Mindful Occupational Therapy Practice

15/01/2025

Bringing awareness to the movement we ARE doing….

Mid-January….a time for rest & reflection? Or maybe we’re pulled into a sense of ‘should’ be doing this or that, or maybe we’re feeling frustrated because our mojo just isn’t there…….

It’s the time of year when our body can get a lot of focus – pressure from the world we live in with new year resolutions, bombardment from newsfeeds of how we can increase our physical activity, get fitter, lose weight – we can feel a sense of pressure as to what we ‘ought’ to be doing more of, comparing ourselves to what others are doing, maybe adding to a sense of apathy that was already there…

These messages can feel even more loaded to those of us living with health challenges of pain, fatigue, low mood, anxiety, the impact of chronic stress & the heightened impact of living in a body that’s in discomfort, feels heavy, lethargic, stressed or tense a great deal of the time, maybe a body that we don’t actually like much being in….

We all know our bodies benefit from moving, that it’s good for our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, yet it’s generally layered in the role of physical activity & that’s fine for some of us to go forth and explore, to hit the gyms or other similar activity.

However, in my sessions, I like to bring a focus on movement as a whole, maybe for some it may be movement that we can potentially build on over time to support a longer-term aspiration of building up physical activity…..maybe in time for the warmer spring months…..

But, as a starting point it’s also about cultivating a sense of care & compassion to ourselves & our body, & so building on a really beneficial connection with our body:

-bringing awareness to how we actually move through the day, what movements we’re doing already, and yes, let’s harness an awareness that we’re moving more than we realise…

-let’s invite an intention of exploring how we might move our body with a bit more awareness, a bit slower or with a bit more gentle care, how we might move & align with our own breathing rhythm, how we can bring a bit more awareness (and understanding) of our (sometimes strong) emotions moving through our body and maybe ease up on how we’re moving through the day ….

-inviting an awareness to the range of motion in our body during even the most regular of movements, the most regular of daily activity (which is so automatic and we probably don’t even realise…..)

-all the different components of our body moving to do automatic tasks of reaching, holding, walking, standing, our body moving as we adjust it during sitting, laying down, resting…..so much there to explore and bring a gentle awareness to!

So, what movements might you begin to bring mindful awareness and gentle curiosity to through your day?
Here’s some from me:

-just aligning my posture & breathing in as I gently lift and rotate both shoulders back, breathing out as they come to rest – doing this a few times (& realising how much my poor body has been hunched over my laptop writing this & how tense my shoulders felt!)

-tuning into the movement of my arm, wrists, hands, fingers as I sit stroking my dog

-bringing awareness to my posture as I take a walk outside, again it started with a little shoulder roll stretch and then moving on to an awareness of my legs moving, feet touching the ground over and over…..
yes, my mind was going off into thinking loads but I kept reminding myself of bringing my attention back to the anchor of my feet over and over…bringing a gentle awareness back to my body moving in each moment after moment….

-moving from laying to sitting up on the sofa – slowly breathing in as my body moved to sit up, ooh and a nice long out breath as my body came to rest to sit (we can intentionally support a connection of breath and body to such everyday movements – it’s all a gentle awareness of how we are moving!)

Just spending a few minutes writing this, and there are so many more movement patterns I could recount…..I’m moving more than I realise!

In the world of mindfulness, this is all about exploring how we can bring mindful movement practices into our everyday, how we can support a connection with our body and towards being a bit more present, out of our heads, helping to support a balance and calmness in our body over time…

Whilst this might present as a simple concept, its challenge is actually practicing mindful awareness of our body moving through the day, through activity – there are so many distractions!

How did/do you find it?

For so many reasons we can be disconnected from our body & ‘in our heads’ and for a body that’s in pain, discomfort, fatigued, stressed, this can make movement even more challenging.

I’m going to be exploring this theme further through my blog writings, so keep a look out if you’re interested.

