Welcome to the Mindfulness Monthly! Hello friends! Welcome to the May installment of the Mindfulness Monthly - your newsletter brought to you by your Mental Health First Aiders on the first Monday of the month (unless there's a Bank Holiday in which case the Tuesday feels like a Monday anyway amirite). We hope you've had a nice Bank Holiday weekend if you're in the UK. It's May already, none of us need reminding that this year is ticking along, but it's a fresh week, so let's try and be present for it. Sometimes things get overwhelming and we just need to slow down and focus more on the smaller things, like breathing and getting some fresh air. In this installment we're talking about Mental Health awareness week, we have another free bookazine for you, and just to mix things up (instead of a soundtrack) let's have some live puppies, because who made the rules??

Free Bookazine! Another really nice one from our bookazine team that deserves a special feature, it is packed with really great tips for being more at peace, soothing stress, letting go and finding happiness. Take a moment to read it here, it could be the start of a new you!
Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 Next week is Mental Health Awareness Week (10th May - 16th May) in the UK and this year the theme they want us to focus on is nature. Research has shown that going for walks outside was one of our top coping strategies and 45% of us reported being in green spaces had been vital for our mental health. It's possible that you started the pandemic with great habits and daily walks but that has since fallen down and the monotomy of it has taken over. Or maybe you've been really consistent and on track - people cope in different ways and wherever you are is ok. Click here for the full article.	A place to start with unwanted thinking This image really captures the place to start when you have an unwanted thought, try to set some distance from yourself and that thought. Many thoughts come up during the day and a lot of them may or may not be true, one exercise to practice whenever a thought comes up to make you feel bad is to set some distance. See if you can add a line to the thought such as "I am having the thought that..." or even "I notice the thought that..." just to give a bit of space between yourself and the thought. This can really help release the claws in some persistent negative thoughts that you might be struggling with.
Netflix Guide to Sleep Another great collaboration between Netflix and Headspace! This time focussing on sleep, this could be part of a great wind down technique, each episode unpacks misconceptions, offers friendly tips and concludes with a guided wind-down. The illustrations in these series are so nice and relaxing so this one is definitely on our list as it has just been released. Don't forget that the Headspace guide to medititation is already out now!	BBC Radio 1 Relax If you're looking for the Ultimate Banger or Hottest Record in the World - you've come to the wrong place. BBC Radio 1 have launced a new station called relax, and it is a nice mix of calming music and sounds that is the perfect work accompaniment. You can listen to the live stream here, or check out the back episodes. It also has a special ASMR segment for all the tingles.

Your mindfulness exercise In every edition of the Mindfulness Monthly we have an exercise to get you centred and feeling refreshed. Mindful Appreciation Choose 3 things in your day that usually go unapreciated. These things can be objects or even people. For example, the electricity that powers your kettle or the person who delivers your post. Ask yourself: How do these things work? How do they benefit you? Have you ever noticed the finer details of these items? The point of this exercise is to give thanks and appreciate the seemingly insignificant things in life. The things that support us but rarely get a second thought.

     

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We wish you well,

Gina, one of your Mental Health First Aiders