mindfulness

Mindfulness matters

July 20th, 2023 by The Hello Doctor Team

Mindfulness has gained significant popularity for good reason: its numerous benefits. What makes it even more appealing is its simplicity and accessibility. It is a low-cost practice that can be easily implemented anywhere, requiring only your time and commitment. However, like any new habit, embracing mindfulness can sometimes feel overwhelming.

To help you get started, here are exercises for you to try. These exercises and activities are designed to assist you in incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine and reaping its rewards. Simply click here to access them and begin your journey towards a more mindful and balanced life.

Make mindfulness your superpower this winter

August 1st, 2022 by The Hello Doctor Team

Off to work while it’s pitch dark and freezing cold? Cooped up inside when you’d rather be enjoying the fresh air? Suffering from serious braai deprivation? This time of year, as we are waiting for spring, can easily leave us with the ‘winter blues’ or even seasonal affective disorder (SAD) associated with low light levels. It can leave us longing for that first sparkling ray of spring sunshine.

But, before wishing winter away, what if you could achieve that spring-time high by mindfully ‘living in the now’? While some may dismiss mindfulness as not having any value in their life, it may actually be a superpower for dealing with stress.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness has hit the mainstream with good reason. What exactly is it and how do you access it? Defined as awareness, cultivated by purposefully paying attention in the present moment with an attitude of non-judgement, kindness, and curiosity, it is essentially a way of achieving inner balance.

Mindfulness is not about sitting cross-legged or in a yoga pose for hours surrounded by clouds of incense. You can start with short meditation sessions, one moment at a time, and slowly extend the duration.

How to become mindful

Just breathe. Belly-breathing (where your tummy expands and your upper chest and shoulders lift ever so slightly), is especially crucial to get enough oxygen into your body. Most of us tend to only breath into the top portion of our lungs. Breathing mindfully and correctly actually boosts concentration and reduces fatigue.

Use your senses. A simple way to get started is with daily habits. So, next time you make a cup of your favourite hot beverage, take notice of everything – reaching for the cups, the sound of coffee granules rattling in the tin, the water boiling in the kettle, the aroma rising with the steam (and remember to breathe.) Now you’re doing it: you are mindfully making your coffee. That’s really all there is to it – and you can expand it to other activities in your life.

Be present. In a way our everyday experience is pretty much characterised by not being where we are. At work we fantasise about holidays; but when we’re away, we worry about work. We’re not appreciating the moment. While there’s nothing wrong with a bit of daydreaming, it’s important to acknowledge where we are right now. So back to the coffee-making; once you’ve started mindfully preparing it, begin focusing on appreciating everything about that moment – those few minutes in the day when you are exactly where you’re meant to be.

Observe, don’t judge. Many thoughts and sensations may pass through your mind. Just accept that thoughts will be there and, like the water pouring from the kettle, allow them to flow without judgement.

Resources to help you on your mindfulness journey

When you’re on the mindfulness journey, any exercise is invaluable. Physical activity helps you cope with stress and mental illnesses. Try to exercise without music and pay attention to each movement – listen to your heartbeat and feel your breath moving in and out.
Read the book ‘ How To Stay Sane In An Insane World’ by Helen Nicholson, which teaches you a better way to live so that you feel mindful and productive.
Watch this TEDx Talk on how mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains by professor of psychology and psychiatry, Prof. Richard J Davidson.
Download Headspace, a mobile app that helps you meditate, catch your breath, relax your mind and make every day happier.

There is evidence that there is a strong connection between breath-centred practices and a steadiness of mind. So, while the cold weather may be getting your down, bring all your senses to your meal, drink or surroundings. Take in the temperatures, scents and textures around you. Slow down each moment, breathe in and be fully attentive.

References

Centre for Mindfulness Studies
Institute for Mindfulness South Africa (IMISA)
Trinity College Dublin

August 1st, 2022 by The Hello Doctor Team

Don’t dismiss it as funky fad; it is a scientifically proven superpower

Take it on!

So, you want to get started with mindfulness but are confused with all the different apps. Here is an article where the authors focused on taking the overwhelm out of finding the most valuable and easy-to-use mindfulness apps. They narrowed the options down to these five apps – and they are free.

CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT SUITES YOU BEST: https://www.mindful.org/free-mindfulness-apps-worthy-of-your-attention/

The power of self-compassion

June 24th, 2022 by The Hello Doctor Team

A good friend phones to tell you they have lost their job. Would you say: “Of course you did. You’re lazy, stupid and not good enough”? Certainly not. You would probably say something like: “I’m sorry, that’s awful. But you weren’t happy there and now you’re free to find something you like. And you have some amazing skills, you’ll find something suitable soon.”

Yet, if you were in the same position yourself, you might be more likely to beat yourself up, saying things to yourself you would not say to a friend. We can be unkind to ourselves, and it undermines our ability to be happy.

Show some kindness

When you constantly criticise yourself, you develop unwholesome thinking patterns that can hold you back – a fear of failure, toxic perfectionism and self-loathing are common examples. The antidote is self-compassion.

Though it may sound like self-pity, or even selfishness, it is quite the opposite. A self-pitying outlook means thinking of yourself as a victim, while self-compassion is the recognition that everyone struggles, and that we all do make mistakes, and that it’s okay.

It’s also very different from a false sense of self-esteem. That is an egocentric outlook, often involving a lot of self-judgement when you falter or fall short. This superficial sense of self-esteem tends to soar when things are going well, but crumbles when we fail. Self-compassion, on the other hand, allows you to respond to your failures with kindness and to pick yourself up and try again. With self-compassion, you hold an enabling attitude to your life.

This does not mean giving up when things don’t work. With the enabling approaches of acceptance and reassurance, you can still act to change things for the better. Self-criticism, especially coupled to perfectionism, has the opposite and is therefore rather crippling.

In essence, self-compassion means giving yourself the understanding and support you give your loved ones. It allows you to build yourself up to newer, happier heights.

The positive effects of self-compassion

Lowered anxiety

Self-compassion helps you worry less because it enables you put things in perspective. Seeing yourself as simply being human, but with the capacity to learn from your mistakes, will help you view any problem more objectively.

Lowered fear of failure

We tend to think that we won’t achieve our goals unless we’re very hard on ourselves. But this self-criticism undermines self-belief and leads to fear of failure. Self-compassion, on the other hand, stops you running yourself down if you make a mistake, so you’re not afraid to make mistakes and experiment.

Swopping self-esteem for inner strength

A false sense of self-esteem often involves judgement – telling yourself you’re a good person, or not. At the extreme it can feel that nothing you do is good enough. Self-compassion is not about judging, but about being kind and supportive to yourself, thereby building inner strength.

Less burnout

When your total focus tends to be about giving to others, with the risk of neglecting your own real needs, you can easily get burned out. With self-compassion you give yourself permission to take time-out needed. This also helps you maintain a friendlier attitude to others in the long run.

Compassion for others

When we have compassion for ourselves, it’s easier for us to have compassion for others.

How to start

When you’ve spent years being your own worst critic, things aren’t likely to change simply because you’ve decided they must – it takes purposeful practice. So, wondering where to start? Pay some attention to the following:

Mindfulness – viewing situations without judgment and instead just observing them calmly
Meditation – aimed at self-compassion: focusing on thoughts like ‘May I have joy in …’
Awareness – observing your thoughts to recognise when your inner critic is at work, counteracting those thoughts with kinder phrases.

Developing self-compassion takes practice. If you do this regularly in your everyday life, self-compassion will become a habit. Then, when you suffer some setback and you need it, your inner kindness will come more naturally.

References

Greater Good Magazine
lifehack.org
self-compassion.org

What we can learn from our Super Heroes

February 25th, 2021 by The Hello Doctor Team

“With great power, comes great responsibility…” Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man

Whether or not you like superhero movies, there is a good reason why they are so popular: Even though the likes of Wonder Woman, Batman and Thor are larger-than-life characters, these superheroes essentially go through similar challenges we do. Spiderman suffers loss, suddenly has more power than what he ever wanted or dreamed of, and has to confront what this means to him. In his story, we see some of our own struggles reflected, and it inspires us to think differently about our lives:

“What do I do with this power I’ve been given?”

“How do I contribute not only to myself, and my family, but to humanity at large?”

