Whether you’re working from home or trying to keep the kids busy, take a break and give some of these soothing mindfulness remedies a go.
Meditate with others
The Samye Foundation are a mindfulness training centre based in Cardiff, and they’re offering free online meditation sessions for those of us (i.e. everyone) who really need it. Just head over to their website and sign up to their newsletter and you’ll be sent more information.
Pop on a playlist
This relaxing playlist has been continuously streaming on YouTube since 2015 meaning this girl has been studying for her exams for about five years now. She seems pretty relaxed too, so maybe you should give it a try.
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Noisli is a free app you can use on your phone and computer. It’s the ultimate background noise generator because it allows you to build your own soundscapes, so you could be on a train shuttling through a forest or sat in a café by a waterfall, all while sat on the sofa. If we can’t actually leave the house, we can at least trick ourselves into believing we have.
Take a break from your feed
Lately it’s been particularly difficult to stop scrolling through social media at all times of day. To combat this, I downloaded an app called Forest which guilts you into staying off your phone by having you plant a virtual tree. You set a timer for how long you want to stay off your phone and if you look at it before time is up your tree could die! So, the stakes are pretty high on this one. They have a similar app called SleepTown if you find yourself scrolling through Twitter into the early hours.
And if you can’t drag yourself away from your phone for that long, at least scroll through some good news courtesy of the Good News Network. The website is crammed with heart-warming and inspiring stories about everything from heroic bikers to anonymous love letters, and Wales even gets a mention in one of their top stories!
Try something new
Now is the perfect time to start using up all those free trials on offer! Audible offer a 30-day free trial and costs £7.99 a month after that, which isn’t too bad considering how many books you could get through in the coming weeks. Their library also boasts an impressive a cast of narrators like Matthew McConaughey and Stephen Fry. If you’re looking for one to start you off, Matt Haig’s novel Notes On A Nervous Planet seems fitting.
Smiling Mind is a free app developed by an Australian not-for-profit group to help people manage and ease their anxiety. They have meditations, breathing exercises, sleep-aids and even activities for kids! There are many other mindfulness apps offering more of their services for free at the moment, including Insight Timer, Calm, and Headspace.
A bit of exercise can also work wonders for making you feel like yourself again, so check out our tips for staying active when you’re stuck inside.
words ELIN EVANS photo UNSPLASH