Mindfulness for Carers

“It was a lovely break from my caring responsibilities. I came away feeling rejuvenated as I was so tired before the session.”

What is mindfulness?

“Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can improve your mental wellbeing” (NHS – Mindfulness)

Mindfulness is a practice that helps you to become more aware of what is happening for you in each moment. Practising mindfulness can help you to feel calmer, more grounded and more able to manage stress and emotional difficulty.

There is no one way to practise mindfulness, because it is a way of paying closer attention to how you are in each moment, without judgement. Common ways of practising mindfulness include focusing on your breathing, scanning your body and noticing how it feels, or using mantras and counting.

Does mindfulness really make a difference?

Mindfulness has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Because of its popularity, it’s often recommended for all kinds of problems – from stress to anxiety and other challenging situations. You may feel sceptical about how effective mindfulness really is in this context – but there are many studies that show that mindfulness really does make a difference to those who practice it regularly.

As Mike Buckley explains in the video series above, mindfulness can also be something that only takes a short while to do – sometimes as few as three mindful breaths can help to ease tension and make you feel more at ease.

Carers who attend our Me Time mindfulness sessions often report feeling more relaxed, and finding a greater sense of peace and freedom from a busy mind:

"In the first breathing exercise, I realised how busy my mind is but by the third exercise I was completely relaxed and my mind actually switched off for a period of time - which is a fantastic achievement for me."

Click the videos below to try four mindfulness practices, created especially with carers in mind.