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Enjoy!

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23 - 29 September 2024 - Maths Week Scotland

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Maths Week Scotland is a week of events and activity, celebrating the maths all around us. Maths Week Scotland returns 23 - 29 Sept 2024 with the theme ‘Maths Tales’.

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVeMiVU77wo&pp=ygUMYnJlZXplYmxvY2tz

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man down - Rhianna

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Man in the mirror - Michael Jackson

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LzB4yR62zR0&pp=ygUGTGV3aXMg0gcJCQMKAYcqIYzv

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We know we can't solve all your troubles, but we can give you tools to help.

Whether you're after everyday tips, sounds to relax your mind, strategies to cope with parenting right now or films to get you talking, we're here for you.

And if you think you could benefit from extra advice, visit BBC Action Line for mental health organisations offering information and support.

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BBC - Headroom - Your Mental Health Toolkit

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We know we can't solve all your troubles, but we can give you tools to help.

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Based on The Kindness Test, the world's largest study of kindness, launched on BBC Radio 4 devised by the University of Sussex. ROBIN BANERJEE; Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness: You might think about kindness as being this quite soft, fluffy, wishy- washy thing, but actually, it's really fundamental to how we connect with each other. BERNADETTE RUSSELL; Kindness Campaigner: I think being kind is part of the purpose of being alive. NINA ANDERSEN; Founder, Community Senior Letters: Acts of kindness are needed in the world, right now more than ever. CAPTION: THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF KINDNESS BERNADETTE RUSSELL: Back in 2011, I was sitting in a café, just enjoying a breakfast, when I looked up at a screen and there was a double - decker bus on fire in London. It was terrifying. It looked like civil war. And there was a very negative response to the riots that really upset me as well. I'd felt increasingly despairing about what felt like the enormity of the problems of the world . I didn't know what I could do. CAPTION: A FEW DAYS LATER, BERNADETTE GAVE A STRANGER IN A POST OFFICE 50P FOR A STAMP. BERNADETTE RU SSELL: And he was overwhelmed with gratitude, it was disproportionate to my tiny amount of time and money. But I thought, I did kind of put a smile on his face, that sort of did make a difference. So as I was going home, I concocted this foolhardy notion t hat I was going to try and do an act of kindness every single day for a stranger for a year. It was completely life - transforming. CAPTION: STUDIES HAVE REPEATEDLY SHOWN KINDNESS TO BE INTUITIVE. THE MORE TOME WE HAVE TO THINK, THE LESS KIND WE ARE LIKELY TO BE. EVEN LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE AN INSTINCT FOR HELPING BEHAVIOUR WHEN THEY FEEL CONNECTED TO OTHERS. BEING KIND CAN ALSO HAVE POWERFUL EFFECTS ON OUR BRAINS. ROBIN BANERJEE: It's one of the big paradoxes of kindness, that an act of kindness that is intended to benefit others actually had some positive consequences for yourself. There are patterns of activation in the brain which correspond to a boost to wellbeing. The reward pathways in the brain are activated when people are performing kind acts. CAPTION: KIND ACTS TRIGGER NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE BRAIN - THE CHEMICAL MESSENGERS THAT CONTROL OUR MOOD. THE PLEASUREABLE SENSATIONS THAT FOLLOW DRIVE A SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS WITH OTHERS. ROBIN BANERJEE: Those relationships that are required for worki ng cooperatively are founded upon basic social connections. So it's pretty fundamental to how human beings interact with each other. Thank you so much, that's really kind of you. CAPTION: SO, BACK TO BERNADETTE... WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SHE WAS ACTIVELY KIND EVERY DAY? BERNADETTE RUSSELL: Oh, yes. So over the course of the year, it proved