I’m writing one now about today’s post in more detail, but I’m a slow writer! It won’t be long…..please also feel free to reach out via email if you’re interested in exploring further support for your self-management – natalie@mindfulotpractice.com

Happy Mid-January Movement exploring & warmest wishes

Natalie

09/01/2025

So, here's to 2025...

I’ve been working behind the scenes to slowly build up my practice and as we begin the new year of 2025, I feel now is the right time for me to put myself and my new venture fully out there.

In my Mindful Occupational Therapy Practice, I deliver personalised online therapy sessions.
It’s a supportive, therapeutic, holistic therapy for mental health management, chronic pain & fatigue management and supporting mental, physical & emotional wellbeing.

I love the work I do, I’ve got many years of clinical experience in the NHS and worked with many wonderful clients along the way, enabling me the true honour of standing in their shoes as best I can, learning from them, understanding them, hearing them, seeing them, validating their experiences……I hope I may continue this journey, doing what inspires me & supporting people in their recovery pathway towards living their lives more fully….

My blog post below goes into more detail of what I offer in my sessions.

https://mindfulotpractice.blogspot.com/2025/01/what-does-mindful-occupational-therapy.html

Please feel to reach out

Warmest wishes

Natalie

Mindful Occupational Therapy Practice delivers personalised online therapy sessions. It’s an holistic therapy for mental health management...

09/01/2025

Slow, snowy day here in the UK.....feeling a bit discombobulated & then this little contemplation meditation pops up.....a re-set & gentle reminder, just watching the snowy, cosy animation a calming re-set for next steps of my day!
If you haven't come across Mindfulness Association before, it's a lovely resource, very generous in its free offerings and teachings, enjoy!

In-Depth Compassion Based Mindfulness TrainingJOIN US FOR FREE GUIDED MINDFULNESSFree Daily Online Guided Meditation Practice10.30am & 7pm Monday - Friday (U...

19/12/2024

Something to immerse yourself in maybe....

🎄 Compassionate Christmas Film Highlight: "It’s a Wonderful Life" 🎄

The festive season can bring joy, but it also presents challenges, especially for those living with chronic pain. In these moments, showing yourself compassion is essential.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a timeless masterpiece that reminds us of the immeasurable impact one person can have. George Bailey’s journey, guided by an angel, beautifully highlights the power of love, community, and human connection.

💙 Explore Andy Jeffrey’s full list of compassionate Christmas films: https://ow.ly/iCrI50UsB61

17/12/2024

I’ve been able to ease off the festive commitments, ease off the expectations that this time of year can bring for so many of us.

I’ve borrowed a phrase from someone in my connections on LinkedIn – it’s not my festival – and this year it feels ok to ‘own’ this.

I know some people love the festivities and I apologise if I’m putting a downer on things.

Still, my teenagers are totally happy for a simple festive break, no travelling to do. I’ve cleared it with family – my side and their late father’s side…..a simple act of setting little boundaries for myself and living a simpler life, plus, none of us want the pressure this year & that’s ok…

I’ve reflected how this time of year has always been a challenge for me, where it’s left me always feeling quite drained.

I figured it was the frenetic energy that went hand in hand with added commitments and extra errands. Also, coinciding with previous pressures at work, particularly in mental health settings - the challenges the festive occasion posed for so many of my clients, as well as the potential isolation caused by statutory services closing down for a few days over the holiday period.

Yet, I still feel extra tired, despite easing off from traditional commitments and my work now being less demanding, although seriously not as ‘drained’ mind…..

Refraining from over-analysing, I’m gently reminding myself of the impact of nature’s rhythms on my body clock, on my energy, on my daily habits as we’re heading towards the shortest day in daylight hours, nature’s sign to ease up on ourselves if we can…..

So, I’ve been able to tap into a good old bit of self-compassion, showing a bit of gentle care to myself & had a little quiet word with myself before I flopped onto the sofa last night, getting ready to doze through my new drama..….

