Showing up for Yourself by Increasing Mindfulness

In my profession, I often encounter individuals with acquired disabilities who experience isolation and loss of self-identity after an accident or life-changing diagnosis. Perhaps you are initially told that you are unable to participate in certain hobbies for a period of time, activities that made you, “you”. Or maybe you enjoyed having conversations and time together with friends and family, but now are concerned about changes in your speech; keeping up with changes in topic; or you simply find the whole interactive process too overwhelming. 

These experiences and onset of new emotions are further exacerbated by the physical distance inflicted upon us by the current pandemic. So how do you get out of that hole?

Getting back into the steady flow of life following an injury or new diagnosis can take time - it’s a life-long process that ebbs and flows. A large part of that process is dependent upon you being open to developing a sense of awareness and introspection about what you need at certain times in order to show up for yourself when it counts. Doing so doesn’t necessarily “fix” your challenges, but it allows you to view them - and perhaps encounter them - differently than you have before. 

One way that I have been trying to support the needs of the individuals I work with is by incorporating mindfulness into daily routines. Mindfulness is essentially the practice of being present in the moment. We often go about daily life trying to get tasks done and worrying about factors outside of our control. Before you know it, you’re on autopilot from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Or maybe it’s the opposite for you - you are existing, but are not really experiencing or engaging in your life because you feel as if you can’t or don’t want to. 

As with everything else in life, you need balance. To overextend yourself or retreat from life’s activities can both lead to disengagement with the things you love. Here are some activities that I have suggested to others - and have used myself - to work on being more mindful and present. Remember, practice increases your comfort level, especially when attempting activities that are new and unfamiliar. Tweak these ideas as you see fit. Mindfulness is not one-size fits all!

• Set intentions, not goals: There is a time and place for goals. Goals allow you to start at a certain baseline performance and monitor changes for improvement. As a speech-language pathologist, I utilize goals daily to work with individuals on different communicative or cognitive needs. The challenge with goals in daily life though is that you can either meet them or fall below your expectations, the latter which can be very difficult for some to accept. With intentions, you are setting statements in place that describe how you would like to show up in your life, as if those statements were already true. For example, let’s say you are in speech therapy to work on increasing the clarity of your speech following a stroke. You were a highly expressive person before, talking to any and everyone you meet. Now, you are aware that communication is still possible, but a bit harder because it’s more challenging to make yourself understood. Instead of focusing on the goal of improving speech, you can set a more holistic intention such as “I am a communicator” or “I am social”. Doing so alleviates the stress from focusing on improvement and places more energy on actually being present in communicative exchanges, which can include so many more factors than just being verbally expressive (i.e., body language, gestures, facial expressions, written language, reference to visuals/pictures, and much more).
  
• Gratitude Journaling: I think by now most of us have heard about the benefits of regularly jotting down what you are grateful for. It helps support how you reflect on what is truly important in your life. I like to add another layer to gratitude journaling and include specific details about WHY I am grateful. This allows you to think more deeply about how people or particular situations show up in your life and their impact on it. Instead of just saying “I’m grateful for my family” perhaps you can expand that thought by stating “I’m grateful that my friends are finally understanding I need more time to process information” or “I’m grateful that my children are letting me advocate for myself”. If writing is a challenge, consider typing, texting, or even keeping a visual account of grateful moments (like a photo album or collection of items). 
  
• Let Loose - On Paper: Give yourself about 5 minutes in your day to sit down alone with a piece of paper, pen or pencil. Draw, doodle, or write whatever comes to your mind; it does not need to make sense! Think of this task as kind of like a mind dump - as things come to you, just let them flow. You may end up releasing thoughts and feelings that they didn’t realize were there. For some, they like to keep their writings for later reflection. For others, there is satisfaction in tossing (or recycling!) their sheet once they are done, to clearly symbolize a clean slate and clear mind. 
  

How do you intend to show up for yourself this year? Let CSL know if you are using any of these mindfulness tips, or share your own. Leave a comment below!