By Marcia Eager, LCSW, CEAP, Solutions Program Coordinator

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
― Maya Angelou

What are other ways to use the exercise of “Mindfulness” to make changes in our lives? If you wish to change something here is another tool for you to utilize in your journey. Many of us are on a lifelong quest to be thinner or in better shape or even gaining more weight. Mindfulness is another tool to add to your tool kit.

We lead busy lives, so we zip through the drive-thru and the local fast-food joint and then a few hours later we forgot what we ate or even that we did eat. What if you took some time to really concentrate on the food you are putting into your body. Savor the textures, flavors, and smells that come with food. Perhaps you can take the time to have meals with family or friends and just enjoy the company. You may discover things about the experience of eating and being with family or friends that you did not expect.

Now you have new information to work on to change and lower your stress levels. In the process of eating mindfully you can take charge and begin the process of change. Just do this a couple of times this week and observe any difference in how you look at fueling your body.

Here are some simple exercises from an article on PsychologyToday.com called Back to the Present: How to live in the moment. (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainstorm/200812/back-the-present-how-live-in-the-moment)

· Mind the gap. Whenever you find yourself waiting—for the checkout line to move, for the traffic light to change, for the Web page to load—get present. Instead of being impatient and wishing things would go faster, be grateful for the gift of a respite—for the 30 seconds or a minute or two minutes during which you have no obligations. Take the opportunity to mindfully breathe in, breathe out, and savor the moment.

· Focus on the soles of your feet. Here's a good trick to return to mindfulness if you feel angry or aggressive. Shift all your attention to the soles of your feet. Move your toes slowly, feel the weave of your socks and the curve of your arch. Breathe naturally and focus on the soles of your feet until you feel calm. Practice this exercise until you can use it wherever you are and whenever you find yourself feeling verbally or physically aggressive.

Focus on your senses. When you observe your surroundings without judging them good or bad, you naturally nudge your awareness into the present moment. Close your eyes and focus on your sense of scent and mentally list all the smells you're aware of—the restaurant downstairs, the wet pavement outside, the perfume of a nearby co-worker. Next, list all the different sounds you can hear—the ventilation system, cars in the distance, the hum of your computer, typing, footsteps. Then open your eyes and list all the things you see—the rustling of the trees, the faces in the crowd, the wrinkles on your palm. Finally, list all the things you can sense that you appreciate—the way a beam of sunlight hits the brick building across the street, the welcome sight of a friend's smile, the smell of cookies baking. Remember, you're not looking for things to appreciate—you're appreciating the things you sense. With luck, this exercise will put you in a state of relaxed attention that reduces anxiety and makes you feel more fully alive.

This month we have communicated only with ourselves for short periods of time, stepped out of our comfort zone and tried some new things. We have paid attention to what we put into our bodies and the company we keep. Mindfulness can be a vehicle for change and can help you lower your stress levels, feel more in charge of your life and assist you in living in the present. By living in the present you begin to accept that the past in gone and the future is part of how you invest in today.

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