Mindful Living Archives - Page 5 of 11

In Mental Health, Mindful Living, Mindfulness, Self-Care, Women's Interest

Appreciating Inner Beauty

Nicki CawoodApril 9, 2020April 9, 2020

Right now, we are in unprecedented times. If you’re reading this post-2020 we are in lockdown now. Salons and barbers are closes, fashion and make-up no longer seems a priority. Now many people are, thankfully, taking the time to start appreciating inner beauty rather than just focusing on what is going on on the outside. Finding your inner beauty might seem like a simple thing to do, but in practice, it can be quite hard. You look amazing on the outside, and you have impeccable fashion taste, but how do you feel on the inside? You might have to do a lot of soul searching, and thinking about your past behaviour and where that could take you in the future, to truly answer this question.

Some changes have to be made to ensure the real you can blossom and shine, and allow you to really release the inner beauty you were born with and have cultivated your whole life. Let’s consider a few things you could think about to help yourself feel more esteemable, and like you’ve got a lot more to offer.

Appreciating Inner Beauty: Think About Who You Love

The people around you each and every day are the people you mostly choose to be there – what do they have in common? Because the traits we surround ourselves with speaks to who we are inside, or who we would like to be, and that could be very inspiring once you start to notice this.

Maybe they’re all different in their own little way, but that too can be a common trait in someone’s loved ones; maybe you like something quirky or off the beaten track. But how does that relate to your inner beauty? It means you find goodness in small or different things, and that can mean you’re a person who values people, and not what they do or where they come from. You’re passionate, and appreciate what’s in front of you. As someone who is very keen on mindfulness practices, this point strikes a chord with me.

Think About How You Spend Your Days

What does your average day look like? And what do you think of a day like this? Because what we do can dictate a lot of how we think and behave, and it’s time to notice that. It’s a big part of inner beauty, and you might need to work on the effects of your current schedule.

Even if you’re someone who considers a facelift as an option right now, because the mirror is looking back differently these days, the person we are inside only changes and evolves when we let it. When we take in what we see each and every day, and allow ourselves to learn from it and think about the impacts of these words and behaviours, do we help ourselves to grow into bigger and better versions of ourselves.

Think About What Inspires You

And finally, going back to the point above, think about what fills you with energy when you look at it. What gets you pumped and ready to go, and makes you think of yourself in a better way? Because when you find something that inspires you, you need to surround yourself with it, to ensure your inner beauty has a chance to shine out.

We all have inner beauty, and it’s time to prioritise it. Lean into yourself, and let it out. Journalling can be a really go way to unpack the answers to these questions. This is something I’m doing a lot of at the moment,

In General, Mindful Living, Mindfulness

Finding Harmony in Your Every Day Life

Nicki CawoodJanuary 16, 2020January 16, 2020

Life can be turbulent and stressful at the best of times, and these days, it’s not exactly uncommon for people to feel as though they are being swept off their feet more or less 24-hours a day, and seven days a week. If you’re desperate to regain a sense of balance and finding harmony is a priority, it’s important that you actually make some changes that can lead you away from the constant feeling of being overwhelmed.

So, here are a few tips for finding harmony in your everyday life.

Finding Harmony By Eliminating Negative Habits

Often, when we are stressed, we will turn to unhealthy “bad habits” as a way of helping to curb the negative feelings, and to “calm ourselves down.”

Of course, if you are turning to habits such as drinking or smoking in order to regain a sense of balance, you are deluding yourself – because the short-term feeling of “relief” that you get is always going to be fleeting. This short-term gain will come with various harmful side-effects that will ultimately leave you feeling pretty awful, down the line.

Consider swapping out some negative habits with more positive relaxation techniques.

That could mean something as straightforward as switching out your smoking habit for a temporary vaping habit courtesy of Vsavi equipment.

In the longer term, though, look into the benefits of regular exercise, holistic routines such as yoga, and walks in nature – things that have been consistently proven to aid relaxation, in addition to various other benefits.

Finding Harmony: Filter Out The Ever-Present Noise

Life is really noisy today, which is a major source of the stress and turmoil that we all typically feel on an everyday basis. It is certainly something that I struggle with from time to time, hence my determination to reduce digital noise especially. According to the famous Norwegian explorer, Erling Kagge, one thing that the modern world really lacks is opportunities for “silence”, by which he doesn’t just mean “a lack of sound.”

The kind of “Silence” that Kagge is referring to includes things like shutting off the stream of information and distraction that comes from scrolling through social media on your smartphone, for example.

When you allow yourself opportunities for daily silence and stillness, your thoughts can get an opportunity to calm down, and you can free yourself from the constant sense of panic that comes with always having to consider and deal with different forms of media and mental input, day and night.

Embrace Planning and Preparing in Advance

Stress massively expands when you are unprepared and have to try to scramble to deal with events “on the fly.”

Instead of constantly falling this way and that in order to try and get a handle on the latest drama that presents itself to you, work to plan and prepare everything in advance, as much as possible.

If you know that there is nothing to eat for breakfast, and you know that this might cause you to have a mini freak-out tomorrow morning and grab some unhealthy junk food on the way to work, take a bit of extra time in the evening to prepare yourself a nutritious meal, instead.

The less often you are caught by surprise, the more harmonious your life will feel. Finding harmony, peace and a good amount of quiet is key to a happier more balanced life.