‘Flourish with everyday mindfulness’

Have you ever made a cup of tea and have absolutely no recollection of whether you put the sugar in the cup? Driven a normal route home and forgotten to stop for something you had intended to pick up? Or been ‘lost’ for hours in thoughts of something that has happened or is yet to happen? These familiar experiences of operating on ‘auto-pilot’ prevent us all from living our lives fully. Instead, Mindfulness, which involves bringing our conscious attention to the present moment, offers us a powerful way in which to lower stress and anxiety and enjoy the benefits of greatly enhanced mental and physical well-being. In this informative and relaxing workshop we will introduce you to some mindfulness practices that you can begin to incorporate into your daily life straight away. So whether you want to start practising some of the more ‘formal’ meditations or just want some mindfulness tips that you can use on-the-go, we’ll have some practices to suit you.

‘Mindfulness for busy families’

Family life is busy to say the least. Imagine if we were to all write down just some of the daily activities we engage in; from breakfast, to school runs, meal times, after school clubs, work, feeding pets, washing, shopping, homework, dinner and finally bed time (phew), we’d wonder how we fit it all in! Imagine now, that you can push the ‘pause button’ and slow things down. In this informative and fun workshop, we’ll be introducing you to some mindfulness techniques that the whole family can begin using straight away. So for a feel good boost for all the family, come along and find out how your whole family can begin to meet the challenges of daily family life, with a greater sense of well-being, connection, calm, focus and optimism.

‘Bright ideas for enhanced well-being’

The field of positive psychology is jam packed with bright ideas about how we can develop and enhance our personal strengths, feel more engaged and self-fulfilled, thrive (even when faced with disappointments and setbacks) and ultimately live happier lives. In this upbeat and interactive workshop, we will introduce you to many of these key findings and techniques, and discuss the many ways in which you can begin to incorporate these bright ideas into your daily lives. Some of the key ideas we will be presenting include, how to harness the power of; gratitude, acceptance, self-compassion, mindfulness, flow and connection, amongst others.

‘Stop. Breathe. Flourish’ – Practical tips for everyday well-being. 

This upbeat and informative workshop introduces participants to some of the key ideas and techniques from the fields of mindfulness, positive psychology, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), all of which have been shown to enhance personal health, well-being, optimism and happiness. Some of the key ideas we present in this workshop include; exploring the power of our thinking, identifying our metal-health boosters, harnessing the power of mindfulness, taking a look at our ‘wheel of life’, discovering our true potential, and identifying ways to bring about positive changes in our lives. So, why wait until the summer for that ‘feel good’ feeling, when you can flourish now.

Some other workshops that we provide include:

• Wellness at Work
• Understanding anxiety
• Mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy for overcoming depression
• Positive parenting

We will be posting news soon on where you can find a workshop near you.

If you would like any additional information on the tailored workshops that we run, or if you would like to book a workshop for your own community/organisation please call Faye on 086 834 9930.

The Counselling Team

“When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may be just the beginning of a great adventure”.

What a great thought for the day!

I think it’s fair to say that at some point or another, we have all experienced that crushing feeling of ‘not being good enough’. As human beings we have an innate need to be connected to others, and yet our fears of ‘not being good enough’, of not being worthy, disconnect us from others. Driven by the need to escape this fear and shame we can engage in a multitude of unhelpful behaviours such as; striving for perfection, pretending, and of attempting to numb these feelings (which can lead to debt, addiction, medicating ourselves and over-eating). Instead, Brené suggests, in this wonderful TED talk, that we embrace our imperfections - we have the courage to be imperfect.

How do we do this? Well, Brené suggests that;  we practice gratitude for what is, we accept that we are wired for struggle, we show compassion for ourselves as well as for others, and remind ourselves that ‘I am enough’ , we stop pretending, and love with our whole-hearts even though there are no guarantees, and finally, we let ourselves be seen.

The result? We renew and build those powerfully valuable connections to others.

If you recognise yourself in any of the above, as I do, then this TED talk really is worth a watch. As a final thought on this talk, I’m left with the importance of remembering Brené’s wisdom, that  ‘what makes us vulnerable, makes us beautiful’.

