Did you know that men in their midlife are less likely to practice mindfulness, but are among those who can benefit from it the most? Many men were not taught to be mindful, yet will become more stressed if they do not learn how to practice mindfulness. Today I am sharing why mindfulness is important and how it can improve everything from your health to relationships. I also give you tools you can use to calm your nervous system and be more present in your day-to-day life.

If you find your mind racing or you’re unable to take a moment to breathe, this episode is for you. Make sure to share with me your favorite mindfulness tools over on Instagram @celestemooreimage!

In this week’s episode we discuss:

[01:22] Men are less likely to practice mindfulness

[01:54] Coping mechanisms in midlife

[02:40] How can we practice mindfulness?

[04:37] Mindfulness can improve our relationships

[06:10] Different apps to help you with mindfulness

[07:46] Tools that you can use to self-regulate

[11:00] The impact of taking a moment to breathe

[12:03] Other ways to bring mindfulness into your life

[13:37] Share your experience with me on Instagram @celestemooreimage

Men are less likely to practice mindfulness

Men in their midlife are less likely to practice mindfulness but are among those who can benefit from it the most. This does not surprise me because I do not think that men were taught to be mindful. They were taught from a young age to go to school, learn what they can, be successful in a career, get married, have a family, and then retire. And even in retirement, they are told to find something to keep them busy.  

Coping mechanisms in midlife

There are many coping mechanisms we learn in life. Whether it is keeping busy, drinking alcohol, taking medication, or staying buried in work. We do not know how to get out of the rat race of doing and shut these things off. If we do not start to practice mindfulness, we will start to become more stressed. This will have an impact on our physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health.

How can we practice mindfulness?

In simple terms, mindfulness is to be present and fully engaged in whatever we are doing at the moment, free of distraction. Meditation is the number one way to shut down the mind. This skill does not happen overnight, it takes practice. Meditation can help to manage stress, improve our emotional regulation, and enhance resilience. It allows us to be more present with the people and experiences that we love in our lives. Life is short, we need to learn how to self-regulate.

I am currently losing hair because of moments of high stress. This takes months to fill in again and then if I am under stress, another bald patch will appear. Right now I am learning how to regulate my stress so that my body can be happy and healthy. 

Mindfulness can improve our relationships

Mindfulness can significantly improve our relationships, family, and personal lives. If you are a parent, think of a time when your child was young and you were busy on the phone. You might remember them asking why you are on the phone so much and you would miss moments with them. We felt like we had things to do but if we just put the phone down for 15 minutes and were present, it could have made a world of difference. 

When we take 15 minutes to be present, we can make beautiful memories with our loved ones and connect in ways that would have never happened if we were distracted. Even though we all have busy lives and people depend on us, we all need to learn how to be present with the ones that we love. At the end of the day, they are what matter the most to us.

Different apps to help you with mindfulness

Some ways that you can learn to be fully present and cherish these moments is to use different apps like Insight Time, Headspace, or Calm. I love using these apps because they have different tools within them, one being sleep meditation music. This has been life-changing for me because sleep has always been an issue. My mind races at night and it has been helpful to have something to combat those thoughts.

Tools that you can use to self-regulate

Let’s imagine that you are going into a million-dollar meeting and you are really nervous. How can you calm your nervous system? I want you to use this exercise: 

-Take three deep breaths

-On the exhale, release all of the nervous energy

-Take 30 seconds to soak in the calm of your mind and body

This is a great way to self-regulate and you will walk into that meeting more focused, clear, present, and calm. Mindfulness walks are another tool that you can use. It can be at lunch or in the morning. Instead of picking up your phone first thing when you wake up, go outside on a 15-minute walk. Look at nature, smell the fresh air, take in the colors, and feel your feet hit the ground. I want you to experience nature on your walk and then come back and attack the day. As we age, we plateau in our careers, we have health issues, and there are major stressful moments that we need these tools for. If we do not have them, we are going to be in constant state of chaos and that will not help anyone. 

The impact of taking a moment to breathe

I recently went on a big podcast and before we started to record, she had us take a minute to breathe, calm our nerves, and center ourselves. This allowed me to go into the interview way more engaged and focused on her and the questions she was asking. If you are having a difficult time using these tools, start with one to three minutes a day. Even micro-meditations can be very helpful. Start slow and steady then work your way up. 

Other ways to bring mindfulness into your life

There are many other ways that we can bring mindfulness into our lives. We can use gratitude in the morning and evenings. We can also use mindful eating. This means we put our phones down, turn the TV off, sit at the table, and eat slowly. Make sure that what you are eating has nutritional value and will positively impact your body. 

You can also journal for self-reflection. I always recommend writing down 3 wins at the end of every day because it will set you up for success. We can start to notice how we show up and will become better in life. Journaling is a great way to understand the obstacles we face and how we can maintain a healthy emotional and mental state.

Share your experience with me on Instagram @celestemooreimage
I hope that these tools will help you to be more mindful and enjoy your life. I invite you to share your experience with mindfulness with me over on Instagram @celestemooreimage. I am learning these things as I go as well and I would love to hear what else has worked for people. Life is short, let’s regulate our stress because we are all full of it. We all have to take these moments to soak in self-love, be mindful, and be present.