Resources toward Wellbeing and Life Fulfillment
01 : Taking in the Good for at least 15 seconds, 4 times each day.
“Taking in the Good” for at least 15 seconds, 4 times each day. This practice, developed by neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, is scientifically evidenced to counter-balance the brain’s inherent “negativity bias” - focusing on experiences firstly as potentially threatening.
“Taking in the Good” involves: bringing to mind a positively satisfying experience (past or present); immersing yourself in that experience for at least 15 seconds, as best you can really savouring it during this period. “Taking in the Good” is a component practice of the Mindfulness for Stress and Mindfulness, Art and Creative Movement courses that I teach.
02 : Self-Soothing every day
Supportive Touch and Self-Soothing is a component practice of the Mindful Self-Compassion course that I teach; as well as the Radical Caring and Radical Self Care courses for LGBTQIA+ and other communities that I have helped develop for Rainbow Mind.
This can be done in a number of ways and can helps us with emotional regulation. Touch and tactile connection is core to the sense of care and wellbeing of all mammals including humans. It promotes in the body the generation of the wellbeing hormone oxytocin. We are “relational beings”. Even without others we can bring soothing touch to ourselves through:
putting a hand on the heart and chest area.
stroking our cheek
one hand stroking the arm
a and on the belly
giving ourselves a hug
or in some there way that resonates for you.
Just leave the hand there, or continue the action, for as long or as little as you want to and is useful to you.
03 : FOFBOC
FOFBOC stands for “Feet on Floor, Body on Chair”.
It is a brief practice we can use and adapt to many moments of our daily life: sitting in a stressful work meeting, when anxious in a in a waiting room, dealing with the challenges of a commute in rush hour in bus, train or car.
We simply try to take a few moments to pay attention to the contact that our feet have with the floor, noticing any sensations that are arising, if any. Then we do the same with the contact that our body ( back, pelvic area, thighs) have with the chair we may be sitting on.
Moving our mind’s focus to this even for few moments can help us be more present, and help us better manage the over-active mind that is creating all sorts of unhelpful narratives about our situation.
04 : “An Informal Tea Ceremony”
Savouring a cup of tea or coffee…
Select a cup of tea or coffee or another drink or a snack or a meal that you would like to have.
Taking a moment and enjoy how the food or looks to you.
Then enjoying the smell if any;
Then, how it feels to the touch ( avoid touching something hot!).
Beginning to reflect on the many hands that were involved in bringing this food or drink to your mouth—the farmer, the trucker, the grocer…
Now, eating or drinking it very slowly, noticing first how you may be salivating before reaching for the food, bringing it to your mouth, noticing when it crosses your lips, when you bite down, is there a splash of flavor, when you begin to swallow…
Continue eating or drinking in this way, giving yourself full permission to enjoy the experience of eating, as if this were your very last meal.
When you are done, notice the “finish.” How do you feel in your body right now?
05: Appreciation and Gratitude
I write in my journal at the end of each day - when I remember LOL - the things that I have have appreciated, enjoyed, and found positively meaningful that day or previously. Today I fondly remembered a time, around this time last year year, when with dear friends I enjoyed the cherry blossom season: one of may favourite periods of the year.
Research, such as that at University of California Davis, suggests that daily writing down such experiences of the day, can help us counteract the brain’s inherent “negativity bias” - focusing on negative experience.
Our brains our wired to focus on “negative” experience as part of our survival mechanism. This serves us well if we live in the jungle when faced by marauding animals. It does not help us with the emotional jungle that we also have to find our way through each day.
‘The practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life…It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep. Gratitude reduces lifetime risk for depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorders, and is a key resiliency factor in the prevention of suicide…
‘Practicing gratitude also affects behavior. Studies have shown that grateful people engage in more exercise, have better dietary behaviors, are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, and have higher rates of medication adherence – factors that translate into a healthier and happier life.’
- Robert A. Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis: a leading scientific expert on the science of gratitude.
https://health.ucdavis.edu/medicalcenter/features/2015-2016/11/20151125_gratitude.html
photo by Charusinee Chanpen
06: Cultivating the Duchenne Smile
Cultivating the Duchenne Smile is a way for us to develop what I call our Inner Smile, by which I mean our inner sense of self value, self worth, and goodness, even when we feel bad, when we “fail”. This simple technique can be practised by almost anyone and helps promote endorphins and serotonin that help make us feel good and reduce stress. You can find out how to develop the Duchenne Smile with my Facebook page video Playful Being: developing the inner smile:
photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash
07: Savoring practice
Savoring, as understood through scientific research, has significant health benefits.
Savouring is our capacity to give more space dwell in the joys, pleasures, and other positive feelings that we experience in our lives. Researchers such as Fred B. Bryant and Joseph Veroff evidence that savoring can lead to higher life satisfaction, regardless of a person’s level of physical health. improved self-esteem, strengthening of relationships, improved creativity when problem-solving, reduced stress.
On my guided practice page I share with you here a practice that I do which works for me: Savoring the Special. Savoring the Special particularly draws on the above mentioned research of neuropsychologist Rick Hanson who has developed a model and practice called “Take in the Good”. I have adapted in way that works for me, using words that resonate for me:
photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
08: Mindful Self Compassion
Mindful Self Compassion, known also as MSC, is a scientifically evidenced training programme designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion.
Self-compassion here should not be understood as a feeling only, but as a skill that we can train ourselves to cultivate, and embody, through regular practice.
MSC was co-originated by compassion researchers Kristin Neff and clinical psychologist Christopher Germer. Rapidly expanding research by Neff and other demonstrates that self-compassion is strongly associated with:
Emotional wellbeing.
Stress reduction.
Anxiety control.
Depression management.
Healthy habit maintenance, such as diet and exercise.
Satisfying personal relationships.
This link lists over 200 research publication on Self-Compassion.
https://self-compassion.org/resources-2/
Research shows that self-compassionate people:
Have high personal standards and are motivated to achieve.
Are more likely to engage in perspective taking, rather than focusing on their own distress.
Tend to be more caring and supportive in romantic relationships,
Are more likely to constructively compromise in relationship conflicts,
Take greater personal responsibility for their actions.
MSC, in its program, teaches core principles and practices that enable us to respond to difficult moments in our lives with care, kindness, and understanding. It helps to identify our core life needs and to take action that meet those core needs. We thereby move toward being the most authentic and fulfilled version of ourselves.
To arrange one-to-one training for the full MSC eight week course: email: Raphael@TheDeliciousDelightOfLiving.com
I also run group courses in MSC and other wellbeing programs as detailed on my page: Detailed Course Descriptions
09: 5 WAYS TO WELLBEING
British Government sponsored research undertaken by the New Economics Foundation evidences 5 things that we can do to make a significant difference to our wellbeing, and general mental health, if done regularly. These are:
Taking Notice
Connecting
Learning
Being Active
Giving
I introduced these 5 Ways in a video that you can see on My Facebook page:
The full research report is available via this link:
https://neweconomics.org/2011/07/five-ways-well-new-applications-new-ways-thinking