So, a while back I asked those in my support network of any ‘healthy’ coping strategies. And by this I mean ways to deal with stress and unwanted emotion, flashbacks and all that jazz without being self-destructive. I was sent information regarding Mindfulness – now I’ve tried meditation in the past and I’ve always freaked out because my mind seems to run all over the place, and it’s hard to calm it! Though I have always found success in stretching exercises and paying attention to my breathing. So in light of Mental Health Awareness Week 2015, with the theme of mindfulness, I decided that the was no time like the present to give mindfulness a go.

I specifically used the audio from Mindfulness for Students, more specifically, this piece of audio:

I found this to be a very calming exercise, and I successfully managed to complete it without getting distracted! I was feeling very restless, and with the stress of uni assignments I felt that this particular exercise was great. This mindfulness exercise helped to calm me, and allow me to pay attention to what I am finding stressful, and how my body is reacting to this – I have a real bad case of restlessness today, and body twitches, intrusive thoughts and all that jazz.

Mindfulness for Students is an ace website: http://mindfulnessforstudents.co.uk/

And of course if you’re not a student, or if you want to explore more into mindfulness then check out Be Mindful: http://bemindful.co.uk/