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Being thankful for small things in life
Robert Marx, Co-Lead for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre shares his experience of holding on to Thanksgiving traditions he learned as a child, and the benefits of being thankful for the small things in life. This week is Thanksgiving. When I lived in the United States, this was my favourite festival: a meal with family and friends like at Christmas, but without all the stress of buying presents. During the meal, everyone would say something that they were grateful for, echoing the early Pilgrims who gave thanks for the harvest and for what the year had brought. I liked this tradition…
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Make a New Year’s resolution to care for yourself
Those of us in the caring professions can find it hard to take care of ourselves and our own wellbeing. Whether we’re working directly with people suffering from mental health issues, or keeping the offices running and clean, we need to pause from time to time to replenish ourselves. Free mindfulness courses for Sussex Partnership staff The Sussex Partnership is one of the few Trusts that provide the NICE-approved eight-week mindfulness courses free to all its staff. There’s a reduced number of new courses starting this January, so be sure to secure your place. Or book on to one of…
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Mindful life – Well at work
An opportunity to participate in research Do you work in the public sector caring for others? Would you like to take part in a national research study offering free online courses for wellbeing? People working in the public sector, particularly those in healthcare, social care and teaching, experience high levels of stress because of the demanding nature of their work. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and stress reduction psychoeducation are both recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as effective wellbeing interventions for healthcare and other public sector employees. Prefer to do mindfulness? If you work for…
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Ten years of Mindfulness in Westminster
The Mindfulness Initiative’s new report, Mindfulness in Westminster: Reflections from UK Politicians, is a reflection of ten years of mindfulness training in the UK Parliament, and brings together politicians’ insights on the personal and interpersonal benefits they have experienced. The report makes a compelling case for providing politicians with evidence-based psycho-social training, such as mindfulness, to help manage their mental wellbeing, their everyday effectiveness, and their ability to ‘disagree better’. You are invited to join a webinar, chaired by the Mindfulness Initiative’s new director, Richard Edwards. In the session the authors of the report, Ruth Ormston and Jamie Bristow will…
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Interested in teaching mindfulness?
I got everything I needed from the training and was equipped to take that back out into real life.” Alumni of Sussex Mindfulness Centre’s teacher training Why not train to teach mindfulness with one of the leading centres in the UK? You can find out about our teacher training here. And you can find out what training is right for you here. Join a free online information session with the trainers (see the bottom of the page to book). Uniquely, we offer you the chance to teach alongside an experienced teacher as part of your training. This takes you closer…
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Struggling to make meditation a habit? Here’s what helped me.
Sussex Mindfulness Centre volunteer, Hannah Andrews, shares her experience of attending a retreat in Plum Village, and describes the impact it’s had for her. Not long ago I was a total mindfulness novice. I was aware of its benefits: reduced stress, improved sleep, reduced anxiety etc. There are no side-effects, and it’s free! It seemed a no brainer. I downloaded various apps and promised myself to meditate daily, but it never seemed to stick. I couldn’t get past meditating three days in a row before life would get in the way. I was well aware that I would need to…