Mindfulness

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Another Mindfulness session - Thursday 28 March 2024 and this time the topic is "A Mindful Day".  Please click on the event on the right hand side to find out more information and to book your space for this session.

In previous years EVH heavily focused on organisational and individual wellbeing and we provided members with a full year of access to mindfulness materials and sessions.   We partnered with mindfulness expert Martin Stepek from Ten for Zen to provide this; Martin has been practicing mindfulness for over 20 years, is a published author in the field, and is one of Scotland’s leading experts in mindfulness.   Below is the information on what Martin delivered each month:-

December

In the last of our monthly sessions, Martin looked at how to achieve peace of mind and explained how Mindfulness helps.  These days it’s understandable if you have a busy mind.  If you’re regularly juggling work, family and just life in general, mentally shutting off can be really hard, even if you’d love to.  A constantly busy life and an always active mind can often lead to anxiety and stress, so quieting your mind is so important to your mental, emotional and physical health.

All of the booklets and audio files for each month are still available in the download section, just use your member password to sign in and access them.

November

This month, Martin looked at Burnout and explained how Mindfulness can help.  Burnout can often have a huge impact on our lives.  Energy and enthusiasm takes a hit.  Fatigue and lethargy take hold.  And it can seem like there’s no solution or way out.  Martin demonstrated how to use  Mindfulness and more importantly how to feel better if you’ve already taken too much on.

October

In October's session, Martin looked at Work Life Balance and explained how Mindfulness can help. What would you do if you won £20 million in the lottery but still had to work?  Most of us will unfortunately never have a lottery win, but for your wellbeing and happiness it’s really important to take a regular step back and consider your working life.  What makes you happy, have you got a good balance, are you at risk from fatigue, stress and burnout, are all key questions.  Work is such a big part of our life it’s easy to get so drawn into it that you forget about everything else.  Martin  guided us on how to ensure your working life is making you happy and fulfilled.

September
This month Martin looked at Dealing with Difficult People and explained how Mindfulness can help.  If we’re honest with ourselves we know that sometimes we’re unreasonable or not good people to be around.  When we’re difficult it’s hugely helpful to have understanding people around us.  If we can be difficult at times, it’s only fair to accept that other people will also be difficult at times too.  Martin shared how to recognise difficult traits in yourself and others and explain how to use mindfulness to see this as part of life rather than react negatively to it.  He also guided us in knowing how to see when it’s time to walk away and how to be happy despite difficult people.

August
Martin looked the causes mood swings and how it’s normal for your mood to change throughout the day.  You might feel grumpy when you wake up, happy as you take a stroll in the sun with a friend and exasperated as you get caught in a traffic jam on the way home from work.  Occasionally mood swings can be more severe including depression and anger.  Martin gave advice to help you relax and unwind any time you need it

July
Our seventh topic for Mindfulness was looking at sleep.  Martin explained how Mindfulness can help you get a good night’s sleep, so you feel rested and refreshed each morning, and ready to tackle your day. The importance of sleep is discovered when you don’t get enough of it - you can’t focus, you lose control over your sense of reality, you even feel the urge to eat too many sugar-packed foods.  The right amount of sleep is vital for our body and mind to function.  He gave us some useful hints and tips for using mindfulness to get a peaceful rest.

June
The topic this month was happiness.  We all think we know what it is, we certainly know when we don’t have it!  And it would probably be fair to say most of us would like a bit more.  Martin looked at how to prevent the distractions creeping in and focus on the happy thoughts.

May
Martin looked at Developing Focus and Clear Thinking.  Martin unravelled the reasons why focus is a challenge for most of us and looked at ways to use mindfulness to develop greater focus and clearer thinking.

April
Martin looked at Dealing with Stress, Anxiety and Worry.  He looked at the difference between stress, anxiety and worry - exploring what causes these negative emotions and how to use mindfulness to deal with them

March
Martin looked at Managing Change and Uncertainty, to help us deal with the current challenges we face and gave us skills to manage whatever life throws at us in the future.  Change happens all the time, it is an inevitable part of life, but it can also be unsettling and very challenging. The COVID pandemic has brought an unprecedented level of change to lives leaving many feeling anxious, stressed and upset.

February
Our mindfulness series continued with a look at building resilience.  In both life and work, what is for certain is that we’ll have good times and bad times.  The ability to manage these issues, and start to enjoy life again is so important.  Martin showed delegates how to use mindfulness to build resilience.

January
Our first topic - where better to start this adventure than An Introduction to Mindfulness:-  Our mindfulness series began with an introduction to the simple, scientifically proven techniques - ideal if it’s new to you or as a refresher if you already have some experience.