10 Ways to Improve Mindfulness in a Busy New York Lifestyle

It’s no surprise that living amidst the hustle and bustle of New York can take a toll on you mentally and physically. You can easily get lost in the hectic lifestyle, finding yourself suffering from acute anxiety or even chronic pain. 

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy is just one of many different approaches to psychotherapy that marries techniques drawn from cognitive therapy, meditation and the creation of mindfulness, which is a non judgmental attitude that is rooted in the present time. According to research that has been conducted over several years, mindfulness based cognitive therapy has been proven to be effective in treating many different mental illnesses, such as:

• Anxiety disorders
• Bipolar disorder
• General unhappiness
• General low mood
• Depression, including treatment resistant depression
• Depression caused by medical illness
  

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy works by encouraging its practitioners to interrupt their instinctual thought processes that may be exacerbating their mental struggles. Instead, those who practice mindfulness based cognitive therapy are encouraged to work through their feelings in healthier ways; this practice also urges you to observe and identify feelings that you are currently experiencing. 

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10 ways that you can improve your mindfulness amidst a busy New York lifestyle include:

1. Yoga: clients could be encouraged to practice various yoga poses that help orchestrate mindful stretching.
2. Meditation: therapists may ask clients to engage in self directed or guided meditation exercises, which can help clients become more aware of their thoughts, breathing, and body.
3. Body scanning exercises: clients may be asked to lie down and become aware of different parts of their bodies, typically starting at their toes and working upwards until they reach the apex of their head.
4. Mindfulness stretching: this technique asks clients to stretch mindfully, raising their awareness of both their minds and bodies.
5. Eating mindfully: eating meals without distractions, such as reading a book or watching TV, can help you better appreciate the mental and physical nourishment food provides.
6. Spending time in nature: being outdoors does wonders for your body and mind; it can also help ground you in the present.
7. Keeping track of how much time you spend using electronics: it is easy to experience information overload from the amount of media available at our fingertips; setting limits on your screen time–especially around bedtime–can help you feel more rooted and at peace. 
8. Focusing on one thing at a time: tackling one task at a time and allowing yourself breaks in between is important.
9. Slowing down: if you savor the process of the task you are completing, it will encourage you to provide it with thoughtful and deliberate attention; this, in turn, will promote healthy focus practices and may prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by the tasks at hand.
10. Moving around: any type of body movement can help, especially if you make sure you stay aware of your body’s sensations in doing so. 

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy can be performed in individual or group therapy settings. And it can be carried out online or in person. Grouport offers group therapy that is conducted totally online from the safety of your home, providing a safe alternative for everyone as we continue to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Should you enroll in Grouport, you will receive a brief 20 minute initial consultation with one of our trained therapists; they will then match you with a group they feel is best suited to your needs. Your group will meet once a week at the same day and time, and reminder emails with unique Zoom links will be sent to your inbox 24 hours prior to each session.

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