Inviting Mindfulness As a Person with Diabetes
Getting started with meditation
Meditation is important for so many reasons. One particular way that it positively impacts people living with chronic illness is that it gives us the opportunity to remove ourselves from the distractions of daily life (work, personal obligations, environmental stress, etc.) and live within ourselves for the duration of that moment.
Stillness, reflection, and focused breathing help us to not only manage stress, but also to prevent and/or manage acute and chronic illness, increase happiness, and improve relationships.
Some reasons people find the idea of meditation intimidating because they think they cannot sit still (work your way there!) or that it's only for yogis (anyone can/should do it). There are also moving meditations and ways to integrate this into existing spiritual practice.
Like anything, it takes time and dedication to reap the benefits of meditation, as well as patience to find things that work for you.
Some ways that people can integrate meditation into their life include:
utilizing mindfulness when possible by taking note of emotional feelings, body awareness, taste, touch, and smell, etc. throughout the day
taking a few minutes in the morning before getting ready for work to focus doing the same before bed to wind down and reflect on the day
integrating a gratitude practice
weaving intentional breathing into your routine
There are so many more ways to move through life more mindfully. If you’d like to explore how mindfulness can impact your diabetes and overall well-being, let’s talk about it together.