This course is a wonderfully interactive parenting course which addresses solutions for common challenges, teaches positive parenting skills and explores ways to strengthen relationships. It involves meeting other parents and provides an opportunity to share experiences and ideas.

For: Parents, guardians and carers of children

Venue: Star of the Sea National School, Sandymount, Dublin 4

Dates: 4 Week Course -Each Wednesday in November, starting this Wednesday the 5th November

Times: 7.30 to 9pm

Cost: €25 / person (please note, places are limited)

For more information or to book a place on this course, or if you would be interested in hosting a similar event in your local area, please contact:
Tricia Pugh:   086 775 0735  or email: tpugh16@hotmail.com or
John Harnett:  087 614 9720  or email: harnettjohn1@gmail.com

If you find that you are constantly running from one task to another; you ‘lose’ hours in thoughts or worries; you are stressed, worried or anxious; or you feel that you simply don’t have the time to achieve the things you want to achieve, then mindfulness is for you!

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness practice simply means bringing our attention to whatever is going on for us at that present moment.  I think we can all relate to losing many precious hours worrying about something that might happen in the future. As Padraig explains in his book, spending vast amounts of energy complaining about our job, or the weather doesn’t stop the rain from falling or make our jobs better, and yet we dedicate so much of our lives lost in these sort of unhelpful thoughts. Instead, Mindfulness helps us to stop losing huge amounts of time and energy arguing against those things we cannot change.

By bringing our attention to the present moment, such as by noticing our breathing, we can take a step out of our unhelpful thoughts or worries and bring ourselves back into the present moment. This offers us the precious gift of a few minutes rest from our usual day to day worries and concerns. It really is that simple! While you are reading this, your thoughts may have drifted off to other things you could/should be doing. To bring yourself back into the present, try placing your attention on your breathing or your posture. (I’ve just done it and noticed that as I’m typing this I’m also thinking about all the other things I still have to do today).

Bringing our attention to the present moment allows us to step our of our busy thoughts and into the real world – it gives us a break from our busy train of repetitive thoughts. If you have noticed your breathing or posture as you’ve read this, then you’re already practicing mindfulness!

The benefits of Mindfulness

As Padraig explains Mindfulness;

• Lowers stress and anxiety
• Helps us to reduce feelings of anger and resentment
• Boosts creativity
• Improves home life
• Helps us to break free of unhelpful thought patterns and worries
• Lowers the risk of depression and of relapse into depression
• Helps us to succeed in sporting activities

I ordered ‘Mindfulness on the Go: Peace in Your Pocket’ from my local bookshop, but you can also order Padraig’s wonderful new book from www.bookdepository.com or from Amazon. In addition to this book, you can also find some of Padraig’s Mindfulness audios by following this link here, or by visiting Padraig’s website: www.padraigomorain.com.

Warmest, 

Faye.

Here is some information from their website about the talk:

“When a family member is ill, children are aware of change and often hear information second-hand from parents and other adults. They may overhear people talking on the phone or in hushed tones in the home. Often, the information that children hear is not accurate and this presents children with additional concerns.

This session will provide clear guidance on talking to children about:

• Living with illness in the family
• Preparing for death and dying
• Funeral plans
• Parental concerns

This talk is particularly relevant to parents, relatives, guardians or concerned adults who care for children touched by illness, loss and death in their family”

Date: 28th April 2014, 7.00 – 8.00pm

Venue: Education & Research Centre, Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services, Harold’s Cross, Dublin 6W.

Padraig, has practiced mindfulness now for over 25 years. As well as being a journalist for the Irish Times, in which he writes a weekly article in Tuesday’s ‘Health & Family’ supplement, Padraig has published a number of books including; ‘ Light Mind – Mindfulness in Daily Living’ and ‘Like A Man – a Guide to Men’s Emotional Well-being’. Padraig is also a counsellor, counselling supervisor, and a lecturer at Institute of Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy in Tallaght.

Mindfulness Days

Padraig runs a series of ‘Mindfulness Days’ across the country. These relaxing courses are a source of information and inspiration for beginners right through to those who already practice mindfulness and would like to deepen their practice and learn some new methods to try out. Mindfulness has been shown to lower anxiety and stress, bring a sense of appreciation to everyday living, interrupt harmful brooding and reduce the effect of distressing or unhelpful thoughts, images and mental scenes. If you would like to find out more about Padraig’s wonderful courses please visit  www.padraigomorain.com .

