Mindfulness Exercises for Anxiety, Depression and Trauma
Over the past few decades, mindfulness has become an extremely popular adjunct to talk therapy. There is a reason for this, as research shows that mindfulness practices can calm the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the flight-fight-freeze-appease response we often experience when traumatic events occur.
Many would like to reap the benefits of mindfulness practice, especially those experiencing anxiety, depression or trauma symptoms, but might not feel they have time to meditate each day. Others may have the time, yet feel they do not know how to ‘steady their minds.’
However, meditation is not the only way we can incorporate mindfulness into our lives. In fact, studies show that mindful activities scattered throughout one’s day can have an even deeper impact on healing and self-growth than a regular sitting meditation practice.
This is because, once a mindful approach is embedded into our regular activities, it is more likely to become our go-to approach to life. We can take meditation off the cushion, so to speak, and into our daily lives. We can start to incorporate mindfulness into our days by learning ways to reach stillness other than traditional meditation.
Here are some other ways to achieve a mindful state in your day to day life
Mindful Breathing: Focusing awareness on the breath can be done while we engage our everyday routines. This is an easy way to incorporate mindfulness into regular activities. Mindful breathing can also be healing for people who have experienced traumatic events or who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as traumatic experiences can cause a suppression of breath. Research also shows that a regular breathing practice can help decrease anxiety symptoms.
Mantra/Chanting/Singing: Singing and sound are two of the oldest forms of healing. By creating lyrics out of positive affirmations, we can use song as a means to reframe some of our most negative thoughts. This can help us move into a more positive emotional state and can help us achieve gratitude and self-compassion, soothing symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma. Just like breathing, we can also easily incorporate singing and/or chanting into our daily tasks.
Mindful Writing: Many prefer to write about traumatic experiences than to speak of them. If you fall into this category, mindful writing could be a powerful tool for you to use when you want to explore thoughts or memories without having to speak them aloud. You could even rewrite a troubling memory, giving it a more empowering and/or positive ending. Research shows that writing can improve mood, and can help slow the flow of intrusive thoughts.
Guided Visualization: Traditional meditation practices can be challenging for some. If this is the case for you, guided visualization practices might prove a beneficial alternative. This mindfulness practice can increase relaxation levels, while slowing down racing thoughts that are present in anxiety, depression and PTSD. Through the visualization of peaceful scenes in the mind, stress levels can be reduced, increasing a sense of safety and calm.
Gentle Yoga: Yoga utilizes mindful movement of the body and breath. Even if you don’t feel you have enough time in a busy day to attend a yoga class, there are gentle yoga poses you can do while sitting in your work chair. As such, yoga can be an easy mindfulness practice to include in your daily routine. Studies show that yoga can have a positive effect on the nervous system, and can increase body and breath awareness. This ancient practice can also connect us more deeply to ourselves and can aid in relaxation. Yoga can be particularly helpful for those who have experienced trauma or are suffering from PTSD, as gentle movement in body and breath helps to release tension in the body and connect one safely to their body again. However, it is recommended that you work with a yoga therapist or trauma-informed yoga instructor for safe guidance of gentle yoga for trauma.
Ritual: Many of the above practices can be combined into a specifically designed ceremony or ritual. Rituals can be empowering as they often begin from a place of intention. One can also engage the senses through the use of incense, candles, stones, etc. This can be very grounding. Additionally, many rituals offer a space to let go of something that is troubling. For example, one can bury a journal entry of a traumatic memory.
There are many other ways to engage a mindfulness practice during daily life than those listed above!
In fact, any time you can truly be present in the moment, you are being mindful.
Yet, most of us need methods to regularly practice mindfulness before we can anchor it into our routines. Daily mindfulness practices has a direct effect on the ways we cope with trauma, anxiety and depression.
