Mindfulness Stress Reduction Tips From the Doctor
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we asked psychologist Abbey Gripka, Phd for tips to help reduce stress, or to be more ‘mindful’. Dr. Gripka says start with a shift in your perspective. Be aware that you want to let go of worrying about the worst-case scenarios and focus on what’s happening now. She recommends tapping into your five senses to be in the moment. One good exercise is to be mindful while eating: slow down, savor each bite, and enjoy the aroma. Observe the colors on the plate and the way the food feels in your mouth.
“A lot of times we have to experience our environment within the five senses. So really trying to make it as vivid as possible for you,” said Dr. Gripka. “Notice things you can smell, touch, taste, hear, see. Engaging in your environment with all the five senses, giving it your all. And with each little thing you do. So it involves slowing down your engagement in the moment because we try to multitask. We try to do so much at once that we’re not giving anything our all. We’re not being mindful in anything we do.”
Another tip to remain in the moment or mindful is to approach something as though it’s the first time you’ve seen it. She said this can create an appreciation for a moment or scenario that in the past had seemed to be insignificant.