Wellbeing & MIndfulness Green Coaching

This was taken on the last night of a 6 week coaching programme.  The first I had done for Adult Education at Community Education Whangarei, Kamo High School.  Have to say that Shona the co-ordinator is amazing and so organised.

These ladies are quite incredible.  They are just like you and me and yet how little we know of each other. 

We would spend the first part of a 2 hour session/lesson out doors walking with different focuses and environments. We started with a measure of how we were feeling before the walk and then after and you can guess, mostly it was always better. 

It was a real reminder to me about not really having to know or even understand when something feels good for you.  What is important is that you can give yourself space so that you notice you, notice what makes you smile, feel good, laugh and just um hits the spot and follow that as a guide.

I learned a lot from these ladies and was reminded that no matter what we are taught, or the tools we have unless we give ourselves permission and feel deserving to implement them then they will not work.  We only need to make it one tiny small step to show up.  It is a start.

These ladies taught me and reminded me that talking and sharing is one thing but it is in the doing and the being that is another.  I am grateful to them and we are all going to meet up in June to check in with our Wellbeing, Mindfulness and vision statements.  How cool.

Also half of us will being doing a fun/run walk, so how cool is that to be inspired to really walk the talk.  I am grateful. 

Mindfulness

Before you speak, ask yourself:  Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true,

does it improve on silence? - Shirdi Sai baba

It also makes me laugh for some reason. 



Wellbeing, MIndfulness with Natural Resources

It never ceases to amaze me just how refreshing and easy it is to be outdoors.  I look down from our balcony on to an amazing fern, which happens to be a favourite of mine.  Just looking makes me sigh, take a breath in and sigh again.  That is all it takes. 

We have a beautiful country here and are so lucky to be surrounded by such beauty and space.  I am passionate about many things and one of them is about being outdoors, just being mindful of where you are.  It does not matter how small the green area is or where, even if you cannot physically reach it, you can imagine it and if this hard then you look at a picture, the healing and clarity it can bring is profound and even more profound than that is that you really do not have to even try that hard.  If you can even for just 5 minutes give yourself permission to either be in it, day dream, look at a picture and just breathe the effects are so rewarding.

The other day I was a little overwhelmed and could not think.  So instead of reaching for another cup of coffee or nibbling through dark chocolate Brazil nuts, I went out and did some weeding.  I was really quite busy and went out.  Have to say that there were battles in my thoughts - what you don't have time and guess what I made time and guess what, how much more clarity did I have just being out there and how much better did I feel?  Another guess what, truly how much more effective was I?

I would really encourage you to consider connecting with the outdoors in some way, even for 5 minutes, a walk, a stroll, feeling the breeze by the ocean, even a walk around town in a way that is a stroll and notice say the sounds, you will be surprised how many birds you might hear above the traffic.  Even just strolling and breathing in a relaxed manner will make all the difference. 

I am doing more and more coaching outdoors for wellbeing and mindfulness.  Even if it is hard to actually be there, we have wonderful imaginations and pictures to help us. 

Environments - OTcoach - Occupational Therapy

Person Performance Environment, is such a huge concept for OT. Now I just consider it as part of my practice, creating meaningful and purposeful lives which obviously involves the environment - right! I was reading a book called Mood Mapping, fascinating. It is all about noticing what mood your are in and managing it. Dr Liz Miller was a brilliant neurosurgeon who experienced bi-polar and this book describes how those who suffer from a mood disorder can apply her technique successfully to cope with 'life'. I had it on the shelf for quite sometime, which was sent to me by an awesome OTcoach in the UK, Jen Gash.

She describes just how important environment is, not just at work but at home. The need to have space, some where that is calm, not cluttered, peaceful and safe. I am fortunate that I have a room to work from like that but I hardly ever use it for myself, to just go sit there for a few moments, minutes to just be, time out and yet the rewards would be profound. There is of course out doors, nature, so many wonderful places, especially here in NZ.

I wonder how many of us have access to an environment that is conducive to our needs, even if only for a few moments. If, we do not have that then perhaps we can create our environment from within and not rely on the outside. We can do this and easier then you think. Through mindfulness, day dreaming. We can be at traffic lights, in a busy queue, in a business meeting, in front of someone who is anxious and we can create our own internal environment from where we can practice, breathing, pausing and then choose our next action rather than being reactive.

I wonder how many of our clients are in a chaotic, noisy environment, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that but could we teach them strategies to create the calm, steadfastness of a peaceful inner environment when they may need it. Um, just interesting. I wonder what your environment is like? Do you have somewhere there that allows you to connect with who you are? Does not have to be in an intense meditative way, just somewhere, inner or outer that supports you to be. Try it, the rewards are amazing, just starting even with 5 - 10 breathes, right now!  Just notice your breathing.