I went off to bed earlier instead, set my morning alarm a little later……actually had 7 ½ hours sleep……maybe this could be a pattern to recharge during this shorter daylight hour period for me?
Maybe I could still gently review it afterwards too and keep it up for a while longer?

What might any shifts in self-compassion look like for you, any shifts in gentle care for yourself as you engage in the activities of the next week or so?

Wishing you well in this & warmest wishes

Natalie

Oh & If you’re interested in reading more about self-compassion and it’s role in supporting us, as well as it’s challenges in doing so, here’s a link for a recent blog post I wrote, it’s one of my favourite topics!
https://mindfulotpractice.blogspot.com/2024/11/introducing-role-of-self-compassion-for.html

12/12/2024

Re-charging with emotional rest can be so beneficial for people living with ‘invisible’ health conditions of fatigue, pain, chronic stress, mental health challenges or feeling a sense of emotional overwhelm or burnout.

It’s this ‘invisibility’ to others – whether at home, in the workplace, even in healthcare settings – which can often make it hard to take time out to rest.

When we don’t feel understood, heard, listened to, or validated we can experience a range of strong feelings and emotions.

We can feel lazy if we rest, and we can get into the habit of masking our symptoms as people just don’t understand and we don’t have the strength to keep justifying our needs.

Along with the signs our body & mind may be giving us that we need to rest, we can still feel bad about ourselves if we do need to take time out to rest.
This can lead to strong emotions like feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, impatient, despairing, sad……which drains our emotional energy even more.

We can also have strong emotions around this time of year whether more happy or joyous ones, to feelings of overwhelm, sadness or isolation that this time of year can bring up for us.
Emotions use up energy, whatever end of the spectrum they are, and we can feel more pressured to join in with things at this time of year, spend more time socialising, which all uses up our emotional energy.

So what is Emotional Rest?

This type of rest is really about recharging our emotional energy, and is particularly helpful for people who have a tendency to be greatly empathic or have a lot of responsibility for others, alongside managing their own challenging health needs.
It’s about supporting a restorative quality, a peace in our mind and body so helping to instil a sense of emotional balance and emotional wellbeing.

What might Emotional Rest look like?

It can start with ‘allowing’ ourself to rest, even if it’s a mini ‘comfort break’. It can start with a sense of easing up on ourself, showing some kindness, like we might do to a friend whose body was in pain or discomfort, who needed to take the weight off their feet, who needed some gentle care.

I see it as an exploration of those gentler, calmer activities that tend to go a little un-noticed but can have great value in anchoring & steadying our emotions, allowing our mind and body to calm and inviting some peace, potentially away from the world for a little time if we can.

It can involve a gentle immersion in seeing things of beauty, awe, or wonder, those little things we might see in nature – maybe a place close to home that we can immerse ourselves in quietly, maybe it’s a short walk around parts of our local park, maybe just looking up at the sky....

It can involve being selective in how we can immerse ourselves in certain ‘gentle’ programmes, listening to ‘calming beauty’ of certain music, reading passages of favourite ‘go to’ books, listening to a relaxing visualisation practice.

It can be about adding a layer of comfort while engaging in any of the above activities – for me, it can look like curling up on the sofa with a soft blanket – a simple, intentional act of bringing comfort can help support a gentle move towards self-care & self-compassion for ourself, which is really helpful for emotional rest.

It can be about bringing a gentle intention of ‘no phone-scrolling’ whilst we’re immersing ourselves in a programme or listening to music.

This helps to make emotional rest as restorative as possible so we’re not caught up in the ‘emotions’ of other’s stories or challenging news feeds…there’s a time and a place for all this and maybe when we’re feeling a little more energised….

It can be supported through spending time with people who help us feel at peace in our emotions – whether in person or online…

Building on emotional rest can also be supported through getting to know ourselves more, but the above is a start.
I’ll be writing further on this for a blog piece and will share the link here.

Warmest Wishes
Natalie

11/12/2024

OK, so I am a bit of a Keanu Reeves fan, but also like to see myself as a 'life long learner' and interested to explore the Japanese art of 'kintsugi' too!

