Mindfulness may be in its hey day. Not only are yogis practicing it but also major companies around the world, schools, and even the military. 

Most people think mindfulness is meditation, but it's way more than that. It's an approach to living that is weaved into every day activities. 

Mindfulness is being aware. It’s noticing and paying attention to thoughts, feelings, behavior, and everything else. Mindfulness can be practiced at any time, wherever you are, whoever you are with, and whatever you are doing, by showing up and being fully engaged in the here and now.

There is also "mindfulness meditation." In meditation, attention is paid to the natural rhythm of the breath while sitting, or to the rhythm of slow walking. When your mind wanders (and it will) simply catch it wandering and return to paying to attention to the breath. That's it. 

Sounds super simple. So why all the hype? 

I think there are two reasons why mindfulness has caught so much mainstream attention recently. 

We are a stressed, overly-stimulated, constantly-on-the-go, never-rest-our-minds kind of society. At some point, we burn out and we search for reasons why this happened as well as remedies so we can get back to our crazy-pace lives. Enter mindfulness, which is all about slowing down, being in the moment, and accepting whatever is in the moment. It's like a breath of fresh air to frazzled minds. 

Another reason mindfulness has swept across the West swiftly is that science has taken an interest; the University of Oxford established an entire Mindfulness Centre dedicated to studying it. Research has shown that the benefits of mindfulness include: stress reduction, improved concentration, boosts to working memory,  less emotional reactivity, more cognitive flexibility, and more.

In a society that's starved for calm, mindfulness sounds pretty good because as of yet, there are no major side effects like most medications for anxiety and stress. 

What about the woo woo? Is mindfulness just for people who wear hemp, chant mantras, and only eat kale?

The truth is, there are a lot of non-conventional ways to become more centered and calm. Mindfulness is only one of them. There's prayer, breath work, visualization, exercise, and countless other methods. You have to find what works for you. If mindfulness seems to woo woo for you, then try something else.

Whatever you do, find ways to allow space for your mind. Put down your phone. Turn off Netflix, the news, or Internet chatter. Our minds weren't meant to be on 24/7, which is why so many of us are stressed and burnt out. 

These are crazy times. Nearly everything has been canceled for at least two weeks and we have been asked to practice "social distancing." Kids are home from school. People are buying toilet paper like there will never be any ever again. And the numbers of those who've contracted COVID-19 keep going up. It's enough to make anyone have a panic attack.

Now is the Time to Practice EXTREME Self Care
But what exactly does self care look like now? I mean, likely your family is at home trying to work or bored out of their minds. How the hell are you going to take care of yourself with everyone around? 

Well, if you freak out then everyone will too. You've got to muster up your strength to be the calm example they need. I'm not saying that you should stuff down your feelings of anxiety, but quoting every click bait headline to your family that reads: COVID-19 Heralds the Coming Apocalypse, doesn't help at all. Here are some simple things you can do to practice self care in the time of COVID-19:

1. Stop Reading/Watching the News and Social Media
Get updates if things change in your local area then get off! I was driving myself mad by checking news sites every five minutes. Things are changing rapidly but not that fast. You can check once or twice a day but then stay away. It's only going to fuel your anxiety, and most of it is total crap. 

2. Read/Watch Content that Makes You Laugh
We all need a little laughter right now. So binge away on SNL, funny cat videos, Schitt's Creek, or anything that you enjoy. Fuel your mind with things that aren't so gloom and doom.

3. Take a Walk
If the weather permits, go outside and take a walk. Notice the blue sky, the flowers in bloom, and your neighbor's pristine lawn. Walking can be very meditative so take breaks as often as you need. 

4. Get Some Rest
We've got a real opportunity here to slow down. Isn't it kind of nice not to have to get up at the crack of dawn and cram down breakfast, rally up the kids, or whatever your morning routine usually entails? Now you can put on a pot of coffee and some light jazz (or other music you enjoy) and ease your way into the day. 

5. Prepare Your Own Food
Many of us love to dine out of the home. For me, it's because I hate the clean up after preparing a meal! But there's something very nurturing about preparing your own meals. You know exactly what went into your dish so there's no concerns about how healthy it is for you. You can even make it a family affair (but be sure to wash your hands!).

6. Breathe
Deep abdominal breathing sends a signal to your brain that everything is okay. Essentially you turn off your "fight or flight" response. Read more about this here​.

We don't know how long social distancing will last but we can do things that bring more calm and self nurturing so we can deal with whatever happens.

​Wishing everyone health and peace!

Your nervous system is a super complex network of nerves and specialized cells that governs your movements and takes in sensory information so you can interact with your world. It's constantly transmitting messages to and from your brain. 

​At one point, doctors and scientists believed that we had little or no control over this system, kind of like breathing or the beat of a heart. It just functions.

​But, you actually can activate the part of your nervous system that is responsible for resting and regeneration, and that is how you can prevent most chronic issues caused too much stress.

A Quick Overview of Your Nervous System
The nervous system is made up of a whole bunch of systems, each responsible for a particular job within your body. It's like a hierarchy of systems and at the very top are two components: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. ​Your central nervous system is made up of your brain and spinal cord and is primarily responsible for coordinating all activity in your body. The peripheral nervous system, includes nerves and groups of neurons, is divided into two parts: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. 

The autonomic nervous system is then broken down into three parts (see, it is a super complex system!): the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, and enteric nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is the one that gets activated when you're stressed or experiencing trauma (the "fight or flight" response). Finally, we get to the good stuff: the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the "rest and digest" response. 

Your Built-in Resilience 
The parasympathetic nervous system resets organ function after the sympathetic nervous system is activated (the adrenaline dump you feel after a "fight-or-flight" event). Effects include slowing of heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and stimulation of digestion, all of which helps your body return to homeostasis (a state of balance in the body). This is the power of your parasympathetic nervous system. 

Studies show that the more you can activate your rest and digest response, the more resilient your body gets in dealing with stressors. 

Ideally, your sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are meant to function in balance to keep you safe and help you recover from stressful events.  Unfortunately, in our "always on" society, we tend to run our sympathetic nervous system ragged. The good news is you can learn how to active your parasympathetic nervous system to build up your resilience muscle. 

How to Activate Your Parasympathetic Nervous System
The easiest and fastest way to activate your built-in resilience system is by breathing but not just any breathing. You need to breathe from your diaphragm or abdominal. To do this, simply put one hand on your belly and breath in. You should feel your belly rise against your hand and when you exhale your belly will fall.
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​The other thing I do when I'm stressed is to breathe using the 4-6-8 method. This will immediately calm down my mind. Try it:

• Inhale to the count of 4 (Not using Mississippi in between numbers)
• Hold your breath and count to 6
• Exhale and count to 8

Do this twice and return to your normal breathing pattern. 

You can also try my guided breathing meditation. Meditation is a great way to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. We could all use more rest and restoration in my opinion!