Fantastic news! There’s a new treatment on the market which we should all partake of daily. This fantastic medical breakthrough will
• Decrease anxiety, depression and irritability.
• Reduce chronic stress and hypertension
• Bolster your immune system and help fight off colds and flu
• Improve memory and increase mental and physical stamina
• May relieve drug and alcohol dependency
• Reduce the impact of chronic pain and even cancer
• Leave you happier and more contented
• Help you lead a longer and healthier life
‘What’s it called and where can I get some?’ I hear you ask.
Well actually it’s not a drug, a potion or a cream and it’s not new either. In fact it’s been around for thousands of years and many people use it regularly.
It’s called Mindfulness Meditation and numerous clinical psychological studies have shown that people who practice it regularly receive many, if not all, of the benefits on that list.
You’ve probably read these sort of claims before and perhaps dismissed them as new age thinking or just complete rubbish! For some people meditation conjures up an image of sitting crossed legged on the floor, chanting OMMM and adopting a Pollyanna view on life. It’s nothing to do with any of that – it won’t deaden your mind, it’s not a religion, it’s not complicated and it doesn’t take loads of time.
Please don’t make the mistake that I did and say to yourself ‘This is something I’ll look into when I’ve got more time and got my life sorted’. In this increasingly frantic world, more time will never come and you may end up stressing yourself into a dark and dangerous place, as I did.
It appears to me that high achievers are more prone to ignoring the signs of stress until it’s too late. They seem to think they can solve the problem by working smarter, harder and faster but usually end up doing more, achieving less and running themselves into the ground. If that’s not happened to you yet then watch out – it may be just around the corner.
Even with my background in Sports Psychology I didn’t see the problem coming. I thought I knew how to manage the stress through diet, exercise, goal setting and a more constructive, positive mental approach. Unfortunately what I didn’t realise was that this way made matters worse, not better. Stress management is like parking an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff to deal with the problems that occur when we fall off! What we need is to build a fence at the top of the cliff and that’s where Mindfulness comes in. As I’m sure you’re aware we all create our own stresses in life and a mindful approach will give you a different perspective on this stress and help you create or experience less of it.
I’d hate for you to find yourself in the situation that I did so can I suggest you investigate this amazing alternative? I often run ‘open workshops’ that anyone can attend which explain:
• What is Mindfulness and how does it work?
• The neuroscience behind it.
• The evidence base for adopting this approach.
• Practical experience of meditation and how we can apply it in our busy lives.
If you’d like more information then feel free to send me a message by using the form at the bottom of my home page or check out some of my free e-books you can download.