Galentine’s 2023: Give Yourself The Gift Of Mindfulness
On February 13th, we celebrate Galentine’s Day, the unofficial holiday centered around celebrating female friendships and showing appreciation for the special women in our lives.
This Galentine’s Day, why not extend showering your friends with love to yourself by cultivating a daily routine of mindfulness? The truth is that caring for ourselves is paramount to building a healthy foundation upon which we can grow our friendships and all other relationships.
We want to share a little more with you about the purpose and practice of mindfulness, as well as how to include it in your life this Galentine’s Day and beyond.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of being completely engaged with the here and now. It is a state of being present without distraction or considering what will happen next. It is a mental discipline that involves being connected to your thoughts, feelings, and emotions without placing any judgment on them and without allowing yourself to pursue the next activity or set of thoughts.
Mindfulness is the stilling of your mind and slowing down your thought patterns.
What are some of the benefits?
- An improvement in mental health. The practice of mindfulness has been used in the treatment of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
- Stress reduction. Mindfulness results in us being and feeling more relaxed, which will, of course, combat stress. You can imagine that as you train your mind to be less critical of your thoughts, so you will lower your feelings of stress.
- Increased self-awareness. Through the experience of mindfulness, you will become more aware of all aspects of yourself as you softly study your feelings and sensations.
- Improved physical health. A review published in the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed effectiveness in reducing chronic pain. Further studies have shown that mindfulness can lower blood pressure and improve sleep.
- Better relationships. In the spirit of Galentine’s Day, what could be better than an investment in yourself that will lead to closer relationships through showing more empathy and compassion towards your friends?
It’s important to note that while mindfulness practices have shown many benefits, they are not a replacement for medical care unless stated by a healthcare professional.
Our 7-step guide to cultivating your mindfulness routine
Why not prepare to kick off your mindfulness regime this February 13th? Here is a guideline on how to put one in place.
- Start each day with a few minutes of mindfulness practice, like deep breathing or meditation. Starting this way will help remind you throughout the day to be present in the spirit of “start in a way you mean to finish.”
- Schedule bite-size mindfulness breaks throughout your day. This is a brilliant way of habituating your practice. Set 4 reminders at different times in the day and take a short break to slow down, close your eyes and take some long deep breaths, reflecting on your thoughts and current state of being.
- Turn your mundane tasks into mindful moments, whether it’s washing the dishes or tidying your office space. Turn up the corners of your mouth to encourage peaceful feelings and guide your thoughts along a path of contentment.
- Practice imperfection. The present culture of perfectionism hurts our ability to accept ourselves and leads us to become overproductive, tired, and stressed. Instead, leave things a little messy and allow yourself to feel okay with that mess.
- Find a fun physical activity that develops mindfulness, such as yoga or tai chi, and build it into your weekly life.
- Spend time alone in nature. If you can, spend time in nature and listen to the sounds around you, study the intricacies of a flower.
- Journal daily. Writing down what you thought about it at the end of the day is a beautiful way to reflect on and learn more about yourself.
Wrapping it up
Give yourself the incredible gift of mindfulness this Galentine’s Day, and enjoy the benefits as they begin to seep into your life.
“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present, the pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.” – Sylvia Boorstein