“To be present is to know what you need to know in the moment.  To be present to something is to allow the moment, the person, the idea, or the situation to change you.” (Breathing Underwater, 2011)

We become receptive and willing to let go of rigid programs, thoughts, beliefs and behaviours that may be holding us back from self awareness.

To practice being present, bring your focus to your breathing, even for just a few minutes and notice what it feels like.

Originally posted 2023-05-24 12:21:40.

The post What does it mean to be present? first appeared on Geoff Straw - Counselling.

The authors write, “…practicing gratitude on top of receiving psychological counselling carries greater benefits than counselling alone, even when that gratitude practice is brief.”  The researchers also studied the brains of the students and found that this brief practice of gratitude positively influenced brain functioning.

So what are the implications of this study, and many others like it?  Finding a way to be grateful may be a powerful way to shift your mood and overall health.  Incorporating a gratitude practice into your daily life does not need to take a lot of time or effort and the payoff may be astounding.

Some ideas:

• Write letters to friends , family or even people you haven’t met expressing something about them that you are grateful for
• Make a list of things in your life that you are thankful for – these can be big things or small things
• Visualize the positive aspects or experiences in your day that make you feel good
• Express verbally your gratitude to others, or to yourself even
• And then…. observe what begins to change in your life 🙂

Originally posted 2023-02-19 12:20:10.

The post Being grateful promotes health and well-being first appeared on Geoff Straw - Counselling.

This approach emphasizes making room for quiet in our daily life – something that most of us find difficult to do.  How can we truly “listen” enough to ourselves, our feelings, our passions, our disappointments and our joys?  There can be much wisdom and insight to be realized if we can nurture this part of ourselves.  We are used to looking for answers outside of ourselves.  Some ideas are as follows:

Find a time during your day when you won’t be disturbed and can sit comfortably on your own

Turn off all phones, screens, media

Gently bring your awareness to your breathing, simply following the rise and fall of each breath

When a distracting thought comes, simply return your focus to the breath

Sit quietly, without an agenda and notice what you feel in your body

Even five minutes a day is a good start, then return your focus to the room and carry on with your day

If you feel drawn to writing, you can record your experience – whatever it may be

Originally posted 2023-02-05 12:20:57.

The post Listening to the inner silence first appeared on Geoff Straw - Counselling.

The counterpart to the fight flight or freeze response, the relaxation response, occurs when the body is no longer in perceived danger, and the autonomic nervous system functioning returns to normal. The relaxation response is the opposite of your body’s stress response—your “off switch” to your body’s tendency toward fight-or-flight.

During the relaxation response, the body moves toward a state of physiological relaxation, where blood pressure, heart rate, digestive functioning, and hormonal levels return to normal levels. The fight-or-flight state is one of physiological arousal, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, slowed digestive functioning, increased blood flow to the extremities, increased release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, and other responses preparing the body to protect itself from perceived danger or stress (E. Scott, 2020).

Chronic or prolonged periods of stress or perceived threat can keep us locked in a state of hyper arousal, which may be damaging to our physical and mental well-being.  Some people may be experiencing this now due to the exceptional circumstances that we are all adapting to.

Meditation is one approach that promotes the relaxation response and can be a helpful strategy to find your personal balance in uncertain times.

A daily practice allows for a “time out” from worry about an uncertain future.  It can be a powerful way to ground yourself in the present moment, giving your mind and your body a much needed respite.

There are many different methods or types of practice that are helpful.  The important thing is to find one that works for you.

Mindfulness is one approach that has been introduced into mainstream awareness in recent years and has generated a myriad of research on its beneficial effects.  Simply stated, mindfulness is about learning to be present; to notice with full attention your experience.  I think Thich Nat Hanh, the buddhist monk who has written much about this topic, says it best:

“Breathing in, I calm my body.” Reciting this line is like drinking a glass of cool lemonade on a hot day—you can feel the coolness permeate your body. When I breathe in and recite this line, I actually feel my breath calming my body and mind.

“Breathing out, I smile.” You know a smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face. Wearing a smile on your face is a sign that you are master of yourself.

“Dwelling in the present moment.” While I sit here, I don’t think of anything else. I sit here, and I know exactly where I am.

“I know this is a wonderful moment.” It is a joy to sit, stable and at ease, and return to our breathing, our smiling, our true nature. Our appointment with life is in the present moment. If we do not have peace and joy right now, when will we have peace and joy—-tomorrow, or after tomorrow? What is preventing us from being happy right now?

As we follow our breathing, we can say, simply, “Calming, Smiling, Present moment, Wonderful moment.”

While this may seem like a simple approach, most of us find that it is not an easy thing to do!  We are used to multi tasking and often find that our thoughts are focused on past events, or things yet to come.

With a gentle practice each day, simply returning to an awareness of your breath, produces gradual and noticeable changes.  Don’t just do something , sit there!  Try it.

Next time – how meditation can enhance emotional regulation and equanimity

Originally posted 2022-05-16 12:17:05.

The post Why meditate? first appeared on Geoff Straw - Counselling.

“Acknowledge the feeling, give it your full, compassionate, even welcoming attention, and even if it’s only for a few seconds, drop the story line about the feeling.  This allows you to have a direct experience of it, free of interpretation.  Don’t fuel it with concepts or opinions about whether it’s good or bad.  Just be present with the sensation.  Where is it located in your body? Does it remain the same for very long?  Does it shift and change?”
-P. Chodron, “Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change.”

Originally posted 2022-05-16 12:13:38.

The post Living is a form of not being sure first appeared on Geoff Straw - Counselling.