By Marcia Eager, LCSW, CEAP, Solutions Program Coordinator

Many of us have recently experienced a very difficult time. As things slowly return to normal you remember some folks were much calmer than you were over the last couple of weeks. Now granted some of that calmness was the result of not having any major problems through the "October Storm" but others dealt with this trauma with grace and patience. What was the difference for those folks? One of the tools people may have used was the practice of "Mindfulness" This month we will explore the art of "Mindfulness" and how any one of us may begin to incorporate this practice into our daily life.

What is "Mindfulness"? According to Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Mindfulness Meditation is about learning to experience life fully as it unfolds - moment by moment."

We all spend some time worrying about something. It may be a situation you are trying to resolve. Maybe it’s a conversation you wish you had or one you want to have. How has worrying worked for you? Did worrying change the outcome or did it hasten the end result? Or perhaps it distracted you from arriving at a solution. This week take one of those worries and put it aside. Take some of the time you spend worrying on being quiet and breathing. Turn off all communication devices, noise makers (tv, radio,etc.) for two minutes and be aware of you and what is around you. Just do this once a day – what’s two minutes in one thousand four hundred and forty minutes?

This month we will offer some suggestions for you to do to help you become more aware of your world and live in the moment as opposed to living in the past or the future.

Call Solutions EAP at 1-800-526-3485 for assistance for all of life's challenges.
It’s free, confidential and open to your family members.
Check us out on-line at
http://www.solutions-eap.com

George "Bud" Wassell, MS, LPC, CEAP
Director, Solutions EAP
883 Paddock Avenue - Suite 2
Meriden, CT 06450
800-526-3485
fax: 203-379-2048
www.solutions-eap.com