Clear your mind: Try these beginner mindfulness tips by BMC

We invited The Beijing Mindfulness Center's founder Dalida Turkovic to share some beginner mindfulness tips with our readers.

Research has shown that when we strive to calm ourselves down, we can trigger a counter effect; often when we work too hard to beat anxiety we may come to a panic attack, suppressing worry may lead to depression and trying too hard to sleep most often leads to insomnia. So in this season of uncertainty and ambiguity, what can we do? 

Start by taking care of your emotional wellbeing and trymindfulness. Mindfulness practise has been known to show effective results when handling stress, emotional discomfort and even illnesses. Below are some tips to try at home for first-time mindfulness practitioners:

For those who have never tried it...

If you haven’t practised mindfulness before and your mind is at the peak of anxiety and fear, then first, don’t try to calm it down. Forcing any calming techniques will result in a different way. 

Try journaling and reflective writing instead. Morning Pages – a concept by well-known artist Julia Cameron that involves producing three pages of long-form writing as a form of self-therapy – are a great way to start your day. Find out more on Julia Cameron’s page here:
What can you write in your journal? List down ways on how this situation can be helpful for you. This may sound a bit difficult at first but you may consider the following: • It puts health on the top of the bucket list and helps me to finally find time to start implementing healthy habits I have been postponing to do. • I don’t feel alone in my suffering. The whole world is feeling the importance of working on this. I  am not alone. • I can finish reading the book I wanted to read. • I can finally watch a lot of series without feeling guilty. • It’s okay to order in. • Plenty of time to declutter the house. • Go through the to-do list and finish it!  

It’s okay to work if that is going to take your mind away from worrying. Maybe you can clear all those emails in your inbox so that you can have a fresh start once all of this is over. 

Learn more about mindfulness by watching some videos on YouTube or reading articles.
Check the website for the Center for Mindful Self Compassion and online resources by Clinical Psychologist Dr Chris Germer, founder of the Mindful Self-Compassion program, and Kristin Neff, Ph. D. who created the Self-Compassion Scales and author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself.

Create a plan for how you want to deal with this situation. What feels safe for you now? Who can support you with your plan? 
Remember, this too shall pass. 

If you are a beginner with some experience...

If you are a beginner and meditation has been a bit of a chore or a difficult task, start informal practice instead: 

1. Take three conscious breaths once every hour. Regardless of what you are doing, pause and let your mind settle just on the breath.  
2. Write down the thoughts that are storming in your mind. Notice thought patterns. There are most likely one or two kinds of thoughts that are ruminating and creating variations of fear and anxiety. This is your mind mutating the thoughts the same way the coronavirus is mutating.  So, let’s express some gratitude to the outbreak as it is helping you to notice how your personal virus affects your emotional states.
3. Wash dishes mindfully. That is such a wonderful practise: feeling warm water on your hands,  foamy sponge and noticing the clean dishes appearing as the result of your effort.
4. Take mindful showers. Immerse yourself into the feeling of warm water on your skin. Every moment a thought wanders away, notice and let your mind refocus on the feeling of water touching your skin.
   This Wednesday 7.30-8.30pm, BMC is holding an online session to help individuals struggling with their worries face their fears with a dose of kindness. Scan here to sign up:

Remember, this too shall pass.
This piece has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity. 

Dalida Turkovic is the founder of the Beijing Mindfulness Center. For more information about upcoming mindfulness sessions, click here. 
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