01962 854971
Become a member

Login
  • About
    • Who we are
    • Team
    • Trustees
  • What we do
    • Guiding and representing you
    • Training and development support
    • Research and engagement expertise
    • Social enterprise expertise
    • Community buildings expertise
    • Policy and information sharing
    • Hampshire Homes Hub – community housing expertise
    • Jobs & Volunteering
    • Room & Desk Hire
    • Projects
  • Case Studies
  • News
    • News, Blogs & Events
  • Contact
  • Become a member

Blogs

Home / News, Blogs & Events / Blogs / Mindfulness – what is it and does it actually make a difference?

Filter by:

  • What we do
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Information

Mindfulness – what is it and does it actually make a difference?

Blog by our Office Manager, Rosie Taylor

Mindfulness – it’s a word that’s bandied around a lot these days, isn’t it? Mindful walking, mindful eating, mindful cleaning; you name it; it seems any activity can be done mindfully.

But what is it and does it actually make a difference?

Since the beginning of the first lockdown in March last year, I’ve reduced my hours to 30 a week. Rather than take an extra day off each week, I decided to allow myself the luxury of a bit more time in the morning and finish a bit earlier in the afternoon every day. Not being much of a morning person, I could easily have stayed in bed longer, but instead I decided to do something proactive to look after my mental health (which has its moments!).

I had previously read a helpful book called Ten to Zen by Owen O’Kane, the main premise of which is to set aside 10 minutes every day to do a sort of ‘mental workout’, the theory being that we do exercise to look after our bodies, so why not do the same for our minds. It outlines the different things to do with each of the 10 minutes, e.g. imagining being in a peaceful place, focusing on the breath, challenging unhelpful thoughts and some mindfulness. So with my new found time in the morning, I set about putting this into practice. I actually did it for quite a few months and found it helpful and calming. The problem was, I never managed to stick to 10 minutes – I’d get so carried away imagining myself in a lovely rose garden that the whole exercise became more like half an hour! Other than keep looking at a clock (which seemed to defeat the object!) there were no other clues to help me keep to time. Then a friend told me about the Headspace app which has a whole host of guided mindfulness meditations, which you can do for varying lengths of time, e.g. 10, 15 or 20 minutes and which help you learn to learn the skill of ‘being fully in the present and engaged in the moment, aware of your thoughts or feelings, without distraction or judgement.’

The basic idea is to focus on your breathing and if you get distracted by thoughts and feelings, to acknowledge them and let them go, returning to the breath every time. Doing this creates space between you and your thoughts, meaning you’re not so caught up in them. It sounds really simple but it’s actually quite hard. I decided to sign up (you get a free trial but then you have to pay – I paid £50 for an annual subscription) and have now been doing a 10 minute meditation most mornings for approximately 6 months. There are lots of courses you can do – I started off doing the ‘basics’ course, then went onto ‘managing anxiety’ and am now doing ‘self-esteem’. Andy Puddicombe, who created Headspace and a lot of the meditations on the app, has a very calming voice (but not in an annoying way!), and talks a little at the beginning and end of each session about how to incorporate mindfulness into everyday life, which I find really helpful.

So what are my thoughts on mindfulness six months on?

I find doing timed guided meditations gives me a clear focus and I definitely feel calmer quite a lot of the time and am learning not to take unhelpful thoughts so seriously. I do still get very easily distracted by thoughts though during the meditations – especially what I need to do for work! However, I think the key thing for me has been prioritising time to look after my mind, something I’ve not really done before. And that has made all the difference.

NB. You absolutely don’t need to pay to do mindfulness! Mind has some useful resources here and there is also some information on the NHS website.

Share this page

Author
Rosie Taylor

Published
12.05.21

Contact us

24.05.22
Blogs
Hampshire to get £566,000 funding to tackle loneliness with transport
View Blogs
11.05.22
Blogs
Loneliness and Mental Health
View Blogs
25.04.22
Blogs
10 Stories from the Sector
View Blogs
14.04.22
Blogs
Has Covid ‘devastated’ Hampshire’s VCSE sector? Or has the impact been ‘minimal’?
View Blogs

Newsletter sign up

By signing up to this mailing list you are consenting to receive our bulletin which contains latest news, topics from our online forum and promotes our member of the month. This information is sent out on the 1st and 15th of every month.

  • DD slash MM slash YYYY
  • Pamber parish council were really pleased with the support provided by Action Hampshire’s Rural Housing Enabler helping us through the development process. It was a good experience.

    Chris Goss, Pamber Parish Council
  • Action Hampshire has always been a useful font of information for us at Winchester Churches Nightshelter. Sue has always been really helpful, and I do find the updates from the ‘wider’ world to be of interest.

    Michèle Price, Winchester Churches Nightshelter
  • Having Action Hampshire as a point of reference, support and guidance is invaluable for small to medium sized charities like ourselves. Without them, we would be far less connected and less able to serve our beneficiaries in a meaningful and coordinated way.

    Juno Hollyhock, The Rose Road Association
  • I have found Action Hampshire to be truly innovative and forward thinking in their approach to their work and their passion for the voluntary and community sector is easily measured through their work to help improve the lives of all sections of the community.

    Grant Cornwell, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation
  • Action Hampshire are the most fantastic organisation and it has been a pleasure to collaborate with them. They are very positive and easy to work with, from Rachel’s warmth on the front desk all the way up to Sue’s vast knowledge and experience on the top floor.

    George Scott-Welsh, IncuHive

Become a member

Everything we do at Action Hampshire is in support of our amazing members. Join us today and access a membership package to suit your organisation, tailored to meet your needs and the needs of the people and communities you serve.

Become a member

Sign up to our newsletter

Find out what's happening at Action Hampshire
and how you can get involved

Sign up

Find us

Westgate Chambers
Staple Gardens
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 8SR

01962 854971

Get directions

Quick links

  • Membership sign up
  • What we offer
  • Contact us

Site

  • Site map
  • Privacy policy
  • Accessibility
  • Terms of use
  • Terms of business for membership

© Copyright 2022 Community Action Hampshire

Community Action Hampshire (trading as Action Hampshire and Action Portsmouth) is registered in England and Wales as a charity (no. 1053806) and a company limited by guarantee (no. 3162873)