“Can I live with my conscience, if I don’t somehow give back?”

“How much can I expect of myself?”

These are all questions we need to navigate daily as we make our way through the world. And although these are tough questions to ask, they open up incredible opportunities to live meaningful, fulfilling lives.

Reframing responsibility

Do you remember those days when food just appeared on your table, your house was given to you and you didn’t have to think about bills at all? Your biggest responsibilities were to brush your teeth, eat your veggies and get to bed on time. Oh, what it would be to be 5 years old again!

As adults, our responsibilities can get to the point where we feel trapped / weighed down by them. All the cares of the world, the people who depend on us and expectations of our peers can create a lot of strain. How, then, do we take up our responsibilities as citizens of the world, without buckling under the weight of them?

Ironically, when we were kids, we played dress-up games, wearing mom’s shoes, and pretending we were grown up. “If only I could be big and strong, then I can make any decisions I want!” As adults, you may be wishing you could be a carefree child again!

Responsibility doesn’t have to be a burden. In fact, if we break the word down, we see:

Responsibility = response-ability = the ability to respond.

As an adult, you have the ability to respond to life’s demands. As a 5-year old, you may have felt more carefree, but you also had less power. You had less options, you were vulnerable in the world, and you didn’t have the amount of choices and freedoms you have now.

The degree of your responsibilities reflect the degree of your power: if you decide to harness that!

Are you responsive, or reactive?

To harness this power requires skill. Just like our superheroes, we need to train and hone our powers, so we can create the changes we wish to see in the world.

When you are faced with a difficult decision, do you react in old, unhelpful ways
Do you go onto social media to numb out from your responsibilities?
Do you blame and complain about how wrong things are in the world?
Do you get emotionally worked up, and lash out at your loved ones?
Do you collapse into depression, completely overwhelmed with your life’s demands?

It is possible to train ourselves out of these victimising mind-sets, so we are more available and responsive to the world around us. To do this, we need to practice slowing down.

The next time something happens that triggers you to be negative, slow down, take a breath, and check-in with yourself:

“How do I want to respond to this situation?”

The more we allow ourselves to feel into, and trust our ability to respond, the more able we will be to meet life’s demands.

A simple practice:

Focused, mindfulness meditation practices can be very useful to help train your mind to become less reactive. In time, you will be cooler under pressure, make smarter decisions and even improve your relationships

Know your limits

A superhero is not complete without some vulnerability. In every movie, Spider Man has to confront his own limitations. He has to recognise that, even with the superpowers, he is not all-powerful.

How often do you stop to admit your own limitations, and set some boundaries? Maybe your boss asks you to work longer hours than you’re comfortable with, but you keep saying yes. Maybe your new partner wants you to move in with them, but you don’t know if you’re ready.

Responsibility is not just about doing more, but also about knowing when to do less. Every time we say ‘yes’ to something, we say ‘no’ to something else.

A simple practice

List all your responsibilities on a sheet of paper.
Organise your responsibilities from most important to least important.
When you’re confronted with choosing one thing over another, check with yourself: which of these are more important to me? Remember: by saying ‘yes’, you are already saying ‘no’: make sure you choose wisely!

Conclusion:

Some days, you may feel like you’re Super Girl. Other days, you may be dragging your feet out of bed. Just give yourself permission to face what you can today, and develop trust that what you do – however small – matters.

“You’re going to make a difference. A lot of times it won’t be huge, it won’t be visible even. But it will matter just the same.” – James Gordon

Why boredom is good for you

August 31st, 2020 by The Hello Doctor Team

There’s something to do, even when there’s nothing to do.

We’re all busy and constantly on the go; so, it’s a strange experience when you’re suddenly at a loose end with nothing on your list. And, with most of us stuck in our homes this year, we either find ourselves panicking about the state of the world. or bored out of our skulls.

Strange as it might seem, boredom has wonderful benefits for your wellbeing. Cindy Strydom, a clinical psychologist based in Johannesburg explains:

Why do we get bored?

Boredom describes a state of “down time” or mot being preoccupied at a specific moment in time. As a society, we have come to celebrate and promote “busyness” and frown upon a state of not being preoccupied or engaging in down time. If you think about your interactions with others, we tend to wear the fact that we are busy as some form of trophy of importance. We also associate being busy with being productive.

