In today’s highly stressful pandemic environment, being conscious of relaxing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever. Whether it is simply spending time in your garden, meditating, being mindful, or having a routine, focusing on the small time outs or little victories is important in maintaining a positive attitude. Meditation and mindfulness can positively impact our mental and physical health, it is about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective and focus. Some great benefits gained from meditation include improving sleep, promoting emotional health, reducing stress, controlling anxiety, and much more. Learning to relax can take some practise so try starting with as little as 5-10 minutes a day to be calm and unwind. A simple way to start meditation is to sit or lie comfortably and try to focus on your breathing and how the body moves with each inhale and exhale. There are some great free apps to help practise meditation and mindfulness such as Smiling Mind, Headspace Meditation app, and Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra - 21 Days Meditation Experience . Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we are doing at that moment. Mindfulness meditation practice is one way to experience the current moment and integrate that awareness into your everyday life. Mindfulness can have numerous benefits, from decreased stress and sadness to increased levels of focus and happiness. A couple of ways to practise mindfulness. Take breaks throughout your day and focus on your breathing and how you feel. Sit and observe your breathing and try to cast your wandering thoughts aside for a few minutes. Get out and enjoy nature and focus on the sensation of your movement. Reflect on your thoughts at the end of the day. LinkedIn have a great free short course available relating to mindfulness: Mindfulness practices - Becoming mindful at work The Mindful Workday - The Mindful Workday introduction Mindful Meditations for Work and Life - Some simple meditations can make each day better Making a routine and keeping busy will keep you moving forward. Schedule small tasks, like cleaning and doing the laundry, make appointments to reach out to others, and spend time on activities that make you feel happy. Fresh air will make a surprising difference in your attitude, try to get out every day for at least 20 minutes, this is a great opportunity to start practising mindfulness or to call a loved one. Another easy win to be on your way to feeling great is to eat to fuel your body, this means consuming foods that will make you feel good. Even the smallest changes in our day to day routine can help shift our focus in a positive direction this could be meditation, exploring, mindfulness, routine, or simply reaching out to others. Coming up with a plan and a peaceful routine that works for you can be a great step in working through these difficult times. We hope these small tips will help you to continue to adjust to the current situation. Other blogs that you may like from us are: How to support your local community right now Tips on staying connected from home How to stay motivated when working from home