Mindfulness meditation is a practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, feel your feelings (and then let them go) and calm both your mind and your body.
The meditation aspect involves controlled breathing and bringing awareness to the mind and body.
The mindfulness aspect involves sitting with your thoughts, feelings and emotions without judgement, allowing yourself to be present and focused.
This can be hard at first, but with regular practice, mindfulness meditation has many benefits to both your physical and mental health. Some of these benefits include reduced stress, lower heart rate and better sleep.
If this sounds like something you might find useful, here is a list of resources to help you get started with mindfulness meditation.
Spotify - Spotify have some great podcasts and playlists for mindfulness mediation, whether you've never tried meditating before or have been practicing for years. There are a variety of different meditations for to suit all ages and lifestyles. We really love this podcast - 12 Minute Mindful Meditations by Mindful.org as a great place to begin. These meditations can also be a really great way to help your children work through their big and sometimes overwhelming feelings (like stress, anxiety and worry) and bring them back into the present moment, or encourage relaxation and unwind at the end of a big day. One of our favourites for kids is this album - Relax and Be Happy: Mindfulness for Children (and Teachers and Parents) by Bari Koral.
Apps - There are a number of great paid and unpaid apps in the App Store. Headspace is a great one. It offers articles for older kids and adults, as well as guided meditations for all age groups. There are also daily sessions to help you work through things like burnout and anxiety, or focus on things like promoting better sleep.
Websites - A quick Google search on "mindfulness meditation" will bring up lots of websites. If you're a unsure where to start, Mindful breaks it all down for you.