itself to be utterly heart - warming, completely terrifying, occasionally expensive, sometimes physically hazardous, like when I carried some really heavy shopping over four miles to a lady's flat. So it was a really, sort of, creative journey, that was also tiring and incredibly inspiring. KINDNESS CAMPAIGNERS: Kindness changes the world! CAPTION: BERNADETTE EXPERIENCED THE CHEMICAL EFFECTS OF THE SO - CALLED 'HELPER'S HIGH' - THE SPECIAL TINGLY FEELING THAT COMES OVER US WHEN WE ARE KIND. BERNADETTE RUSSELL: I was like high every day. Mostly it was kind of a warm glow round your heart and also your tummy. It just felt really good. CAPTION: SO IF KINDNESS IS SO BENEFICIAL, AND IT'S IN OUR NATURE, WHY DON'T WE LIVE IN A KINDER WORLD? ROBIN BANERJEE: Human beings have a predisposition to exhibit kindness to other people. But they also have the possibility of demonstrating quite significant unkindness to other people. The environment makes a huge difference. All of those stories about kindness being weak, we have to challenge those now. When you think of a really successful person do you think of someone who's kind? Or do you think of someone who's out there in the limelig ht, really dominant figure, a celebrity, who's very wealthy? What can we do to turn the narrative of success around, so we sa y that actually being successful does involve positive relationships with other people. CAPTION: THE KINDESS TEST - A RECENT STUD Y OF OVER 60,000 PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD - FOUND THAT TWO - THIRDS THOUGHT THE COVID - 19 PANDEMIC HAD MADE PEOPLE KINDER. IN THE FIRST LOCKDOWN IN 2020, NINA ANDERSEN SET UP A LETTER - WRITING CAMPAIGN CONNECTING SCHOOL PUPILS WITH OLDER PEOPLE. NINA ANDERSEN : This is one of my favourites. Some old people dancing. I just thought about how elderly people had no contact beyond the walls of their care homes. What started off as quite a small localised idea just became something way bigger than I could ever have imagined. It's reached over 250 schools and over 250 care homes and positively impacted thousands of people. BERNADETTE RUSSELL: What we witnessed during that time was how much we yearn to help each other. What we have to do now is remember the immense k indness that we were capable of during this time. CAPTION: SO HOW COULD WE BUILD A KINDER WORLD? ROBIN BANERJEE: This can't simply be a matter of instructing people in a given setting to be kind. Hey, you. You need to be kind. We need to change our envi ronment so that it feels normative to be kind. BERNADETTE RUSSELL: I would really like to see businesses, schools, hospitals all public services, have a kindness manifesto. So that they all ask themselves, "Is this kind?" So that it becomes an ordinary pa rt of our conversation at every level in every organisation, everywhere. CAPTION: BUT THE DESIRE FOR BIG CHANGES DOESN'T MEAN SMALL ACTS OF KINDNESS AREN'T MEANINGFUL. BERNADETTE RUSSELL: The biggest lesson for me was to embrace the fact that every single day I can do something. That thing might be just say ing good morning to someone. That thing might be just smiling. That's how we change the world. NINA ANDERSEN: If you carry out a good deed to someone else that will increase the chance of them carrying out kind deeds to other people. So it kind of goes in a circle, kindness. ROBIN BANERJEE: The small stuff may actually be the big stuff. All those small things that you figure, "Well, they're not important, just people being nice to each other." Maybe th at's the most important thing for creating an environment which actually enables people to feel good and to be able to work together and to be able to take on some really big challenges. BERNADETTE RUSSELL: In the same way that a beach is filled with a billion grains of sand, there's this sort of beautiful humility in saying, "I can, at every single moment, at any point of any day, contribute to making the world a better place."

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The woman who was kind every day for a year - BBC Ideas

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Watch the "The woman who was kind every day for a year" video at BBC Ideas. Explore other related content via our curated "Expand your mind with Radio 4" playlist.

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Try and do something every day!

