Mental health week. A pause and a moment to breathe.

This week’s podcast is in alignment with Mental Health Awareness Week, offering a gentle reminder to pause, notice and check in with yourself. In the busyness of everyday life, we often forget to simply be. This episode invites you to slow down for a moment, reconnect with how you are feeling and create space for balance and calm. Including a short guided meditation, this is your opportunity to pause, breathe and return to yourself.

Phiona

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A Gentle Reminder
You don’t have to have everything figured out.

Sometimes, the most important step is simply giving yourself space to pause… and notice.

Until Next Time…
Take things at your own pace.
And allow yourself to reconnect in whatever way feels right for you.
 

Take care.

Phiona 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello and welcome to the Mindful Moments Therapies podcast. I'm Fiona and I'm a counsellor, somatic worker, and clinical hypnotherapist. So for mental health week, I wanted to really create a gentle space just for us to pause and reflect on something that can affect every single one of us. And that's our mental health. So for episode eight of this week's podcast, I just want to invite you into this space to connect. And every person will have been affected by mental health in some way. Maybe personally, in your own mental health, maybe friends or family, relations, people you work with, neighbours. There is most likely somebody you know who has struggled with mental health. And that struggle may be very visible, or it could be completely invisible. So often we carry on through life while managing stress, overwhelm, pressure, exhaustion, uncertainty, grief, worry, or simply the constant pace of modern living. Many people keep going on without really stopping to notice how much they're holding and how heavy that mental weight can feel. You see, mental health isn't something we only think about when we're struggling. It's actually part of our everyday well-being. Just like our physical health, it deserves the same care, attention, compassion, and support. So in today's episode, it's not about getting everything right. It's not always about being positive all the time, or even trying to fix yourself. It's simply an invitation to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and gently consider what helps you feel grounded, supported, and emotionally well. Later in this episode, I'll guide you through a short relaxation designed to help you move out of the busy thinking mind back into the body and the present moment. Please take care of yourself. Do what you need to do. If you find yourself being activated, don't hesitate to reach out to me or to somebody else or even seek medical help. You're welcome to pause the recording at any time, take a break, move around, or return to your own support system. And if you're listening while driving or doing anything other that requires your full attention, please save the meditation part for another time. So looking after your mental health. When we think about mental health, many people imagine crisis points or moments of severe difficulty. But mental health, like many things, exists on a spectrum. Some days we feel more resilient, connected, calm, and able to cope. Other days we might feel anxious, flat, irritable, emotionally overwhelmed, disconnected, exhausted, or simply not ourselves. And sometimes there's no obvious reason. Being human means experiencing change, emotion, stress, uncertainty, and vulnerability. One of the most important things we can do for our mental health is to begin noticing ourselves with honesty and compassion. Not judgment, not criticism, not the voices of others or the past. Not forcing yourself to keep pushing through, but just by noticing. Many people have learned to ignore their emotional needs because life has demanded so much from them. Responsibilities, work, parenting, caregiving, finances, relationships, expectations, and daily pressures can leave very little room for rest or reflection. And over time, we can become disconnected from our bodies and our emotional world. For example, we may only notice that you're struggling when anxiety becomes overwhelming, when sleep becomes difficult, when we feel emotionally numb, or when stress affects the body, or when we realize we've not truly felt calm in a very, very long time. Mental health care often begins with very small moments of awareness. Taking points and time out during the day, checking in and asking yourself, how am I really doing right now in this moment? What do I need? What I've been carrying lately. What do I need less of? What do I need more of? What helps me to feel safe, calm, connected or supported? Sometimes we need rest. Sometimes it's putting in boundaries. Sometimes as humans we need connection. And at other times we need support. And sometimes it's simply needing permission to slow down. One of the challenges in modern life is that many of us spend so much time in our thoughts. Replning, worrying, overthinking, analyzing, replaying conversations or anticipating problems, or just trying to simply stay in control. The mind works hard to protect us. But when we stay stuck in constant thinking, we can lose connection with the present moment and with the body. This is why grounding practices, mindfulness, breath awareness, and body-based relaxation can be so helpful. They're not about emptying the mind or doing things perfectly. They're about creating moments where the nervous system can soften, where the body can feel supported, and where we can reconnect