As we enter February, we are feeling the cold weather and wall to wall grey all around us, today, we are talking ‘Inner Wellbeing’, or ‘mindfulness’  It’s a word that you may have heard a lot and may wonder what it’s all about and how it relates to you and indeed wedding planning.

Photo by mariana acevedo on Unsplash

Mindfulness 

Firstly, I use mindfulness every day to stay ‘present’ to be ‘mindful’ of everything around me helps to do this. A really great way is to get outside into nature, go for a walk, everyday – it doesn’t have to be a long one – but go the same way. On your walk, look for nature all around, what can you smell? What can you hear? Feel the leaves and the ground under your feet. At this time, you can’t be anything BUT present and, in the moment, so all of the stress and worry of the day will melt away.

If you walk the same way every day, you can notice the miracle of nature. I never knew until practicing this myself, that nature never stops. I always assumed that in the depths of winter ‘everything was dead’. This is so far from true!! The buds on the trees start as soon as the leaves fall off, there are flower buds and plants that begin to grow in winter.

To document this and to use as a tool, I took photos of an oak tree I passed through all the seasons. It’s a wonderful way to think that ‘this moment will pass’ if you are dealing with any stress or worry.

There can be more to it than that of course, as you can add in meditation and other practices but for now, it’s a great place to start.

Wellbeing  and Weddings

If you are keen to explore this further and look into how you can incorporate this into your wedding, here a few ideas.

• Keep it Cosy – (handy in these times!) when you have a large wedding it is very difficult to engage and connect with all of your guests. From experience, there are not enough hours in the day to speak meaningfully to everyone and it will affect your own experience as well.
• Less is More – this is about a marriage and not ‘stuff’ if you can’t afford it, there is no reason to go overboard on material things. Keep it simple and beautiful.
• Preloved – In these days I believe the stigma has gone around using something that has been previously used – your dress for example. Imagine you wanted a party dress and you found one that has been worn ONCE in a charity shop – you would be over the moon! So why is it so different to look for a preloved wedding dress?
• Regift -what can you regift from your wedding? Can you gift your flowers to your local care home? There are companies that can do this for you if you don’t know where to start.
• Keep it lovely and local – where possible try and support your local independent businesses, they will so appreciate it!!

Meditation

Now this is something that I TRY to do, and I cannot profess I am much good, only that it does help to refocus and relax. I would advise to consult a practitioner in order to learn this art correctly. Failing this, I sit in crossed leg on my meditation pillow (all the gear and no idea springs to mind!)

If you would like to try, my advice is to set up a space for this, consider the following:

• Something to sit on – being comfortable is really important, so whether you choose a meditation cushion, a large pod, a lounge pouffe, it will help keep you supported
• Make it cosy – I tend to like to go outside for this practice, always make sure that you are cosy and warm. I take out gorgeous soft, fluffy blankets
• Scent – I like to think this is a sensory practice, so I choose scented candles with aromatherapy oils to match my mood. Also candles help with the ambience and soothing light.
• Nature – for me this is essential for my practise, if you can’t use an outside space, consider some indoor plants

Worry Time

Are you a worrier? I know I am! Here are some practical things that you can do to alleviate your worries.

• Put aside ‘worry time’ – I know this sounds odd but it’s a great way to separate it and stop it from taking over.
• Write it down – maybe use your ‘worry time’ to get it all down on paper. Also leave a note pad in easy reach so that you can write it down and put it to one side. Also leave one by your bed to alleviate any worries that may wake you and keep you up.
• Put a positive spin on it; where possible, in your notebook, write an alternative, positive statement.

Affirmations

These are statements that you read aloud to encourage positive thinking and self-empowerment and I lOVE them! A great way to stay positive and focussed. I have some affirmations available soon in the shop. I hope this gives you a little guidance and I would love to hear your practises in the comments.

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