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The Power Of Gratitude - Oprah Winfrey Speech

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Marcus Mumford - Timshel (One Love Manchester)

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Thought this was nice and quick and appropriate for us sitting at our desk all day on zoom. Emma

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The Glasgow Gruffalo (by Elaine C Smith) Recited by Jessica age 4

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DISCLAIMER: It's important to note that people dealing with eating disorders should first consult with a certified health care professional before incorporating mindful eating as part of a broader strategy or treatment.

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DISCLAIMER: It's important to note that people dealing with eating disorders should first consult with a certified health care professional before incorporating mindful eating as part of a broader strategy or treatment.

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Mindful Eating with Mayo | Karen Mayo | TEDxWilmington

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Julie Pearson and Maureen Taylor, Co-Founders, Mindful Life Journeys

It's a myth that traditional meditation is the only way to be mindful. Did you realise you can practice Mindfulness and get many of the same benefits through reading? People read daily as a pleasant and rewarding release and relaxation of their minds, they just don't connect it with a form of focused meditation.

Jon Kabat Zinn defines Mindfulness as "Paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the moment, non judgementally."

By choosing (on purpose) to read (the particular way) and focusing (paying attention) on words in a book we are almost there in meeting his definition. When we get lost in words, we can lose track of time, our day to day thoughts, feelings, emotions and reactions are forgotten for a moment, they settle, affect us less as we are transported to another, amazing world. We don't judge the words we just read them and accept them for what they are - (in the moment, non judgementally).

For us being in the moment is about detaching from the past and not focusing on the future, just allowing our minds to settle in the now without letting our thoughts, feelings, emotions and reactions run wild, uncontrolled in our minds. Reading to be Mindful in this way empowers us with a choice to switch from "habitual thinking" to allow ourselves time just "to be". That time "just being" brings some much needed mental and emotional balance, which is great for our mental health and much more.

When we practice mindfulness through reading or any other form, it's possible to create space in our minds for ideas, knowledge, inner wisdom, creativity, happiness, joy, peace, relaxation, inspiration, confidence, whatever we need, to come in and help us achieve our potential, whatever that may be.

Reading can take our mind off a well trodden path of worry, stress, anxiety. It doesn't have to be a self help book, it can be anything that takes us away, puts us in the moment.

Nowadays reading and writing is more accessible than ever, electronically, from pen to paper to books, media, comics, magazines, newspapers the list is endless. We are privileged to live in a society where there is so much to choose from and libraries where we can access them for free, limitless places and experiences for our mind.

By distracting the mind through reading, we can build new pathways, write new scripts, which serve us in life much better, just imagine the opportunities books can open up for our children.

We can take books for granted and we expect everyone to be able to read and write even though, sadly, this is still unavailable to some. We forget it's not that long ago when many were not able to access schools or opportunities to learn.

Now we are able to use books to learn from and about other societies, using words to explain our differences and develop our societies. If used for the higher good, books can underpin another Mindful practice - compassion - through knowledge and understanding.

The joy of reading to others (children especially) is wonderful and can be life changing for them, developing the future scientists, actors, educators, medical staff, poets, storytellers again the list is limitless. We can use books to open up debates and discussions. The information within can provide the ability and confidence to challenge ideas and meet like minded people.

It starts with us and with our children. It would be a less colourful world if we didn't have books or the ability to read. Thank You Teachers!

We were inspired to create a reading meditation in support of Achievement for All's 100 Million Minutes Reading Challenge. It was designed to open children up to the joy of reading and help them understand it can help shape their future, build resilience and open up opportunities regardless of ability.

In addition to this activity we have also created mindful meditation sessions as part of Achievement for All's Achieving Wellness module. The sessions are designed to help increase resilience, teach tools to help self regulate emotion, encourage mindsets more ready for learning and promote growth mindsets in a fun and engaging way.

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Julie Pearson and Maureen Taylor, Co-Founders, Mindful Life Journeys It's a myth that traditional meditation is the only way to be mindful. Did you realise you can practice Mindfulness and get many of the same benefits through reading?

