Mindfulness Daily Check-in 24th April 2019
Hello everyone!!
How are you all? Firstly I wanted to send my apologies for being so quiet, I've been so busy and forgot that it's been Wednesday on some days... it can happen to all of us :)
I wanted to leave this check-in to be open to all of you to ask questions about mindfulness and how I found it or the field that I work in... I hope this is helpful as I basically wanted to give you my time today to show that I am here and I have love and gratitude for this wonderful community!
Please ask away!
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@LisaDeRegtMBPsS
Hi Lisa, do you have any suggestions on specific exercises I could do when I experience dissociating or feel the need of self-harming? Thank you.
@admaiorasemper
Hello! :) Thank you for your question and reaching out. :) When you have the feeling of dissociation can you identify what experience contribute to causing this? I know this sounds like a rather unusual question but once we are more aware we can begin work on this. There are so many reasons why we find the need to self-harm and it's very isolating. Usually self-harm is a reaction that follows the way we're feeling inside so perhaps we're feeling depressed or traumatised from previous experiences so it's a coping mechanism when we're unable to process our thoughts and feelings. This is how self-harm comes about and it can really change our lives. I'm sure you know this but sometimes it's good to go over why it happens. Let's try to work on ways to help this...
Talking about how you're feeling or journaling can help you to process your emotions to help you to try and stop the urge to self-harm. It can give you something to focus on rather than letting out the pain through hurting yourself. I'd always encourage you to reach out to a trusted friend/family member as often self-harm can be us needing to show someone how much we are hurting within. A technique that I've learned with a few of my clients that have self-harmed are to place rubber bands on your wrist and when you feel like self-harming you snap them against your skin to cause slight pain, it makes you aware and hopefully brings you into the now so you can begin to realise there are other ways to express yourself. Try anything that brings you into the now, rubbing ice cubes where you want to harm yourself, going for a walk, using mindfulness to bring yourself into the now or a more physical exhausting activity such as running.
I would always recommend talking to a professional if you feel like harming yourself is the only way out of your situation or you feel it's the only way you can find your way through the pain that you have experienced. I do hope I have helped and there are so many more techniques and ideas you could try so I'd encourage you to do your own research as well. Thank you so much for sharing with us. :)
@LisaDeRegtMBPsS
Lisa, I wanted to thank you for giving us the opportunity to ask questions. I do not have one right now but maybe tomorrow and hey we all forget things, let me tell you that as an expert in it 
@amiablePeace77
Thank you for your kindness amiable :) I am the expert on forgetfulness too. ;) It shows we are all human afterall. Thank goodness for the calendar on Google!!
Thank you to everyone that has posted questions. I'd like you to know that you can ask more if you feel like you would like more clarity. I might not reply instantly but I will be back to check. :)
Hi Lisa, thanks for this opportunity! As a therapist who is helping others to find their path in life, I'm sure that you have to be mindful of practicing self-care. I really love the quote, "You cannot pour from an empty cup" - I think that it's a wonderful reminder. I wonder, what are some of your favorite ways to practicing mindfulness so that you can keep your cup full?
@LisaDeRegtMBPsS
@OneTraveler
What an awesome question One! :) And I love that quote, I recently included it in an article here and your message reminded me of it https://www.7cups.com/experts/5-ways-to-cultivate-self-care-as-a-7cups-listener-or-caregiver/ and I think it's relevant for this community to read as well as you do such a great job supporting others in your role as listeners and members.
With regards to my own self-care. I am a huge yoga fan and I aim to do this daily (whilst that is not always realistic - usually around 4-5 times per week but everyday if I can!). I find this helps tremendously because as a therapist/listener/caregiver we sometimes do not know where ourselves end and another person begins so we can begin to pick up on others emotions and get overwhelmed if we're not careful! I love hiking/walking as that helps to rebalance my thoughts and emotions whilst feeling I am focusing on my health.
I also like 8 hours sleep per night (it's less at the moment due to my 4-legged friends that like to wake me up at night!!) otherwise I find I'm not functioning at my usual levels at my job and just within. I also know when I need to take a break and whilst I do not find it always easy to take time-off, I feel it's paramount to the people that I work with that I look after my own physical and emotional health.
Meditation and mindfulness has improved my own self-care levels dramatically. I love guided meditations. Finding time for self-care is so so important and I do hope you can all honour yourselves by doing this as it's the most kindest thing you can do for others (especially if you've ever experienced burnout) and yourselves. :) Noticing the signs when you need to take time-out and care for yourself gets easier with practise.