Why do people consider this a bad thing?

In the same breath, we shun the idea of being unproductive, or our concept of boredom. We’ve been conditioned to think this way since childhood. We’ve been told in many shapes and forms that boredom is a bad thing and we should keep busy. To an extent, this is understandable because boredom may be directed into destructive behaviours and actions rather than constructive ones.

As human beings, we’re designed to get bored when we’re not stimulated or preoccupied. The period of being bored should serve as a time to regroup our senses, thoughts and ideas. Unfortunately, because of our societal concept of boredom and the celebration of being busy, we tend to create a life of being “on” all the time, which creates anxieties and burnouts.

The benefits of boredom

Boredom allows us to re-experience our environment, to think out of the box, to be creative and process information differently than we may when we’re busy. Being ‘un-preoccupied’ also allows us to problem-solve, without the urgency of deadlines and other demands. It allows us time to reflect and process events and emotions in our lives, which is considered healthy from a psychological perspective.

More life, less listlessness

Allow yourself time to be bored, structure “boredom” and have moments that are unplanned.

Try out meditation and mindfulness exercises.
Learn how to breathe deeply. Big, deep calming breaths can send you into a relaxed trance-like state.
Let your mind wander aimlessly from thought to thought. If something strikes you as interesting or bizarre, write it down.
Spend time in nature, taking walks, playing in the ocean and so on.
Disengage from life and engage with yourself. This includes switching off your phone!

References:

https://www.crs-med.co.za/

Struggling with a stutter? Here’s what you can do.

February 20th, 2020 by The Hello Doctor Team

Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder where there’s an interruption of the normal flow of speech. A stutter can take on many different patterns.

Usually, the disorder involves either saying a string of repeated sounds or making abnormal pauses during speech.

People who stutter may have the following types of disfluencies:

Blocks: When you have a hard time getting a word out, you may pause for a long time or not be able to make a sound like “I want a …… biscuit.”

Prolongations: You may stretch a sound out for a long time, like biiiiiiiiiiiscuit.

Repetitions: You may repeat parts of words, like bi-bi-bi-biscuit.

Why does this happen?

Stuttering usually starts between two and six years old. Many children go through normal periods of disfluency lasting less than six months. Stuttering lasting longer than this may need treatment.
Factors that causes stuttering include:

Family history: Many people who stutter have a family member who also stutters.
Brain differences: People who stutter may have small differences in the way the brain works during speech.
Gender: Boys are more likely to stutter than girls.
Family recovery patterns: Children with family members who stopped stuttering are more likely to stop as well.
Mood and temperament: If a child stutters, mood and temperament may lead to further stuttering. Frustration or tension can cause more disfluency. Being excited or feeling rushed can make stuttering worse. A person may also stutter more if other people tease them or bring attention to their speech.
Triggers: Some life events may “trigger” stuttering. A child may start to stutter when he learns several new words quickly. He may be able to say one or two words fluently, but may stutter when using longer sentences.

Stuttering signs

Repeating a sound (“c-c-c-cat”), a syllable (“ad-ad-ad-advice”), a whole word or a phrase.
Stretching out a sound (“r—-ound”) or a syllable (“ta——-ble”)
Long pauses or hesitations in the normal flow of speech.
Rushed sentences or phrases.

Physical signs that a child is struggling to “force out” words, include grimaces, tight facial muscles, quivering (tremors) around the mouth and eye blinking.

Manage your stutter

While there’s no instant cure for stuttering, certain situations like stress, fatigue, or pressure can worsen it. In addition to managing these situations, you could also try these techniques:

Practice speaking slowly
Speaking slowly and deliberately can reduce stress and the symptoms of a stutter. Also add a brief pause between phrases and sentences to help slow down speech.
Avoid trigger words
Avoid specific words that lead to stuttering. Find alternatives instead.
Try mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress which can help decrease stuttering. Join a meditation class, download an app or watch videos online.

Treatment for stuttering

Consult a speech-language pathologist to help you or your child with skills, strategies, and behaviours to improve oral communication.

