Discover the transformative power of mindfulness and how it can elevate your emotional intelligence, sharpen your focus, and enhance your relationships in our latest episode. I'm Tamera Trotter, here to guide you through the practice of being fully present, away from the relentless pull of social media and the digital world. Our heartfelt conversation delves into the significance of mindfulness in daily interactions and its burgeoning role in mental health discourse. You'll uncover practical steps for integrating awareness into all aspects of life, from the simplicity of a breath to the complexities of human connection.
Join us as we explore the profound effects that mindfulness can have on children and the essential elements that contribute to their growth and happiness. As we share insights on developing a mindfulness mindset, you're invited to reflect on your own self-concept and the unique gifts you bring to the world. Whether you're struggling with mental well-being or striving to improve your concentration and emotional regulation, this episode offers an engaging discussion on the life-altering benefits of being truly present in every moment. Tune in to learn how to nurture your connections and appreciate the present, ensuring you don't miss what truly matters.
Hello and welcome to when over depression. I am your host, tamara Trotter. This podcast is dedicated to those who suffer with a mental illness but try every single day to feel better. This podcast is also dedicated to those who are trying to better understand mental illness and find ways to get to a better place in their life. We are happy to be in 2024 and we know that during this year, we are going to get more. That's what we're looking forward to.
Speaker 1:
Today, we'll be talking about mindfulness, so let us first define what does it mean to be mindful? When we are mindful, we are fully present in the moment. We're not distracted by social media, we're not distracted by our cell phone, but we are paying attention to the feelings and the sensations of others and we are not casting judgment. When we are mindful, it helps to reduce stress and it is so important when it comes to our mental well-being and it enhances our focus and self-awareness. So let's talk today about mindfulness and how important it is, as we interact with others, to be mindful. When I think about mindfulness, what I think about is emotional intelligence. When we have emotional intelligence, we understand how the impact of our words and the things that we do have on other people. When we say that we love someone, we should be showing and demonstrating the love that we have for them. It's not okay to be rude and disrespectful to people that we say we love.
Speaker 1:
When you think about your mental health and your mental illness, so I want you to go back to your childhood and think about how were you treated as a child, by your parents? By your siblings, if you had any? Were you popular in school? Was it easy for you to make friends? All of that has helped to shape not only your personality and your mindset, but also your confidence. So when we are being mindful, it also helps in our relationships, because we are paying attention to the person that we are speaking with. And so when you suffer with the mental illness, I know that it is difficult to concentrate, but when you practice mindfulness, it improves your concentration. It also helps to regulate your emotions and it helps you to become more aware. So when we practice mindfulness and were able to actually breathe better, then that's also going to improve our mental health.
Speaker 1:
So what do you need to do in order to adopt the mindfulness mindset? What do you need to do? Well, I suggest that you make sure that you are fully present. We talked about that, but I also want you to think about what is it in your life that you need to give more attention to. Could it be your child? Could it be your husband? Could it be your studies? What do you need to pay more attention to? Be study more and really make sure that you are giving 100%, because when we give 100%, we have better outcomes and we're able to just feel better about ourselves, because something that affects people that suffer with depression is the self-concept that they have. So what is your self-concept? How do you feel about who you are, the gifts that you have and what's special about you? What about you do you think attracts people to you? People that want to be friends with you, people that want to learn from you, people that are interested in you, sharing the gifts that you have with them. So just be aware that the more that you are fully present in your interactions, the better off your interpersonal relationships will be.
Speaker 1:
So mindfulness is really been a topic and a subject that many people are talking about, so why do you think that is it's gaining so much attention? Studies have shown that mindfulness practice can lead to reduce stress, improved focus and better emotional well being. So that is why people are starting to see the vast benefit of being mindful, even when it comes to our breathing. Mindful breathing is a wonderful way to center ourselves. So you take a deep breath and as you exhale, you notice the sensation of the breath and then you let the breath return to its normal rhythm and with each inhale and exhale you bring your awareness to the present moment. But mindfulness is not just about sitting on our thoughts. It is also about incorporating awareness into our activities, whether it's mindful eating, walking or even driving. It is the key to being fully engaged in that experience.
Speaker 1:
You know, I want to talk about kids for a minute. When we Forget about what's important to our kids, we are really doing them a disservice. Being mindful when it comes to interacting with our kids is being fully present. You're not on your cell phone, you're not thinking about something else, but you are right there in the moment with that child so that when they share how their day went, you're listening actively and you can respond in such a way that shows that child how much you care about what is going on in their life. If they wanted to bring some cupcakes to their class. Those cupcakes are the most important thing in their world and it might seem so small to you, but when you are mindful and you have emotional intelligence at play, then you realize how very important those cupcakes are.
Speaker 1:
So be mindful and remember that when you are mindful you are more intentional, you are more purposeful and you have more heightened awareness. So you can even start small by gradually increasing the activities that you perform with your breathing. You can start out 10 minutes a day doing the deep breathing, the inhaling and the exhaling, and then you can move on gradually to where you're doing it more. You can simply have mindful moments where every single day, you just sit quietly and you just listen. There may be nothing to listen to, but you're quieting your mind so that you can get to a place where you can really hear and listen to your deep thoughts.
Speaker 1:
Listening to music is also a great way for you to practice the activities that are going to keep your mind in a positive place. Jazz music and classical music are two types of music that are really going to help you to feel content and to feel at ease, and that's really what mindfulness is all about. It's about feeling at ease. It's about being present in the moment. It's about being proactive when it comes to reducing anxiety, because when someone suffers with depression, anxiety usually also plays a role. So when you're able to practice mindfulness, it's going to definitely help your anxiety because it reduces stress, and we know that when we suffer with anxiety, we are putting a lot of stress and strain on our body and stress can lead to a very serious medical condition. So today we're talking about mindfulness and we're talking about how important it is to be consistent in your mindfulness, to now incorporate that into your everyday practice and you will integrate mindfulness every single day and you will see, similar to yoga, how your mind will be in such a better state and place. So when you want to reduce your symptoms of depression and you want to reduce your symptoms of anxiety or the times when you feel your chest tightening you feel like your heart is just beating twice as fast Start with the short breaths, breathing in, pausing and breathing out, and you're going to get to that place, to where you will have less and less episodes of anxiety. So I encourage you in your everyday practice, be mindful.
Speaker 1:
Never want to end my podcast episode without thanking you so very much for listening. I am so excited about what 2024 will bring. We are growing on TikTok, so I encourage you to find the win over depression TikTok page. It is awesome. We've also started a brand new community called the win over depression community. That can be found on Facebook, so I hope that you will come and join us. We will have webinars, we will share experiences, we will learn together, grow together. It's gonna be a fantastic time.
Speaker 1:
In addition, you can reach me on LinkedIn. You can reach one over depression on Twitter and Tumblr, as well as Pinterest. You can find us on Pinterest at TT Mental Health Expert. Thank you for being the best part of win over depression. I would not be able to make it if it wasn't for my faithful viewers. If you would like to become a patron of win over depression, you can go to wwwpateroncom. Backslash to Maritrotter. That's TAMERA, last name Trotter T-R-O-T-T-E-R. As little as five to ten dollars per month will help us to spread our message Even further. Thank you again and I will see you next time on Win Over Depression. Take care, my friends.