You’ve been invited to join the first-ever SmartPractice Healthier Practices Wellness Initiative, where all year you can better focus on wellness for your practice, team, patients and clients.
Each quarter, you will focus on a different wellness topic. The third topic is Mindfulness Wellness.
Mindfulness is a part of mental health practice that includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Being mindful can benefit many areas of our life.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.
Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.
Digital Detox Challenge
This challenge is designed to encourage you to reevaluate how much time you spend in the digital space and whether or not it is beneficial for you.
Practice reducing your screen time by participating in each daily task. Share it with us, your team and patients/clients to hold yourself accountable.
Encourage your team/staff to join in for the week and even create a friendly office competition! Also, share on your practice’s social media pages inviting your patients and clients to join in the challenge too.
Stress Management Tips
In today’s world, it’s hard not to get overwhelmed. Between work, family, and other commitments, you can easily become stressed out and busy. But it’s important to set time aside to unwind or your mental and physical health can suffer.
Learning how to manage your stress takes practice, but you can — and need to — do it. Here are 10 tips to help make it easier:
- Exercise
- Relax
- Deep breathing
- Eat a balanced diet
- Slow down
- Take breaks
- Make time for your hobbies
- Talk it out
- Don’t give yourself a hard time
- Eliminate any triggers
Meditation Exercise
Interested in doing mindfulness meditation but don’t think you have the time? Below is an activity you can do anywhere in just one minute!
Mindful Breathing for One Minute
Lower your eyes and take note of where you feel your breath. Place your hand on your stomach and notice how your hand gently rises and falls as you breathe in and out.
Focus on your breath. When your mind wanders, as it will normally do, bring your attention back to your breath.
This exercise can be done for longer than one minute. But even for one minute, it will allow you to pause and be in the moment. You can also breathe out stress on the exhale and breathe in peace on the inhale.
More quick and easy meditation exercises.
Resources
There are many great resources available to learn more about mindfulness wellness. Below are a few we love:
Share these resources, and any you find on your own, with your team and patients/clients. Include them in your practice newsletter, send an email blast or share on your social media. Also, encourage your practice to research on their own about the importance of mindfulness wellness.
Educate Your Practice
As part of the Healthier Practices Wellness Initiative, you’re invited to take the information shared and use it to educate your practice. Include your staff and learn together. Share with your patients/clients so they can learn with you.
Utilize social media, email, newsletters, etc. to share information, resources and tips with your team and patients/clients. Create challenges and encourage participation in activities to make it fun for everyone!
More ideas:
- Hold a lunch and learn for your team
- Develop wellness campaigns for your team and patients/clients
- Market local wellness initiatives and events
- Provide wellness content in your practice newsletter and on your social media pages
- Organize a team meditation activity
- Remind your team and patients/clients about the importance of wellness checkups and preventative health measures
