LAST time I wrote about how beneficial being outside can be for our wellbeing. Today I’m going to talk about mindfulness. Now I’m not a Zen Buddhist, or a mindfulness master, far from it, But I am learning the benefits of being mindful. Have you ever driven somewhere on auto pilot and arrived at a destination with no idea or focus of how the journey was? Or maybe you’ve eaten a meal in front of the TV and only noticed your empty plate. Being mindful allows us to be present. To notice the little things, that we would otherwise miss. Joyfully while doing this our brains are less likely to think about unpaid bills or the washing up you have left. So, if you have never had a go at mindfulness try this; go and look out of a window and just spend literally one minute, seeing what you can notice.
YOU may recall from my last Wellbeing Wednesday I talked about how good gardening can be for our mood. However, that kind of got me thinking that not everyone has a garden, but what we all have access to, is outside space. Worcestershire is a beautiful county and although born and bred here, there is much still for me to explore. Being outside is good for us all from the cradle to the grave, John Muir, an early botanist said, “of all the paths you travel in life, make sure some are covered in dirt!” So as lockdown eases, as we take permitted exercise, we can take notice of what is around us, the trees, the gardens, the fields, wherever you go, we are lucky to have so much great outside space on our doorsteps.