Keanu Reeves once said: "Pain changes shape, but it never disappears. You can’t control what hurts or breaks you, but you can control how you choose to move forward. Fight for what you love, because no one else will do it for you. Every moment in your life is an opportunity to change who you are. Don’t define yourself by what you lost, but by what you do with what’s left."

In these words, Keanu Reeves captures the essence of resilience. Much like the Japanese art of kintsugi, our scars are not the end but a vital part of our story. Our wounds transform into strength, just as cracks repaired with gold make an object more beautiful and unique. Through the process of overcoming, we become stronger and more radiant.

10/12/2024

It’s the middle of the afternoon, my phone’s running out of battery, ooh let’s just plug it in to re-charge..…if only it was so easy to re-charge our body & our minds through such a ‘simple’ process…..

The type of re-charge & rest we need can really vary, depending on what we’re doing, time of day, how our body is feeling, how we’re feeling in our mood, energy levels, other demands on our time......

This time of year, the wintry festive season can all serve to impact on our energy levels and wellbeing in very different ways for us all.

The role of rest and re-charge can be even more important at this time of year for people living with the impact of fatigue, pain, chronic stress and mental health challenges on their daily lives.

Yet, sometimes, it can feel that the rest we’re taking just isn’t helping…..

How many of us have a ‘toolbox’ of rest activities that can begin to support nourishing rest for us, can begin to support us with the rest that we need more of, that our body needs, or maybe it’s more of what our mind needs?

Sounds a bit indulgent, maybe….but it’s a real area of special interest for me….and I’m going to be posting about the different types of rest and what it might look like for each of us over the forthcoming period.

It’ll start with Emotional Rest, I’m just writing it up!

Warmest wishes

Natalie

08/12/2024

I haven’t posted on my page for such a long time……I’ve been behind the scenes slowly building up my practice, but the truth is, I lost confidence in what to post, not really being sure of what to post or where to start……
I’m now in a thankful position where I’ve slowly moved towards my light, feeling a sense of release and freedom as to the kind of things I want to write about, and what I want to put out there into the world.

It’s come about through basically recognising and acknowledging to myself how much I’ve been in burnout over the years.
It’s been a high functioning burnout, mind - keeping everything together as a single parent; let’s not forget being a ‘warrior’ woman; working in busy, demanding healthcare settings and always feeling I could do more; studying for a masters to secure my future a little more; managing ongoing personal stressors; ongoing demands of managing life stuff….
I’ve reflected massively on how I was actually able to keep this slow-building burnout at bay, how I was able to keep up with a constant ‘pushing through’ of my life…..and yes, it was through practicing my mindfulness practices as best I could, bringing mindfulness into my everyday life, and generally keeping an eye on my wellbeing outside of work…..I was coping ok…..I was ‘surviving’ better than some, maybe…

And then a sudden family bereavement…..my body effectively ‘crashing’….. having to take some time off work……and you know, it was only when a respected colleague stated I was in burnout that I really felt able to ‘allow’ myself to take time out from my life – for me and for my family….

Time has since moved on and my life has changed direction. I became my own Occupational Therapist & Mindfulness Practitioner for a time, really getting to know myself again, understanding myself, building on what was helpful, bringing awareness to what wasn’t so helpful and supporting myself to make shifts in this.

Yet, it’s only through writing down about my experiences of burnout have I really been able to fully acknowledge it to myself, even now……it’s this that has helped me see more clearly, to really ‘own’ my experience and move towards my light…..and I hope it may also be the start of my ‘new life’ on social media too!

I’ve written more about this in my recent blog post on ‘Exploring Burnout – the challenges of acknowledging it, reflections on where to start and what can help’.
Here’s the link if this has resonated with you at all and you want to read more:
https://mindfulotpractice.blogspot.com/2024/12/exploring-burnout-challenges-of.html

Please feel free to message me, share, comment….
Warmest wishes
Natalie