with ourselves in a gentler way. Looking after mental health also can include recognising that we just don't simply have to do everything alone. Reaching out for support is not weakness. Therapy, counselling, support groups, trusted relationships, community, and meaningful connection can all play an important role in emotional well-being. There is a strength in allowing yourself to be supported. And if you've been finding things difficult recently, I want to gently remind you that your feelings matter. Your experience matters. You do not have to minimize what you're going through. You do deserve care and compassion, including from yourself. And as we move into the meditation part of today's episode, I invite you to approach yourself with gentleness. There is nothing you need to achieve. No perfect way to relax, no pressure to feel a certain way. Just simply allowing a few moments to pause. As we move into the meditation, before we begin, please make sure you are somewhere safe and comfortable, and a reminder not to listen while you're driving. If possible, allow yourself to sit in a supportive chair or even lie down. Somewhere comfortable where you're unlikely to be disturbed. If lying down feels uncomfortable or unsafe for you, sitting upright with your feet resting on the floor is absolutely fine. You may wish to soften the lighting, place a blanket over yourself, or simply settle into a position that feels supportive for your body. If at any point during this gentle meditation you feel uncomfortable, emotionally overwhelmed or unsettled, you are welcome to open your eyes, pause the recording, move your body, or return your attention to the room around you. Now take a moment to notice the space around you. Notice the room. Notice the surfaces supporting you. Notice the temperature of the air. Gently allow yourself to arrive here. No problem you need to solve in this moment. Just this time for yourself. And when you're ready, perhaps allowing the eyes to close or simply lowering your gaze. Begin by noticing your breathing. There is no need to change it. Just noticing the natural rhythm of the breath, the gentle rise and fall, the movement of breathing in and breathing out. You may notice thoughts arriving in the mind, or plans or memories, worries, or even lists. This is completely natural. The mind thinks. Back to this moment. Back to the body. And now beginning to notice the places where your body is being supported. Perhaps noticing the weight of your feet against the floor, or the support beneath your back, the feeling of the chair beneath you, the surface beneath your legs, allowing yourself to feel held and supported by the ground underneath you. You do not need to hold yourself up quite so much right now. And gently bringing awareness to the top of the head, noticing any tension without needing to force anything to change, allowing the forehead to soften a little, just softening around the eyes, relaxing the jaw. Perhaps allowing a small gap between the teeth. As you relax the tongue, relaxing the shoulders. Just letting them drop away from the ears if that feels comfortable. Softening through the arms, hands and fingers. Bringing awareness now to the chest and the heart area. Simply noticing what is present. There is no need to judge or analyze. Just noticing. Allowing the breath to move naturally. And perhaps imagining the breath creating a little more space inside the body. A little more softness. A little more ease. Bringing awareness now to the stomach. Softening through the belly. Allowing the body to breathe naturally. And then down into the hips into the legs. The knees and calves. The ankles and the feet. Feeling the connection between your body and the ground beneath you. Allowing yourself to feel anchored. Present here. And for the next few moments, simply resting your attention on the experience of being here right now. Noticing the breath. Noticing the body. Noticing the support beneath you. And if the mind drifts away, gently guiding it back. Again and again. Without pressure. Without criticism. Just returning. And perhaps quietly reminding yourself in this moment I am here. In this moment, I am breathing. In this moment I can allow myself to pause. And now beginning to gently bring awareness back into the room around you. Noticing the sounds around you in the space. Noticing the air on your skin. Noticing the surface beneath you. Perhaps beginning to wiggle the fingers or toes, and maybe gently rolling the shoulders. And perhaps before opening your eyes, taking just a moment more to orient yourself, remembering where you are, noticing the room around you. What do you sense? Remembering the colors, the shapes, the light, allowing yourself to reconnect with the present moment gradually and gently. When you feel ready, just slowly opening your eyes, taking your time. There's no rush. So thank you for spending. This time with me today. Mental Health Week can be a meaningful reminder that looking after emotional well-being matters not just during difficult moments but as part of everyday life. Even the small moments, like we've just done, of slowing down, breathing, resting, connecting, and noticing yourself with compassion can make a huge difference. Please take gentle care of yourself after listening. You may wish to have a drink of water, stretch, step outside for some fresh air, or simply move slowly back into the rest of your day. If today's episode resonated with you, I hope it reminded you that you do not have to carry everything alone. This has been Mindful Moments Therapies podcast with Fiona. Thank you for listening. Until next time, take care.