“Light tomorrow with today” ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I just love this quote from Elizabeth Barrett Browning and hope that it may strike a chord with you as you read it.
Some days it’s difficult to see the wood for the trees; and yet if we allow ourselves to be so distracted by the tough moments that we forget to take time to enjoy some respite and to be kind to ourselves, how quickly we lose our sense of being.
This brings to mind something that the Dalai Lama once said: ‘we are human beings, not human doings!’ Yet as humans living in today’s society, many of us spend so much of our time doing ‘the stuff of life’ that we often forget how to simply ‘be’.
That’s one of the reasons that we set up the monthly mindful moments sessions to try to help bring a few moments of calm and a sense of peace to the busyness of life over lunchtime. The activities give people a chance to try out some gentle craft activities that can help to still the mind and give us a sense of achievement as we create something from scratch.
What do you do to help yourself to unwind and relax at the end of the day? Do you have a favourite hobby that helps you to let go of the day’s worries or little annoyances?
Sometimes exercise can really help with that, even a gentle walk in nature, letting it flow over you. It doesn’t work for everyone I know but us country lovers find it incredibly soothing, for me especially near running water. I love streams and rivers and lots of greenery.
Apparently there’s even a Japanese past-time called forest bathing where people simply spend time under a canopy of trees, breathing in nature, feeling connected to the earth and experiencing deep relaxation as they breathing regulates. Practising breathing exercises is something that you can do anywhere however and it has proven relaxation benefits.
Please feel free to join us on the fourth Monday of the month for a bit of creative relaxation, or a few mindful moments. If you don’t manage to catch up with one of us in person, as always you can contact us via email on info@mitechaplaincy.com where you can request a call-back, or you are very welcome to call me directly on my mobile: 07526 378529 either to chat or to arrange a time to meet with one of the chaplains.
Debbie
We also have a range of resources on our web-site including some that are more specific to the Covid-19 outbreak and some that help in dealing with stress: https://mite.org.uk
If you prefer you can easily keep in touch with us on social media: Facebook: @mitechaplaincy Twitter: @mitesthwarr