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David
Give yourself 10 minutes a day alone time :)

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10-Minute Meditation For Anxiety | Goodful

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Explore the six principles of nurture with this BBC Bitesize Scotland article to help Health and Wellbeing.

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Mantra is a Sanskrit term, with "man" meaning "mind" and "tra" meaning "release."

Think of a mantra - a word or phrase you repeat during meditation - as a tool to help release your mind. It can make a lot of difference, especially if you have trouble concentrating or getting in the right frame of mind.

Many people find that using a mantra can boost awareness and improve concentration. Since it helps you stay focused, it could lead to improved results from meditation.

You can meditate in many ways, and there's no single "correct" approach.

Whether you practice mantra meditation or another style, you'll often see many of the same benefits, including:

increased self-awareness

reduced stress

a greater sense of calm

increased self-compassion

a more positive outlook

Some additional benefits of mantra meditation include:

Increased focus

Meditation doesn't come easily to everyone, and many people find it takes time and practice to maintain focus. A mantra can make this easier by reducing wandering thoughts.

If you're repeating a mantra, in your head or out loud, that mantra occupies your awareness and helps prevents it from drifting off in other directions.

This can be especially helpful if your mind tends to wander a lot when you try to meditate.

Reinforcement of meditation goals

Many meditation practitioners believe the vibrations and harmony of chanting certain syllables can enable a deeper meditative state. This deep meditation can help release any blocked energy disrupting your well-being.

You might choose a specific word or phrase that emphasizes your reasons for meditation, such as the Sanskrit word "shanti," which means "peace."

Meditating with a word you like the sound of, or one that makes you happy, can also reinforce a sense of calm or joy.

Some people choose mantras that double as affirmations, such as:

"I have compassion for myself and others."

"Every day is a new beginning."

Choosing affirming phrases also guides your awareness to your intentions. Meditation can feel frustrating when you don't see results, but regularly repeating a mantra that reflects your vision for yourself can increase the likelihood of it becoming reality.

Changes in the brain

According to a small study from 2012, mantra meditation could help improve brain health.

After 8 weeks of Kriya Kirtan meditation, a type of kundalini meditation that involves mantra, 15 older adults experiencing memory problems showed increases in cerebral blood flow and cognitive function.

These brain changes appeared to lead to:

improved mood and well-being

reduced anxiety

less fatigue

improved visuospatial and verbal memory

According to 2017 research, chanting certain mantras may stimulate these changes, since chanting can help synchronize the left and right sides of the brain and promote relaxing (alpha) brain waves. This synchronization may help improve brain function over time and possibly slow cognitive decline.

Better control over breath

Repeating a mantra while meditating can also help you find a natural breathing rhythm.

It can take some time to get accustomed to meditative breathing exercises. Matching your breath to your mantra can make this process easier and help you feel more relaxed at the same time.

When it comes to finding a mantra, there's really no wrong way to go about it.

Some simple mantras are syllables or vowel sounds, such as the common "om" or "aum." This short sound packs a lot of power, though. Many consider this syllable the original sound of the universe.

Another common meditation mantra is the Sanskrit "So Hum," or "I am."

Other types of mantras associated with more specific goals include:

If you'd like to get more insight on the meaning behind specific mantras, consider reaching out to a local yoga studio or meditation center.

If there's a specific goal or intention behind your meditation practice, why not incorporate this into your mantra?

To feel calmer or relieve a low mood, for example, you might choose something like:

Even the words "calm," "joy," or "kindness" can serve as effective mantras, if you want to keep it short.

Once you've got a mantra in mind, it's time to start using it.

Here's how:

1. Get comfortable. Find a quiet place where you can meditate without disruptions. Find a position you can hold for the length of your meditation, whether that's sitting on the floor, in a chair, lying down, or even walking. Mudras, or hand positions, help some people enter a meditative frame of mind, but they're not necessary.

