One Sanctuary - It's Time We All Started Doing Nothing!

I launched One Sanctuary just 2 weeks ago and already I have been blown away by the support of friends, family and strangers alike.

Mindfulness, it seems, is something that a lot of people have heard of, know they should be doing more of, and recognise the benefits of.

Yet why are so few people practising it?

Well I do have the answer to this question.

We are brought up to believe that doing nothing is lazy and unproductive.

And because of this we are in what has been described as a mental health pandemic! Covid19 has had a lot to do with the rising statistics. In March 2020 we were all told to literally stay at home and do nothing. This was just so hard for people to do because it is something we have been told is not right. We are told that we must be busy all the time if we are to succeed and make anything of our lives!

Well I say b#*@#*s to that!

We need to start looking after ourselves, now. And we need to make sure that future generations understand that mental health is more important than hitting deadlines and working yourself into the ground.

So I invite you to sit for just 10 minutes and do nothing! And I don't mean sit down and leave the task you think you should be doing and scroll through your phone or watch a bit of TV, no, no, no.

I mean do nothing.

Sit somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed and just sit. Don't think about what you 'should' be doing or what you are cooking for dinner tonight or what the kids homework will be. (If you are looking after the kids make sure they are safe or being watched before you take yourself off!)

At some point today take 10 minutes for you and just be peaceful and calm in the place where you are right now.

Now I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, unless you are already well established in practising mindfulness and meditation, you can't do it!

Your mind will do what it always does and you will start thinking. You might even start to feel guilty about the fact that you are doing nothing.

I know I'm right.

Okay, so I have been a bit cheeky here.

Of course you can't just stop thinking.

Our minds are designed to think, it's what they do and even the most seasoned meditator would probably struggle to stop thinking.

But it's what you do with and how you react to those thoughts that counts.

This is why I have set up One Sanctuary, so that I can help people discover mindfulness and how it can improve their mental health and wellbeing.

If you would like somewhere you can go to talk to other like minded individuals who are on their own mindfulness journey, I have a free Facebook group One Sanctuary, One Community with Fiona Stretton-Emerson where I share lots of helpful tips and quotes to help you stay positive and mindful. You can share your own thoughts and journey within the safe environment of the group if this is something you feel comfortable in doing. There is no pressure to be actively chatting and interacting in the group and if you just want to use it as a tool to help you stay focused and positive then that is fine too.

If you are having trouble sleeping I have a great free pdf that you can download. It is full of helpful tips and advise on how you can get a great nights sleep. Just click here.

So lets all start doing nothing a little bit more often and really start taking care of ourselves.

I wish you a peaceful day.

Lots of love

Fiona xx