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Mental Health Moment - Mindfulness · Life Lived Better

• 0:08
  Hello there, and welcome to another mental health moment
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  from the Life Lived Better podcast.
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  This is the place where we take just a couple of minutes to care
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  for our minds. I'm Paula, and in this episode
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  we're talking about how mindfulness can support our
• 0:22
  mental health. Mindfulness is simply paying
• 0:26
  attention to the present moment without judgment.
• 0:30
  That may sound small, but in a world that pulls us in 100
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  directions, it's actually a pretty powerful tool.
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  When we practice mindfulness, we give our brains a break from all
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  the racing thoughts about the past and all of our worries
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  about the future. Research actually shows it can
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  lower stress. It can ease anxiety and even
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  improve our sleep. So how do we bring mindfulness
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  into the daily routine? We'll first start with your
• 1:00
  breath. Take 60 seconds just to notice
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  each inhale and exhale. There's no need to change
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  anything, just notice. And then second, do one thing at
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  a time. You know, whether it's drinking
• 1:13
  your coffee in the morning or washing your dishes, just taking
• 1:16
  a walk outside, just fully focus on that experience.
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  Look around and see what you see, what you hear, what you
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  smell, what you feel. Third, practice kindness towards
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  your thoughts. When your mind wonders and it
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  will just gently bring it back without criticism.
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  Mindfulness isn't about perfection, it's just about
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  being present. And the beauty of mindfulness is
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  that it doesn't take any special equipment or even any extra
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  time. It's more like a shift in how
• 1:52
  you show up in the moments that you're already living.
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  So today, I invite you just take a few mindful breaths and notice
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  how even that tiny pause can create some calm.
• 2:06
  The Life, Live Better podcast. Thank you for joining us for
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  this mental health moment. Until next time, take care of
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  your mind because it's the only one you've got.
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  And don't forget that knowledge leads to a life lived better.