2. Set a timer. Decide how long you want to meditate (anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes) and set a timer. Consider using a quiet, relaxing sound, such as ocean waves or birdsong, so the alarm doesn't jar you from a peaceful meditative state.

3. Start with a few deep breaths. Pay attention to your breathing without doing anything to try and modify it. Just focus on the sensation of it entering your lungs and filling your body.

4. Use your mantra. Continue breathing slowly and steadily through your nose as you begin to chant your mantra. You can say it out loud (this might help more with mantras intended to produce vibrations) or repeat it silently. It often helps to match the mantra to your breathing.

5. Let your breath guide you. As you settle into the meditation, your mantra and breathing will eventually settle into a rhythm. Unless you're attempting to use a specific breathing technique, following this flow may help your meditation feel more natural.

6. Remember to gently redirect wandering thoughts. As you meditate, you'll probably notice your attention begin to wander. When this happens, don't try and force those unwanted thoughts away. Instead, just acknowledge them, let them go, and then pick the mantra back up.

7. Close the meditation. When your timer goes off, don't jump up right away. Instead, take a few moments to sit with your (hopefully) quiet mind. Check in with yourself. Do you feel more relaxed? More optimistic? This closing exercise lets you check in with yourself and track your progress.

It's pretty common to find meditation challenging, a little boring, or even unpleasant, especially at first. It often takes time to see significant results, but most people who stick with the practice find it well worth it.

These tips can help you successfully make meditation a regular habit.

Focus on intentions

When you meditate with a specific goal in mind, such as reducing anxiety or unwanted emotions, it might seem natural to focus on the things you don't want to feel.

But you may see better results when you meditate on positives, or the mindset you want:

This generally proves more helpful than meditating on negatives, or the mindset you have right now, such as:

You are anxious or angry. That's why you're meditating. It's easy to get hung up on your existing frame of mind, but this can detract from meditation's benefits.

Meditating with your desired outcome in mind, on the other hand, can help you visualize your success and transform this image into reality.

Try mala beads

Mala beads, or a japa mala, can help promote mindfulness in meditation and yoga practices. They're intended to help you with mantra repetition - "japa" means "mutter" in Sanskrit.

A mala, or string of 108 beads, can help you maintain a steady breathing rhythm during meditation. You can also use a mala to focus on your mantra by using each bead to mark one repetition.

Curious to give it a try? Here's how to get started with mala beads.

Feel free to change your mantra

If you don't have much success with the first mantra, it may help to find one that resonates more with your current frame of mind and meditation goals. There's no harm in changing it as necessary.

You don't need to use the same mantra every time you meditate, either.

Perhaps in the morning, you want to focus on strength and compassion for the day ahead, and in the evening, you'd like to achieve a sense of restful internal peace.

The key to mantra meditation is finding one that works for you.

Keep trying

As with most things, meditation doesn't always yield immediate results. To see optimal benefits, you'll want to maintain a consistent practice.

Try not to worry about how long you meditate at first. Instead, make a habit of doing it every day. In time, you'll find it easier to meditate for longer periods.

Meditating daily at the same time and place can also help you get into a regular routine.
Our guide to building a daily meditation habit can also help.
Most people who meditate do it for a reason, whether it's relaxation, cultivating compassion, or self-care.

Choosing a mantra that reflects your goals can help you focus on what you want to get out of meditation. This can strengthen your commitment to the practice and maximize the benefits of meditation.
Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she's committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.

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Mantra Meditation: Benefits, How to Try It, and More

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Mantra is a Sanskrit term, with "man" meaning "mind" and "tra" meaning "release." Think of a mantra - a word or phrase you repeat during meditation - as a tool to help release your mind. It can make a lot of difference, especially if you have trouble concentrating or getting in the right frame of mind.

