall improves with daily meditation.
E Elderly less lonely. Elderly individuals who meditated reported feeling less lonely
N New ideas. Meditation has been linked to increased creativity and coming up with new ideas.
I Inflammation. Meditation has proven to be an effective treatment for chronic and acute pain. It has been shown to lower inflammation.
T Test scores. Students trained in meditation and mindfulness made better grades
Y Younger. Some have claimed meditation reverses the aging process

N No rules. Forget all the shoulds about meditating. You don’t have to sit in a certain position. You don’t have to burn incense. You don’t have to recite foreign words you don’t understand. You don’t have to close your eyes. Now, you can do these things if you want to, if they speak to you, if they work for you. Find something that works for you. Sit in a chair. Sit in your parked car. Lay in your bed. Whatever place that works for you….whatever position that works for you…eyes open or closed…..whatever works for you is the RIGHT way to meditate.
O One minute. Start small. Start with one minute. Set a timer for 1 minute and do it consistently. Be gentle with yourself in this process. It is SO NORMAL for your mind to wander over and over. Even in just one or two minutes. When you feel like your mind clears in your one minute…maybe the timer startles or surprises you, go for two minutes.
W When your mind wanders, breathe. Focus on your breath and/or come back to your breath,

If you feel like reading more of my thoughts around mediating, check out: Secret Weapon #2 and Serenity Now!

April 12, 2019 by Jamie English Leave a Comment

Speaking Your Love Language to Yourself

I believe at this point that most everyone is familiar with the concept of love languages. If you aren’t, you might be interested in checking out the book that’s been around since 1992. And as I was researching to find out how long the book had been out, I learned they have a great website and even an app, where you can take a quiz to find out your love language.

And if you are thinking this is a post only for couples, please keep reading. The love languages are for couples, BUT….. What about your relationship with yourself? I recently saw a social media post with ideas for loving yourself. I loved this and started building the list. If you know your love language, add one or two of these ideas into your routine:

For PHYSICAL TOUCH, getting a massage or even a manicure or pedicure is a great self-care option. Some other ideas include yoga or stretching, as well as lotions or oils that feel good on your skin or soak in a tub. You could also get a nice soft and/or blanket to snuggle up with.

For WORDS OF AFFIRMATION, do some self-coaching….out loud! Be your own cheerleader and tell yourself what you are doing well. Some other ideas are journaling and adding some affirmations into your daily routine. You can collect things others have said to you, writing them in their own journal or a section of your journal. Write a letter to yourself or just leave some post-it notes around reminding yourself of your best qualities.

For QUALITY TIME, really set aside time for yourself, to do what you want to do. Do you have hobbies or activities that you really enjoy? Make sure you are doing them regularly. Ever take yourself to the movies or out to dinner? Journaling and meditation fit well in this category.

For ACTS OF SERVICE, check in with yourself and see how best to receive love for yourself. Do you want to arrange things to be done for you, such as lawn care or housecleaning? This could be going to therapy as well. Bake yourself something you would enjoy. Do some random acts of kindness for others….and then back on yourself if it applies.

For RECEIVING GIFTS, this one is likely the easiest to implement. Treat yo self! Putting a little money toward things for yourself, like small indulgences you’d enjoy. Set up a regular amount to spend on yourself each week or each month. Another great idea here is to sign up for a subscription box that appeals to you. There are so many out there, some as inexpensive as $10 per month.

What would you add to this list? Do you know your love language? How can you add to your self-care repertoire using your love language?

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Mindfulness Resource

What If I Don’t Know the Next Thing?

And Breathe

Speaking Your Love Language to Yourself

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