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I took a 7 day mindfulness journey…here’s what happened.

I took a 7 day wellness journey...here's what happened.

7 days ago I embarked on a mindfulness journey (read all about it right here) to highlight the transformation of Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange in the cool new Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange can discover so much more about the world and do so much good if he just forgets everything he thought he knew. I mentioned in my first post that I'm pretty useless at being mindful, meditating, and everything in between that required less brain power - mainly because I'm a bit of a workaholic and prefer to spend my active brain time doing productive tangible things that have outcomes. I'm a bit A-Type like that.

So what does 7 whole days of working on my personal mindfulness journey look like?

It went a little like this:

  • 1:1 meditation coaching session
    This was a strange one for me. I love the idea of meditation, and the idea of it being guided even more. I don't have to work so hard at keeping my mind still and quiet - but rather listen to someone else's soothing voice. While the experience was definitely soothing, it was a bit more spiritual than my analytical mind could handle. Trying to picture Pegasus flying me to an outer realm and visualising my 'spirit guides' was too hard to grasp. I'm not one to be defeated, so went home and downloaded a popular medi app that was much more on my level. Problem solved. Analytical mind wins again. I've been using the guided mediations and really appreciate what a gift it is to dedicate even just 5 minutes to yourself.
  • Life coaching session
    After feeling a little sceptical (interestingly, an emotion explored in the Doctor Strange film) about life coaching and what it actually meant, I was so pleasantly surprised by what I experienced. Whilst I didn't feel like I had any particular road block in my life with love / career / money at this point in time, I'm not excellent at handling stress. We spoke about triggers of stress and my different stages of action and reaction to it. Understanding that helped us map out a new reaction response - a more healthy, positive one - that I have been implementing for a few days now. It's working like a charm and I'm feeling much calmer.
  • My own yoga practice
    I've been working on some poses that open me up mentally and physically. I certainly haven't mastered them, but can definitely feel the benefit. A challenge whilst being mindful seems to be the only way to tame my frantic mind - and yoga is the perfect anti-dote. A winner for sure. Must practice on a daily basis - even just for 15 minutes before bed.
  • Observing an inspiring mentor
    While the Sydney community is heaving with inspiring women in business, health foodies, wellness gurus and more, for this challenge I wanted to turn my attention to someone I haven't had too much interaction with. Melissa Ambrosini - author of Mastering Your Mean Girl, teaches thousands of women how to tame their inner critic. At a wellness event I attended on the weekend, she spoke to a crowd of over 500 women, but in a strange way felt like she was talking directly to me. She's killing it in business, managing a blog, just released her first book and is still finding the time to live a very balanced life, with plenty of time for meditation and whatever else she needs for total wellbeing. Feeling inspired, I plan to start working on my own mean girl very soon. She's frustratingly hard work.

While I haven't totally flipped my world in 7 days (nor would I want to), I'm definitely on a path to greater wellbeing, with a more positive mindset to boot.

When you open your mind to new things, positivity flows in. You make room for more good.

It couldn't be better demonstrated than in the new Doctor Strange film - out in cinemas right now (it opened on 27th Oct, so you might just have missed the mad rush). Prepare to be amazed by out-of-this-world graphics, and an awesome story of discovery and healing. Perhaps you can use it as an excuse for some much deserved down-time of your own. See you in the theatre Fitties. xo

 

*Editor’s Note: This article is proudly sponsored by Marvel. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make The Fit Foodie Blog possible. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Sally O'Neil - Editor in Chief

Sal is on a mission to prove that healthy and nutritious doesn’t have to be boring – and that even while staying in shape you can have your cake and eat it too. After losing 14kg from adopting a healthier lifestyle, she shares her journey with others on The Fit Foodie Blog. She also works as a commercial food photographer and stylist, is studying a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and is the author of two cookbooks: Love Move Eat (Bauer Media, 2017) and Meal Prep Plan (Murdoch, 2019).

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