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Shannon :)

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Mindfulness. It's a pretty straightforward word. It suggests that the mind is fully attending to what's happening, to what you're doing, to the space you're moving through. That might seem trivial, except for the annoying fact that we so often veer from the matter at hand. Our mind takes flight, we lose touch with our body, and pretty soon we're engrossed in obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or fretting about the future. And that makes us anxious.

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us.

Yet no matter how far we drift away, mindfulness is right there to snap us back to where we are and what we're doing and feeling. If you want to know what mindfulness is, it's best to try it for a while. Since it's hard to nail down in words, you will find slight variations in the meaning in books, websites, audio, and video.

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us.

Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it's not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it.

The Types of Mindfulness Practice

While mindfulness is innate, it can be cultivated through proven techniques. Here are some examples:

1. Seated, walking, standing, and moving meditation (it's also possible lying down but often leads to sleep);

2. Short pauses we insert into everyday life;

3. Merging meditation practice with other activities, such as yoga or sports.

The Benefits of Mindfulness Practice:

When we meditate it doesn't help to fixate on the benefits, but rather to just do the practice, and yet there are benefits or no one would do it.

When we're mindful, we reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind, and increase our attention to others' well-being.

Mindfulness meditation gives us a time in our lives when we can suspend judgment and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind, approaching our experience with warmth and kindness -to ourselves and others.

8 Facts About Mindfulness:

1. Mindfulness is not obscure or exotic. It's familiar to us because it's what we already do, how we already are. It takes many shapes and goes by many names.

2. Mindfulness is not a special added thing we do. We already have the capacity to be present, and it doesn't require us to change who we are. But we can cultivate these innate qualities with simple practices that are scientifically demonstrated to benefit ourselves, our loved ones, our friends and neighbors, the people we work with, and the institutions and organizations we take part in

3. You don't need to change. Solutions that ask us to change who we are or become something we're not have failed us over and over again. Mindfulness recognizes and cultivates the best of who we are as human beings.

4. Mindfulness has the potential to become a transformative social phenomenon. Here's why:

5. Anyone can do it. Mindfulness practice cultivates universal human qualities and does not require anyone to change their beliefs. Everyone can benefit and it's easy to learn.

6. It's a way of living. Mindfulness is more than just a practice. It brings awareness and caring into everything we do-and it cuts down needless stress. Even a little makes our lives better.

7. It's evidence-based. We don't have to take mindfulness on faith. Both science and experience demonstrate its positive benefits for our health, happiness, work, and relationships.

8. It sparks innovation. As we deal with our world's increasing complexity and uncertainty, mindfulness can lead us to effective, resilient, low-cost responses to seemingly intransigent problems.

Mindfulness Is Not All in Your Head

When we think about mindfulness and meditating (with a capital M), we can get hung up on thinking about our thoughts: we're going to do something about what's happening in our heads. It's as if these bodies we have are just inconvenient sacks for our brains to lug around.

Having it all remain in your head, though, lacks a feeling of good old gravity.

Meditation begins and ends in the body. It involves taking the time to pay attention to where we are and what's going on, and that starts with being aware of our body

That approach can make it seem like floating-as though we don't have to walk. We can just waft.

But meditation begins and ends in the body. It involves taking the time to pay attention to where we are and what's going on, and that starts with being aware of our body. That very act can be calming, since our body has internal rhythms that help it relax if we give it a chance.

How to Sit for Meditation Practice

Here's a posture practice that can be used as the beginning stage of a period of meditation practice or simply as something to do for a minute, maybe to stabilize yourself and find a moment of relaxation before going back into the fray. If you have injuries or other physical difficulties, you can modify this to suit your situation.

1. Take your seat. Whatever you're sitting on-a chair, a meditation cushion, a park bench-find a spot that gives you a stable, solid seat, not perching or hanging back.

2. Notice what your legs are doing. If on a cushion on the floor, cross your legs comfortably in front of you. (If you already do some kind of seated yoga posture, go ahead.) If on a chair, it's good if the bottoms of your feet are touching the floor.

