Compassion

compassion-terms
Compassion is one of the most interesting attributes of being human. Scientist Richard J Davidson of the University of Wisconsin did a study and found that compassion, or kindness, is a trainable skill. In effect, you can actually teach yourself to be a kinder individual. You can train your children to be kinder. More importantly, the most interesting thing is that when you display compassion not just to yourself but to others, beautiful and positive things automatically start happening in life.
Firstly, when you display compassion, all your levels of positivity go up and you are much less likely to be stressed with life's little niggles and challenges. This means, in turn, you are more able to deal with seemingly difficult people and situations. Additionally, in another interesting study, when you have high levels of compassion for others, not just yourself, ageing actually slows down and you get older slower.
Compassion is more than just creating a kind world, it's such a powerful attribute of humankind that I believe that we are biologically wired to be drawn to the kinds of people who display compassion. Just consider someone like the Dalai llama and a massive crowds that assemble in front of him, Think also about your own relationships where again studies show that when you exhibit these positive qualities you are far more attractive to the opposite sex. In fact, compassion as an attribute in women is one of the most single attractive attributes of any long-standing and nurturing relationship. The wonderful thing about compassion is that when you generate the feeling not just as your part of your internal state but manage to translate it into actions to communicate to the people around you then you are far more likely to enjoy a productive and happy work life. In yet another study carried out in the US as well as in an independent gallop survey which questioned 10 million employees, they found that the employees who are most engaged and happiest at work are those who can say affirmatively "my supervisor or someone at work cares about me as a person" There are several ways you can train yourself to become more compassionate but one of the simplest ways you can begin the process right now is by simply smiling more. Smile at a complete stranger, or a work colleague and notice their reaction. As long as you are sincere and want nothing in return then you might be amazed at how powerful and satisfying this new behaviour feels.
In the exercise below I will guide you into a more structured exercise for generating greater compassion. This is a daily ritual and takes no more than 3 minutes of your time. If you would like to join in then click on the audio exercise below and take that next important step toward being a better version of yourself.


Have a wonderful day,
David



5 Steps To A More Mindful Day

mindfulness-hypnotherapy


Mindfulness is evermore accepted in the mainstream as an effective way to balance the mind and body. More and more organisations and businesses are recognising the benefits of training their employees in the art of mindful living. This acceptance isn't altogether altruistic because it has significant benefits for the organisation by making the employee more productive and efficient.

Here at The Cumbria hypnosis hypnotherapy and mindfulness clinic our entire philosophy when it comes to treating any kind of psychological imbalance is teaching our clients how to be mindful whether dealing with negative behaviours, feelings or emotions.

Learning to become more mindful at work especially in the office can create a more effortless experience of the working day.

When you learn to stop and become more mindful in all of your working activity you can step off the hamster wheel, create some space and allow your natural mental processes to flow rather than to come to a grinding halt, which is often associated with frustration and a growing sense of stress.

Step one - Learn to pause at work. Make this pause as purposeful as you possibly can. Before even coming to work choose to start the day in the right way by learning to breathe before even getting out of bed. Frame a purposeful and productive day simply by imagining it being the way you want it to be.

Step two - Make your daily commute to work one which is free from distraction. If you tend to listen to the radio or are constantly aware of your phone then switch both off and instead concentrate on mindful breathing so that you can arrive at your destination feeling clearer and more engaged. Learn more about exercising mindful driving here

Step three - if you tend to walk between meetings, once again switch off your phone so you are not distracted by emails or text messages. Get used to feeling your feet on the floor and the air entering your lungs. Take the opportunity to acknowledge colleagues as you pass them and smile.

Step four - As you find yourself sitting at your desk staring at your computer screen, turn your gaze away from your screen for a moment and focus on something else on your desk maybe even bring in an object which is symbolically significant to you and makes you smile. Now study this object without any great thought. As you stare allow your breathing to become more regulated and rhythmic. If you want to close your eyes just for a few moments then go ahead and do that. Try to recreate the object in your minds eye or in your imagination. Amplify it's quality by changing its brightness and clarity. Play a piece of music in your mind that you associate with this particular object and note is the effect it has on your body and mind. Now bring your awareness back into the moment open your eyes and continue doing whatever you were doing.

Step five - Use any break time during your day to get away from the office. If the weather is kind to you go outside sit on a bench and observe your environment. In effect give yourself a chance to switch off the background stress which naturally builds up without us even being aware. See background stress like the apps on your smartphone. After a while we forget to switch off numerous apps but they are still running in the background draining the battery. Mindfulness teaches you how to switch off the 'apps' and restore full power to the system.

If you find you cannot incorporate all five steps at once, then build up gradually by practising one skill each day until you master it.

Here is what Simon from Kendal said about his experience with his mindfulness training.

"I have a highly pressured role, I had heard about mindfulness on the radio but had never quite understood what it meant. As far as I was concerned it was some new-age fad which only hippies would pursue. I couldn't be more wrong. Thanks to the training David taught me I was able to establish a framework which has allowed me to feel far more in control, happier and balanced."

Please take a look at other blog posts under this particular category for more information.

Be mindful and have a peaceful day.

David Faratian




Mindfulness the new anti-depressant

Mindfulness hypnosis cumbria

So what exactly is mindfulness? One my client’s from Kendal recently asked me what was the ‘big deal’ about mindfulness? There's a great deal of buzz and interest at the moment about this word, especially in education and conventional medicine. So here it is - In its simplest terms, mindfulness is about being present in the moment while you calmly reflect on your feelings and thoughts and bodily sensations as you experience them in the here and now without forcing them or resisting them in any way. When you can be fully present, without resisting or trying to shy away from your feelings and emotions, then you start to create a space around you which allows you to take hold more effectively of the situations you face and the choices you make. Life is full of challenges, but when we are mindful we are better able to work with our minds and bodies so that we can deal with our life’s anxieties and stresses far more effectively.

Trying to be mindful on a day-to-day basis does require a certain amount of learning and patience, but once you learn to be mindful the new perspective which you can get on your life can be fundamentally life changing. The reason mindfulness is being accepted more and more within conventional medicine is because it is seen as one of the many psychological tools that can be equally if not more effective than embarking on a course of medication as prescribed by most general practitioners. Many of my referrals from GPs are directly related to mindfulness training.

Mindfulness is not new either. With its origins in Buddhism, it has been around for thousands of years, only recently however being accepted by Western health care. The reason I mention it here, is because hypnotherapy, and all the techniques which are utilised here at the Cumbria Hypnosis Clinic have their roots in mindfulness practices. For over a decade now, the mindfulness therapy which I have been using has helped hundreds of people to deal with their everyday stresses, panic attacks, and anxiety disorders, as well as dealing with more general negative behaviours like smoking and gambling.

“Once I learned the self hypnosis techniques (mindfulness techniques) shown to me by David, I have been able to sleep better, I have a much better appetite, and things just don’t get to me as easily” Paul Carter (Penrith, Cumbria)

The great news is that anyone can learn how to become skilful in mindfulness, children, teenagers and adults alike can benefit from this simple yet life changing practice. Although there are many different ways you can develop your ability to be more mindful, the most effective way to become more knowledgeable is by being trained on a one-to-one basis with a trained mindfulness teacher. My experience with mindfulness extends over a period of 10 years. Not only do I use mindfulness within my hypnotherapy clinic with all my clients on a daily basis, but I have also taught children and other practitioners how to use the most cutting edge mindfulness strategies to help overcome any limiting belief or behaviour.

If you would like an opportunity to discuss your mindfulness goals with me then you can contact me directly by clicking on this link.


Have a peaceful day

David Faratian