Start Living (outside your head)

Toolkit for life

• Pick up/put down stress

• Present moment• Meditation• The Being Mode• Acceptance • Compassion• Beginner’s Mind

About me, Mind and the little things

• York Mind

• A journey into mental well-being.

What is mental health?

• Have a chat to the person next to you – what is mental health?

Mental Health is ...

‘... The emotional and spiritual resilience which allows us to enjoy life and survive pain, disappointment and sadness. It is a positive sense of well-being and an underlying belief in our own, and others, dignity and worth’

Mental health – a sliding scale

• Everyone moves up and down from day to day

• It is transitory – like physical health.

Some facts and figures

• 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental health issue each year.

• 10% of under-18s have a mental health problem.

• By 2030 MH is the norm – forget 1 in 4 its 4:4

• Only one in ten prisoners do not have a mental health disorder. Why is it like this?

1 in 4 - Imagine for a moment…

Walking down the street and one in four people you meet had…..

A broken leg

Stress is there for a reason

Fight or flight

• Blood leaves non-essential areas

• Your vision narrows

• Heart rate and blood pressure increases

• Muscles tense

• We sweat more

• Hearing becomes acute.

• Focus is almost exclusively on the ‘threat’

• Takes 20-60 minutes to return to normal

So this leads to two conclusions

The thing which is supposed to keep us safe….

• ……….is now killing us.

• And even worse….

Our pets are happier than we are!

So let us look at your stress

What stresses you?

• And also what relaxes you?

• Have a chat in pairs and then we will see what we have.

So what have we come up with?

• See any patterns?

• Where is our stress really coming from?

• What are our minds doing when relaxed?

So the idea….

• Is to be in the state of mind when you are relaxed more often.

• And not create or prolong the stressed state.

So what can we do about stress?

First things first – if you recall just one thing from today….

So what is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is -

• Living in the Moment

• Meditation (formal mindfulness)

• Recognising we have a choice about how we think.

• The three work together.

The only moment you have.

Are you really here?

• We spend 47% of our lives not present.

• 70% of our thoughts are negative.

• Are you present? If not – why not?

That holiday moment

How do we feel now?

• Anyone feel in immediate danger?

• If not, then how about adopting the thought that right now –

• In this moment – everything is okay.

Maybe do more often

Especially when….

• We stop worrying or planning into the future.

• Cogitating on the past.

• And instead……

Live in the present moment

Key points

• Mental health facts and stress.

• What is Mindfulness?

• The present moment

• Most moments are okay.

Meditation

Meditation – the facts

• Meditation can change the physiological composition of the brain – like juggling!

• Neuroscientists are agreed that the neuroplasticity of the brain changes after even quite short periods of meditation.

• Neuroscientist Sara Lazar – You Tube.

It is not stopping thoughts

• Lets do a little experiment on you.

So let us do one.

How was it for you?

• Did you notice thoughts come and go?

• Did you feel tempted to solve or follow them?

• How was it generally?• Which bit did you like

the best?

Meditation Also

• Stops you over-thinking.

• Trains you to be aware

• Brings calmness and clarity

• Aids acceptance – and transience

• See thoughts as mental events not facts

• Resilience – take knocks better.

• Every minute meditating counts!

Also

• Trains you to notice – Live in the moment.• I now remember things (unlike Oct hols)!• To step back from the clutter and see

things more clearly.• Decreases anxiety and can lower blood

pressure.• Enhances focus on things you enjoy.

The Being Mode

• Looking outwards.• Living through our

senses.• Living in the way we

were designed for.• There are three

distinct advantages:

1 - An Escape Pod

• Distance from the hot thought.

• To disentangle from the mind’s constant chatter and judgement.

• A place to go in times of sadness, anger etc.

One of you yawns

Tesco Queue Exercise

• How do you feel in the Tesco queue?

• Are you cross?• What annoys you?• Feel the frustration.

2 – To be there for the good things

• We are not present for 47% of our lives.

• We get in ruts of habitual behaviour.

• As we have seen its about enjoying life.

• Taking the children to the beach

• Those Kettle chips!

Mindful Eating

This is about just being present

• Do it when you swim.• Chatter with your

children – grandchildren

• With tonight’s glass of red.

• Even at the football match.

Even Dishwasher Stacking

• See life as it is – not how you’d like it to be.

Beginner’s Mind

•In the mind of an expert – nothing is new.

•Try this when you get home.

Acceptance

Examples

90 second rule

A cash point and £50

Someone arrives late

A certain library manager

Social Phobia Example

• Releasing the pressure.

What is crucial here

• Is that you are not reliant on external factors for your happiness.

• It does not have to be sunny.

• Your team does not have to win.

• Or you get that promotion.

• You can look at your life from a new angle and change your perspective.

• You are okay as you are now.

Piece of paper demonstration

Ups and downs

• When life is going well – enjoy it.

• Without the stress of trying to make it permanent.

• When life is not good – recognise that this will not last forever.

A word on - Compassion

Compassion to ourselves

• Be your best friend.• Nourish when you need it.• Do not judge your emotions, thoughts as being

wrong.• Be wary of ‘should’.• Be mindful that we tend to push ourselves• Serotonin and acts of kindness.

Toolkit for life

• Pick up/put down stress

• Present moment• Meditation• The Being Mode• Acceptance • Compassion• Beginner’s Mind

So your homework tonight

• Do nothing.

• Eat mindfully.

• And for the week –

• Present moment walk – being mode.

• Practise acceptance (90 secs)

• Practise self-compassion

Choice!

• You have a choice about how you think.

• Step back and see that.

• And life gets a whole lot easier.

Have that holiday moment …

Here. – Thank you for listening