References

Practise breathing to improve your health

January 23rd, 2019 by The Hello Doctor Team

Breathing is an automatic process driven by the part of your brain that controls other life-sustaining functions like your heartbeat and sleeping patterns.

Learning to breathe correctly can benefit your immune system by optimising oxygenation; the addition of oxygen in your body. It can also help to lower your blood pressure, reduce stress and balance your nervous system.

By paying careful attention to your breathing and breathing at a different pace, it is possible to engage different parts of the brain.

Controlled breathing

A 2017 study found that controlling your breathing calms your brain. Researchers stumbled on the neural circuit in the brainstem that appears to play the key role in the breathing-brain control connection.

This circuit is part of the brain’s “breathing pacemaker” as it can be adjusted by altering breathing rhythm. Slow, controlled breathing decreases activity in the circuit. Fast, erratic breathing increases activity, which, in turn, spurs on extreme emotions.

Controlled breathing exercises like the 4-7-8 method can help regulate the circuit. The numbers in the name 4-7-8 refer to the time taken breathing in (4 counts), holding your breath (7 counts) and exhaling (8 counts). Breathing techniques like these help you tap into your body’s natural relaxation response to help reduce stress and enhance wellness.

Take a deep breath

Thanks to Dr Andrew Weil, a Harvard-trained medical doctor, who developed the 4-7-8 breathing pattern; the pattern can give your organs and tissues a much-needed oxygen boost. Do it often enough, and it’s possible that this technique could also start to help your sleeping patterns too.

Breathing and relaxation techniques help you balance and regulate the fight-or-flight response you may feel when you’re stressed.

4-7-8 breathing

To get started with 4-7-8 breathing, find a place to sit or lie down comfortably. It’s important to hold a good posture. If you’re using this technique to fall asleep, it’s best you lie down.

Rest the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, right behind your top front teeth, and keep it there throughout the session.

Do the following steps in the cycle of one breath:

Start by letting your lips part. Make a whooshing sound, exhaling completely through your mouth.
Next, close your lips, and inhale silently through your nose as you count to four in your head.
Hold your breath for seven seconds.
Make another whooshing exhale from your mouth for eight seconds.

When you inhale again, you start a new cycle. Repeat this pattern for four full breaths. The held breath for seven seconds is the most important part of the exercise.

It’s also recommended that you only do 4-7-8 breathing for four breaths when you’re first starting out. Gradually work your way up to eight full breaths.

Other techniques that can help you dial down your stress responses:

Progressive muscle relaxation
Mindfulness meditation
Yoga, tai chi, and Qi Gong
Repetitive prayer
Guided imagery

References:

How mindful eating can make you lose weight

October 8th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

Our fast-paced lives mean we’re always on the move.

And being on the move means we’re usually grabbing quick bites to line the stomach and avoid hunger pangs.

The constant cycle of being on the go and eating what you can, at that moment, isn’t the best eating pattern, nor does it serve any purpose for your health.

Eat smart

Mindful eating is about focusing on the present moment, while acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. According to the Harvard Medical School, this ancient practice can transform the way you think about food and set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating. Increased mindful eating can help you become more in tune with your hunger and satiety, gain awareness of your body, recognise external cues to eat, improve self-compassion, decrease food cravings and problematic eating, and do away with emotional eating and eating as a reward.

Pay attention

When you pay attention to the food you eat, you may indulge less often. Listen to your body, pay attention to hunger and be aware of situations that may lead to eating fuelled by boredom or other emotions. Eating more slowly can also have a powerful effect.

Ask yourself:

Why do I eat?
When do I want to eat?
What do I eat?
How do I eat?
How much do I eat?

Shop smart

Always look out for the health value of every item you add to your basket. Stick to your shopping list and avoid impulsive shopping. Try not to hit the shops when you’re starving – this is a sure-fire way to choose unhealthy stuff!

Feed yourself with your non-dominant hand

Difficult tasks are a great way to force yourself to pay attention to what you’re doing. A simple technique is to force yourself to eat with your non-dominant hand. This might be challenging, so take small steps and try it for breakfast and snacks.

Come to the table with a decent appetite

If you skip meals, you may gobble your food down to fill the void instead of enjoying your food. So, start with a small portion.