Brief Mindfulness piece

Body Scan at Move 4Parkinsons

An equanimity practice

Ten minute mindfulness of breathing

Tummy Breathing

The Mountain

Opening to self and others

Well wishing with circle of friends

Mindfulness for people in debt stress

In our upbeat and informative workshop will offer you some great tips on how to bring about and maintain a greater sense of personal well-being, during times of stress and change. In addition to giving you lots of information and tips to take home with you, we’ll also be giving all of those who attend a complimentary Mindfulness CD, by Padraig O’Morain.

Stroke Survivor’s Day, which takes place in Croke Park on Thursday April 10th (10.30am-4pm) is for all who have had a stroke, family members, carers and other interested parties. Registration for the conference is essential – to register please email emorrissey@irishheart.ie or phone Emma-Jane on 01 6685001.

When: Thursday 10 April 2014
Workshop time: 2 -3 pm.
Where: Croke Park
Cost: Free.

Monday 3rd March – Anxiety disorders – Diagnosis and treatment

Monday 10th March – Positive Ageing: A realistic view

Monday 24th March – What is it about modern life that makes us depressed?

Monday 31st March – Insights and helpful hints on managing the impact of Social Media on relationships

Monday 7th April – Motivation and Change: What happens when your sweet tooth says yes and your wisdom tooth says no?

Monday 14th April – Living mindfully in a material world

According to the APA “Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress” .This can be seen as how we react to such life events that can be traumatic or stressful. In 1904, Hall described the teenage years ‘as storm and stress’, with many issues and challenges. In more recent times there are new and different challenges confronting our teenagers. It is important that the teenager is equipped with resilience to help deal with these issues and challenges. Good listening, communication and modelling are three very important components that parents need in order to help build resilience in their teenager.

The good thing about resilience is that it is not a trait, we are not born with it – it can be learnt. Resilience involves behaviours, thoughts and actions that we can learn and develop.

There are a number of different ways that we can help their teenager develop resilience.
1. Connectedness.

Connecting with people whether it is family, friends or communities is an important aspect for building resilience. For the teenager this can be through their friends, club or teams. For teens feeling a sense of belonging is very important to their development. Asking your teens about their friends shows that you care and can also create a space for other conversations.

2.    Self-Confidence.

Encouraging your teen to have a positive view of themselves, along with confidence in their strengths. This can come about by communicating to them what you feel their strengths are and what you feel is good about them. This involves parents observing their children and being mindful of their actions. It is important that we encourage the teenager to identify what they themselves feel are their strengths and what they like about themselves. Praise is another means of building resilience and helps the teenager gain self-confidence. However, praise needs to be descriptive and specific rather than general commenting.

3.    Problem Solving.

Talk to your children about problem solving. This involves helping your child to look at different options and also discuss what possible consequences that can be related to problem solving that can either have a positive or negative effect. Encourage reflection and learning from problems. Remind your teenagers that negative events are temporary, manageable and limited in scope; they are only part of person’s life.

4.    Feelings.

Teach your child to have ownership of feelings as in naming them. This can be learnt by modelling where you as a parent take ownership of your feelings such as using statements like “I felt upset when ….” This allows us to have more control over situations and can help in making choices. Being able to manage strong feelings and impulses helps with building resilience. Talk to you teen about gut feelings and noticing them in the body. How to act on the feelings, questioning themselves about the  not so good gut feeling, what do you do versus good gut feelings and how you feel at the time.

5.    Gratitude.

Having a sense of gratitude is a power builder. Parents can increase gratitude awareness in their children by acknowledging what they are grateful for in their lives. The gratitude conversation can vary in degrees and instances that can match the age of the child.
These are just a few of many ways to help build resilience in our teenagers. Keeping the communication channels going can be difficult and sometimes the moment can seem almost impossible but know and tell your kids all moments are but just passing, time never stays still.

References:
American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx

Hall GS.(1904) Adolescence: In psychology and its relation to physiology, anthropology, sociology, sex, crime, religion, and education (Vol. I & II) Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.