In our western culture, taking a stride toward mental health can be complicated. We forget to make time for ourselves and can get tripped up in hurdles life throws at us. Work, school and self-care can all be hard to juggle, especially when it comes to figuring out what to prioritize.
I for one, am still trying to figure out the steps of self-care as well as finding time to do my schoolwork on top of everything else. I like to think I am not alone. We are all busy, if not busier than the last time we checked in with ourselves.
Mindfulness and meditation can offer many benefits. Meditation can reduce stress, help increase focus, reduce blood pressure, improve sleep and so on. Taking care of mental health can lead to physical well-being.
Although we know that taking care of ourselves can have so many advantages, it is something that we skip out on regularly.
The number one excuse for skipping out on mindfulness is that it’s hard to find time for it. It’s understandable. Life gets in the way whenever the opportunity presents itselfLuckily for University of Idaho students and Moscow residents, there are so many resources available for mental wellness.
Mindfulness, meditation and yoga classes can be taken at UI. For non- students, there is yoga, meditation
and mindfulness classes outside of the university. This opens a new world of opportunities for many people to explore their mindfulness path.
For me, Psyc 403 Mindfulness and Wellbeing, a class at the university, opened up a new way of living with the result
of becoming more mindful. Practicing meditation gave me an outlet to relieve stress caused by life as a student. I also started noticing more and became more grateful.
I started to see all sorts of meditation classes in Moscow inside and outside
of the university. I noticed how many activities I could incorporate into my dailylife without making time for mindfulness. Taking a Moscow minute, focusing on the breath can increase our wellbeing.
Something as small as the Moscow minute can make a big impact on our
day, imagine what taking a big stride toward mindfulness can do. With
weekly mindfulness walk-ins with Dr. Jamie Derrick, yoga classes outside the university in Kula Yoga, the Yoga Center, Yoga in Harmony and many other studios, there is no excuse to not dip our toes into mindfulness. With so many benefits it can offer, why don’t we try to incorporate self- care and mindfulness into our lives?
Emily Pearce can be reach at [email protected].