Monday Musings

Bring on the calm...

via smart escapes

Today we're back to Spring and it's a gorgeous bluebird day where I live, after a fairly feral weekend of snow storms and high winds. It's got me thinking about the need for peace even where there is chaos. 

So how do we achieve or maintain that deep sense of peace that we are each capable of? 

Taking time out for meditation or reflection is essential as it helps to refresh the body and the mind. It quietens the nervous system, and stimulates the immune system to bring about faster healing, which is why I recommend meditation to a lot of my clients. It can be achieved by sitting quietly without distraction and focusing on the breath, or by following a guided meditation. I've linked through HERE to a fabulously simple guided meditation that is a quick ten minute refresher to calm and quieten the mind. The sound of gentle waves is what one of my clients uses every night to help himself get to sleep. But invest this ten minutes in yourself, and you'll feel refreshed and less complicated.

Equally we can use exercise to clear the mind. Exercise decreases cortisol production and stimulates the release of endorphins, seratonin, and dopamine. This produces a relaxant effect on the body and contributes to a sense of wellbeing. Regular exercise is something that most of us are easily capable of but make little time for. When the days are a little longer it can seem easier to wake early but still many of us make excuses about why it's not possible to schedule it in. To make time for everything and everyone else and yet to neglect yourself, can come at a very high cost. So get out and walk up a nearby hill to get your heart rate up, sweat a little and push yourself a bit. In the town where I live there's a gym at the top of the hill with some awesome programs.   When you get to the top you can pause to appreciate the view and reflect on how you've just provided yourself a great foundation for moving toward an abundance of good health (and even consider a class at the gym if you live nearby and are feeling inspired).

What physical activity are you doing at the moment that pushes your heart rate up?