3. Straighten-but don't stiffen- your upper body. The spine has natural curvature. Let it be there. Your head and shoulders can comfortably rest on top of your vertebrae.

4. Situate your upper arms parallel to your upper body. Then let your hands drop onto the tops of your legs. With your upper arms at your sides, your hands will land in the right spot. Too far forward will make you hunch. Too far back will make you stiff. You're tuning the strings of your body-not too tight and not too loose.

5. Drop your chin a little and let your gaze fall gently downward. You may let your eyelids lower. If you feel the need, you may lower them completely, but it's not necessary to close your eyes when meditating. You can simply let what appears before your eyes be there without focusing on it.

6. Be there for a few moments. Relax. Pay attention to your breath or the sensations in your body.

7. Begin again. When your posture is established, feel your breath-or some say "follow" it-as it goes out and as it goes in. (Some versions of the practice put more emphasis on the outbreath, and for the inbreath you simply leave a spacious pause.) Inevitably, your attention will leave the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing this-in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes-return your attention to the breath. Don't bother judging yourself or obsessing over the content of the thoughts. Come back. You go away, you come back.

8. That's it. That's the practice. It's often been said that it's very simple, but it's not necessarily easy. The work is to just keep doing it. Results will accrue.

Try This Beginner's Mindfulness Meditation:

A 5-Minute Breathing Meditation To Cultivate Mindfulness. This practice is designed to reduce stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, cool yourself down when your temper flares, and sharpen your concentration skills.

Learn more About Mindfulness:

Explore the science of mindfulness, learn how to meditate, and how to practice mindful movement, plus dispel some of the myths of mindfulness with Mindful's Getting Started Guide.

Becoming more aware of where you are and what you're doing, without becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around you. Read More

As more and more of us seek mindfulness guidance and instruction, where should we turn to find teachers and programs we can trust and recommend? Read More

Your day-to-day activities offer ample opportunities to call up mindfulness in any moment. These simple practices will breathe space into your daily routines. Read More

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What is mindfulness? Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing? Here's the Mindful definition of Mindfulness.

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Mental and emotional wellbeing - 4th level Health and wellbeing - BBC Bitesize

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4th level Health and wellbeing Mental and emotional wellbeing learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers.

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Worrying is natural. We have evolved to be aware of danger and avoid it.

But worry can make us feel anxious. It might make us avoid doing things. It might make us lose sleep and stop us feeling happy.

It isn't something that we can just decide to stop doing but we can find ways to cope with it.

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Worrying is natural. We have evolved to be aware of danger and avoid it. But worry can make us feel anxious. It might make us avoid doing things. It might make us lose sleep and stop us feeling happy. It isn't something that we can just decide to stop doing but we can find ways to cope with it.

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The Power of Gratitude in Uncertainty | Andy Crisis Wisdom

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Corina Dascalu

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Say "Thank You" - A Motivational Video On The Importance Of Gratitude

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niamh jones

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How stress affects your brain - Madhumita Murgia

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A Social Life | Award Winning Short Film | Social Media Depression

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Unlock hundreds of mood-boosting meditations, relaxing sleep exercises, focus music, and more with our biggest offer of the year.

It's the healthiest, happiest deal you'll find this Black Friday, and it won't last long.

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Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace

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Live a healthier, happier, more well-rested life in just a few minutes a day with the Headspace app.

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We all experience stress at some point. Whether it's daily chronic stress or occasional bumps in the road, stress can sneak up on us at any time.

What you may not know about stress is that it's not all bad. In fact, we can experience eustress, or positive stress, just as frequently as we do negative stress.

What is eustress?

If the idea of positive stress is new to you, you're not alone. Most of us equate all stress with negative experiences.

Clinical psychiatrist Dr. Michael Genovese says we rarely think of stress as a positive thing, but eustress is just that - positive stress. "Exciting or stressful events cause a chemical response in the body," he explained.

