Your Body is Present, But is Your Mind? 3 Useful Tips to Become More Mindful

When you are taking a relaxing walk in the park but you are thinking about your meeting tomorrow, that embarrassing thing you did last Friday and what gift to get for your friends birthday - there is literally no way you are relaxing.

Stress isn’t the only cause for acne-prone skin but it is a trigger. It ends up becoming a frustrating cycle as having acne-prone skin can more often than not cause us to feel negative emotions about ourselves which lead to stress, which then leads to more blemishes and so on and so on…

Let’s focus on the positives now shall we? I personally found that a great way to break this cycle was learning how to become more mindful.

Important Ways Being More Mindful Helps You  

Mindfulness is being aware of the moment without a compulsion to change it or needing it to be something different. Going back to the park idea - instead of thinking something like “I wish I did this more often, but I just don’t have enough time” appreciate and accept your surroundings!

Feel the fresh air on your skin, listen to the birds, laugh at that dog chasing its tail and accept your emotions for what they are. Feel nervous? Accept those feelings and don’t criticize yourself for having them - give yourself permission to look inwards and don’t shun your emotions.

A peaceful mind can lead to an expanded awareness and acceptance of our feelings.

Other benefits also include:

• Relief from anxiety

• A greater love and acceptance of yourself

• Healthier body and skin

• Increased confidence

But how do we learn to relax a little and embrace a more mindful attitude? Here are my top 3 tips:

1. Walk the Walk, Don’t Stress the Stress…

First step, go for a walk. Second step, pay attention to the movement of your body and how it feels. Third step, expand this awareness to your surroundings - what do you smell, see, hear and feel? I find this super helpful when I have a lot on my mind - it gives me a clearer focus and direction to my thoughts. The best thing about this tip? It can be applied anywhere, anytime.

2. Meditate Until Mellow

Sit somewhere comfortable and focus on your breathing. How does it feel? Focus on the air filling your lungs and being expelled. Pay attention to your thoughts as your mind will wander (it happens to the best of us) - when it does make sure you turn your attention back to breathing in and out, in and out, in and out...you get the idea!

3. Sense Your Surroundings

Try to notice your surroundings via your senses. You can make a start by noting:

• 3 different things you can hear
• 2 you can see
• 1 you can smell
• 1 you can feel

When I first began this technique I also found it helpful to keep a mindfulness journal to note my observations down in.

Let’s Summarize Shall We?

Look, everyone has to start somewhere. For me it was a long journey to understanding my mind-skin connection. But sometimes being kind to our minds and giving them a break once in a while can be the first step to improving your skin. Plus, what can be better than feeling more chilled out on a daily basis? There are literally no losers here!

If you have acne-prone skin and would like to try and combat it in a new way then why not start with mindfulness? Along with nutrition, fitness and skincare the mind one of the most important parts of your holistic journey.