“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

―Marcus Aurelius

This is a difficult time for all of us. But, as I already said in my earlier post, what matters is not what happens to us, but rather how we respond to it.

So, today I thought I would focus on getting our minds in tip top shape to deal with whatever life throws at us.

Like anything, genetics and personality do play a role but strong mind is also a skill, something that with practise can be developed over time.

In these testing times, it is more important than ever to connect with your core beliefs and employ your spirituality, whatever that means for you, to center yourself. Only then, you would be able to successfully deal with fear, anxiety, and heightened uncertainty that surrounds us. Make sure you are the center of peace in these times, rather than propagating further fear and anxiety. In other words, keep calm and carry on….

So, what are some of the tools you can use to strengthen your mind? There is no universal answer to this question and you need to find with trial and error what works best for you. But, there are some tools that have been proven to be effective. These include: regular meditation, prayer, daily gratitude practice, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping, and deep breathing.

In order to calm yourself down, to pause and reflect, you can also employ other tools – activities that relax you and bring peace and calm to your mind. These may include a walk outside (especially if surrounded by nature), a warm bath, listening to your favourite song, cuddling with your partner and/or kids, physical activity (especially yoga), cooking, and really anything else that is relaxing for you.

There hasn’t been a better time to develop a stress-busting and mind-strengthening toolbox that you can use in any situation. I will now discuss a few of my favourite tools that have helped me to strengthen my mental resilience.

1. Regular (ideally daily) meditation). This is one of the areas that has been extensively researched to show many tangible benefits that this practise can bring, including lowered inflammation and increased longevity (as it preserves telomeres length and reduces cellular stress). Through regular meditation, you can rewire your brain and train it to shift towards more positive traits like focus and positive thinking. If you are new to meditation, there are many (mostly free) apps that can help you to ease into this process. You can used InsightTimer, Calm, Headspace, and many more. Some of them also offer more structured courses that help you to establish meditation as your daily habit. Even if not signing up for class, commit today to meditate daily for the next 10 days in a row and then decide for yourself whether this is a worthy habit.

2. Deep breathing. This is actually the quickest and most available tool at our disposal that allsows us to quickly switch from our stressed state (i.e. fight or flight respones) to a calm one (i.e. relax and digest). It can be a matter of a few, deep, mindful breaths. While we breathe automatically, this is one of a few of our bodily functions that allows us to switch off the automatic pilot and do it in a mindful way. Most is us don’t know how to breathe and utilise only a small percentage of our lungs capacity. For a quick lesson, on a proper, deep breathing (sometimes referred to as ‘diaphragmatic breathing’, check out this article. Have a look also at this video where Dr. Andrew Weil demonstrates a so-called 4-7-8 breathing technique.

3. Journalling and gratitute practice. This is something I do every morning. Before the craziness of the day hits me, I open my journal and write down my dreams from the night before (if I remember them) and then shift to anything that my mind throws at me – somethimes a to-do list, sometimes a long list of worries and concerns. I try not to judge and just write ☺ Then, I finish with at least three things that I am grateful for that day. Most of the time, these are small things, often being healthy and alive tops the list. If it sounds like something you would like to start, check out this article for a useful overview (discussing Morning Pages developed by Julia Cameron).

My morning routine looks something like that these days.

1. After waking up, I drink a large glass of warm water with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.

2. I do my ‘Morning Pages’, including three things I am grateful for.

3. I do some yoga/stretching often using some YouTube videos to guide me along the way (Yoga with Adrienne, Deliciously Ella app, Yoga by Gosia Mostowska – in Polish).

4. I finish with a short (10 mins max), guided meditation using InsightTimer app.

And that’s it. I am then ready for a quick shower, often finishing with cold water rinse to strengthen my immunity and boost my energy. This one is still work in progress ;-) I would love to know what does your morning look like. What techniques, habits have worked for you to set you up for a happy, peaceful, and productive day. Please share in the comments below or on my social media (FB and Instagram).

Hello! I am Magda and I work with people that are ready to transform their health and wellbeing. What are your health goals that you have not been able to reach? Read more about me and my services.

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