Six tips for managing tough times with mindfulness.

When we are in the thick of substantial difficulties in our lives it can be very easy to slip into a 'woe is me' funk, to think only of how tough our life is at that given time, and to wallow in that funk for days on end. Like anything though, nothing will change for us unless we make a better, more empowered choice to pull ourselves up and out of the given circumstance; nothing will change unless we take responsibility for our situation and do something about it. 

This week I am sharing the wise words of dear friend Dr Elise Bialylew, meditation teacher and founder of the global Mindful in May campaign. Elise shares six tips on bringing mindfulness to tough times, tips that will help you stay afloat and strengthen your resilience.

I am proud to be an ambassador for this amazing campaign again this year. To learn how you too can support Elise's amazing fundraising efforts whilst creating a calmer mind for you, make sure you hop to the bottom of this post.

Use mindfulness to manage overwhelming emotion

Mindfulness, the ability to bring a non-judgmental awareness to one’s present moment experience to support greater wisdom and clarity, is the first step required for managing overwhelming emotions more effectively. This capacity to be present to whatever is happening emotionally, allows you to witness the emotion rather than be overwhelmed by.

I created a powerful way of maintaining my mindfulness amidst passing emotional storms that come with tough times through the mindful video diary. Here’s how it works:

• When a difficult emotion hits you such as frustration or overwhelm pull out your phone.
• Start recording yourself whilst in the middle of the overwhelming emotion
• Speak to the video about what you are feeling, what you are thinking and feeling and any sensations you are noticing in your body as a way of re-grounding into the present moment.
• Try to clearly identify the emotion and name it to tame it. Science suggests that when you use language to describe your emotions it actually helps you regulate your emotions more effectively – meaning you can more quickly recover back to a place of calm.

Watch your video a few days later and be reminded of the law of impermanence – all emotions that arrive will also pass even though when you are in the midst of a strong emotion it can feel like it is a permanent state. When you look back at the video you may feel greater compassion for yourself as you see how caught up in the emotion you were and occasionally you may even laugh at how all consuming the emotion was at that moment.

Call upon your community

When you’re going through a tough time, friends and family may be unsure about how to offer support. Many of us are not comfortable asking for support and communicating our needs, however support is a crucial aspect to getting through tough times. Next time you find yourself in the midst of a challenge ask a friend whether they would mind helping you in some way, for example in my situation getting a food roster started was invaluable. We discovered this helpful tool Take Them a Meal, to coordinate it.

We all need different things when we’re suffering and so a powerful way to get the support you actually want is to write an email to your closest friends or family and explain what you are going through and what you need. It may sound obvious or for some feel too demanding. However, it’s a way of enabling those around you to know how to help you.

Be mindful of what media you ingest

When you are going through a difficult time be intentional about what media you are ingesting. Find stories of hope, optimism, inspiration  and shared humanity such as the many that are shared on Humans of New York. Alternatively explore sites such as Karma Tube or The Optimist for the more hopeful side of humanity. What we choose to focus our attention on, creates our reality.

Start a gratitude group

Gratitude is a powerful way to train your attention to notice the good rather than the deficits in life. It is the foundation of happiness.  Create a gratitude group by contacting a few friends and hold each other accountable to check in daily with something you feel grateful for. I have enjoyed using Whatsapp to create gratitude groups with friends from around the world. Even when you are going through hard times, there is always the choice to notice the the small positives. Gratitude can be a powerful force that lifts you out of the darkness when faced with difficulties. Research actually suggests that focusing on gratitude will support greater happiness in daily life.

Practice Self Compassion 

Many of us can create extra pain for ourselves when we’re faced with difficult situations. The self critical, harsh internal narrator creates a second layer of suffering as we feel we should be coping better in the face of hardship. Bringing active self compassion practices into your life at these times is a powerful way to neutralise these automatic thought patterns and bring more kindness and gentleness to yourself, ultimately supporting greater resilience and strength in the face of difficulties.

When you next face a difficult moment, try this self-compassion practice. Place your hand on your heart and actively sooth yourself by quietly saying a kind phrase like “this is such a difficult time, I’m doing the best I can and I’m here for myself with love and kindness”. At its core self compassion is about learning to be your own best friend, rather than falling into harsh self criticism when you may not be coping as well as you’d like.

Meditate

Our mind can be our greatest ally or worst enemy. Meditation is a way to train the ourselves to develop a new relationship to our thoughts so that they don’t have as much impact on our emotional state. It’s a practice that helps you learn how to be master rather than be slave to your mind and thinking. However, just like facing the challenge of a marathon, we need to train our minds towards greater mental fitness and strength before we face challenges so that we have the skill needed to manage our minds when the going gets tough. Learn the skill of mindfulness meditation when things are calm and develop an inner resource that you can call upon for the rest of your life.

About the Mindful in May one month campaign.

The Mindful in May one month online fundraising meditation program includes:

• Access to a world class online mindfulness program delivered to your inbox starting May 1st.
• Downloadable guided meditations
• Exclusive video interviews with world leaders in the field including Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Daniel Goleman, Tara Brach, James Doty, Mark Nepo, Sara Lazar and many more…
• Daily emails to support you in making meditation a habit
• Access to a private online community to keep you accountable and support daily practice
• An opportunity to help make a positive difference in the world by transforming the lives of those in need of clean water

Why not join the thousands of people coming together this May to create greater ease, calm and wellbeing in your life and at the same time you can transform the lives of those in need of clean, safe drinking water.

One in ten people on the planet struggle to survive without access to clean water with one child dying every 90 seconds from a water related illness. Let’s come together and meditate to make a difference.

When you register to Mindful in May, you’re invited to make an optional donation or get sponsored and dedicate your month of meditation to transforming the lives of those in need.