Eustress is usually a product of nerves, which can be brought on when faced with a fun challenge. Genovese says this is important because, without eustress, our well-being can suffer.

"Eustress helps us stay motivated, work toward goals, and feel good about life," he added.

What is distress?

In terms of opposites, distress and eustress are on either end of the spectrum. Unlike eustress, distress can make you feel overwhelmed because your resources (physically, mentally, emotionally) are inadequate to meet the demands you're facing.

Licensed professional counselor Casey Lee, MA, says this type of negative stress can lead to anxiety, depression, and a decrease in performance.

Working and living outside of our comfort zone is a good thing. It's when we feel overwhelmed that stress can turn negative. That's what makes eustress such an important part of our overall health.

"Eustress produces positive feelings of excitement, fulfillment, meaning, satisfaction, and well-being," Lee said. He explains that eustress is good because you feel confident, adequate, and stimulated by the challenge you experience from the stressor.

Psychologist Dr. Kara Fasone says eustress is all about sufficiently challenging yourself without expending all your resources. This type of stress empowers you to grow in three areas:

Emotionally, eustress can result in positive feelings of contentment, inspiration, motivation, and flow.

Psychologically, eustress helps us build our self-efficacy, autonomy, and resilience.

Physically, eustress helps us build our body (e.g., through completing a challenging workout).

You can find eustress in all areas of your life. From work and interpersonal relationships to home and family relationships, opportunities to experience positive stress are abundant.

Fasone shares some ways you may see eustress show up in your life:

Eustress at work

An example of eustress at work is taking on a new project that encourages you to leverage existing strengths (which can be incredibly energizing) and requires you to hone existing skills or learn new ones.

Work-related projects will only drive eustress if they're challenging but realistic. If deadlines are unrealistically tight, you're juggling numerous projects (an unrealistic workload), or working with a toxic team culture, you're more likely to experience distress and the negative consequences that come with it.

Eustress in personal interests

Setting challenging goals around your interests or passions is another example of eustress. As humans, we have an innate ability to learn. Learning new things can be challenging. And growing expertise in an area doesn't happen in a straight line.

There's typically that learning stage where you may be absolutely terrible. But you're learning from those mistakes. As you start seeing small wins and continue to build self-efficacy, you're motivated to continue learning and improving.

Eustress and travel

Traveling is inherently stressful, especially when you're exploring a faraway place with a different language and customs.

At the same time, you're immersing yourself in a new and interesting place, with various foods to enjoy, new places to see, and a whole culture to experience.

Although stressful, traveling is an eye-opening experience for many people that's viewed positively.

Eustress and physical conditioning

Physically, eustress is exemplified by challenging your body (e.g., lifting weights) to encourage growth (in this case, strength, stamina, and muscle growth).

In the gym or out on a walking path, you might be jamming out to your tunes and totally zoned into your workout. You may not even realize how exhausting the work has become because you're caught up in the moment.

There's a good chance you already include positive stress in your life. But if you're looking for ways to make eustress a part of your every day, Fasone shares a few ideas to get you started:

Learn something new every day, whether big or small.

Push yourself outside of your comfort zone at work. This may mean taking on a new responsibility or developing a new skill.

Exercise, exercise, exercise!

Learn how to set goals (personal and professional) that are challenging and realistic. Track your progress to hold yourself accountable.

Read about more ways to manage negative stress and improve your health and mood.

Stress, whether positive or negative, is a normal part of life. We may not have control over some of the negative stress we experience, but we can look for ways to include more eustress in our life.

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We all experience stress at some point. Whether it's daily chronic stress or occasional bumps in the road, stress can sneak up on us at any time. What you may not know about stress is that it's not all bad. In fact, we can experience eustress, or positive stress, just as frequently as we do negative stress.

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Resilience but what is it? Here's 5 ways to build resilience