Here’s something I encourage all my patients to try: be mindful.
I’ve talked about mindfulness and stress before, two large factors of happiness. I’ve had patients come in who are generally fit and eat healthy but are in pain. Their back hurts, they can’t sleep, or they can’t concentrate during the workday or during weekends. Here’s the issue: stress causes us physical pain.
Our minds and bodies are more intricately linked than we realize. We can all get better at being mindful and reading about mindfulness is a good first step. Here are 3 mindfulness blogs I enjoy and you may too.
Check Out These 3 Mindfulness Blogs:
1. Raptitude
David Cain’s “street-level look at the human experience” is one of the most engaging and insightful blogs I found. He clearly outlines dilemmas we all face – how do I become more self-disciplined? How do I deal with bad moods? – and provides thoughtful solutions. His blog is a great resource for mindfulness and stress.
2. London Mindful
Science has proven that mindfulness makes us happy. This blog has plenty of interviews with experts who have studied how to better at being mindful. This is far from a dry science blog, however – it’s a rich combination of personal experience, insights, and practical tips on how to be more mindful. A good starting place is the Lab where you can read a personal account on chronic pain and mindfulness.
3. Mind Deep
All of us can learn to be mindful, regardless of how hard it is for us when we start. Marguerite is a caregiver who teaches mindfulness and has walked many through the process of becoming more mindful. Reading about how other people learn to be calmer can be a tremendous help in becoming less stressed. She even details how others have used mindfulness to cope with health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. For a more artful approach, have a read of her poem on mindfulness.
Chew on this
Our minds and bodies are so linked we forget that each affects the other. If we are consistently stressed, our bodies will suffer. Learning how to be mindful will help and it isn’t hard. All it takes is persistence. Learn well and live well.
Have a favorite mindfulness blog? Share it with us in the comments.