Appreciate your eats

Take a minute or two before you start to eat. Express your gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy wholesome food, and the people you’re enjoying it with.

Eat in silence

Remove all distractions and designate the first few minutes of a meal to be quiet and mindful. Put away your cell phone, switch off the TV, and focus on your food. Remember, the point is to enjoy your food until you are satisfied – not until you’ve finished every last crumb!

References:

Treat stress, anxiety and depression with Mindfulness

September 8th, 2017 by The Hello Doctor Team

Maybe someone mentioned mindfulness to you, and you were curious. But then, they said “meditation”, and your eyes glazed over. We get it. Meditation sounds like something that only certain religions, yogis and health-nuts practice. So what does it have to do with science, health and your wellbeing?

What is mindfulness?

Think of your mind as having different ‘states’ of functioning: sleep-state, focus-state, ‘zoning out’-state, creative-state, stress-state, relax-state, and so on. The mindfulness-state is just another state of mind. The reason mindfulness has become so popular recently, is that scientists have discovered that this state of mind can help people cope with stress, anxiety and even depression.

Mindfulness practice is like a training-program for your brain. Just like you can train your body to run better, swim better or to be more flexible, you can train your brain to be more mindful. And, if your brain is more mindful, this can help to calm your mind and body, and cope better with stress, pain or even illness.

How does it work?

Step #1: Pay attention

Try this: put your hand on your tummy, and take 3, deep, slow breaths towards your hand. Feel your belly moving as you breathe. Focus only on this sensation, in this present moment.

Well done! You have just done a short, simple mindfulness practice! You didn’t need to close your eyes, sit in a strange position or chant – all you had to do, was bring your attention to the present moment. This is what mindfulness teaches you: it teaches you to bring your full attention to this moment, and helps your mind to calm down in the process.

Beyond focusing on your breath, you can also focus your attention on what you’re hearing, what you’re feeling in your body or even the scents in the room. The purpose is to pay attention to your emotions, your thoughts , your environment and the way your body feels right now.

Step #2: Don’t judge!

The next part of mindfulness is to just notice things: and not immediately judge it. For instance, while you did the first breathing exercise, you may have been thinking: “Am I doing it right?” or “This is really stupid.” Your mind is in the judgement-state, and that’s okay: we need to know how to judge good and bad, dangerous and safe – it helps us navigate the challenges of life. However, the mindfulness-state is a state of mind where you practice acceptance, not judgement. And it can be quite a difficult thing to learn!

Step #3: Try it!

There are a ton of mindfulness apps out there that you can try. We particularly like the headspace-app, since they show you how simple this practice can be, without making it weird.

If you just want to try being mindful without any assistance, here’s something you can do:

Exercise 1:

Go outside. Take a few, deep breaths. Pay attention to your breath.
Notice what the air feels like on your skin: is it hot or cold? Is there a breeze, or is it wind-free? Is it humid or dry?
Shift your attention to the sights: what do you notice? Notice things that are close, and things that are far away. Be curious: what have you not noticed in the environment before? Are you starting to think and make judgements? That’s okay! Just notice your thoughts, and bring your attention back to noticing the environment: What plants do you see? What are their colors? What are the shapes? Just continue noticing them.

Exercise 2:

Have lunch by yourself, in a quiet environment. Only pay attention to your meal: smell the food. Notice all the different scents, before you take a bite, When you take a bite, chew slowly, and pay attention to the taste, the texture, the temperature. If your mind starts running off to think about work or life, just notice it, and bring your attention back to your food. Savour each bite, and experience the taste on multiple levels.

This may be very difficult at first: You may find it hard to focus your attention on just one thing at a time, but that is exactly why it’s so important to practice! It’s just like when you go to gym for the first time: the exercises are difficult, until your body learns to adapt, and gets more comfortable with the new movements.

Over time, though, you will find it easier to be mindful, and this will influence your stress-hormones, anxiety-levels and even your general mood. And you don’t need to feel like a weirdo: it’s the most natural thing!

Written by Dr. Albert J. Viljoen

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3679190/
http://www.webmd.com/balance/tc/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-topic-overview#1
https://www.headspace.com/science