With everything that has gone on in the past year, it鈥檚 sometimes been hard to find that space to clear our minds of the stress, anxiety and uncertainty and just be 鈥榠n the moment鈥�.

Worries about Covid-19, the impact of the pandemic on loved ones, the concerns about the changes and uncertainty in our lives; all these things probably creep in to our thoughts.

Counselling gives you a safe space to talk about your issues and concerns. A counsellor won鈥檛 judge you and will help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

And on World Meditation Day, some of our members have also been telling us that meditation is one of the processes they may share with their clients.

鈥淢editation offers a way to reset, recharge, regroup, clear our minds, connect with our inner wisdom and (even with the fastest) check in with how we're doing in any given moment to connect with our resources and notice what we need in that moment,鈥� says our member .

Our member says she鈥檚 seen an increase in clients asking about meditation since the start of the pandemic.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen a huge demand for it. It鈥檚 been a phenomenon.

鈥淚鈥檒l bring meditation in to therapy as a way to stabilise the neurosystem. In all the chaos it鈥檚 a way of feeling safe.

鈥淚鈥檝e found it can be really powerful in the counselling session.

鈥淪ome clients can be so fatigued, they don鈥檛 find they have the capacity to concentrate. Meditation can help with tolerance and concentration. It helps them feel that it鈥檚 ok to talk about their stuff.鈥�

Our annual Public Perceptions Survey found that 10% of people were managing their own personal stress levels during the most recent coronavirus lockdown through meditation or yoga.

Eve says there are many reasons that she might talk to a client about meditation and that it has many benefits 鈥� improving mood, reducing rumination, reducing stress and anxiety and more.

She says that in her experience it鈥檚 helpful to therapists too.

"The more grounded and centred we are as therapists, the better able we can hold that space for our clients and supervisees. It can help us separate our own stuff from clients as we reflect during and after sessions," she adds.

Try a mindful minute

Eve says there are many meditations she loves but for simplicity she recommends starting with a mindful minute.

All you need to do is:

  • pause what you鈥檙e doing
  • make yourself comfortable
  • bring your awareness to your breath
  • notice how you鈥檙e breathing and if it works for you bringing that breath down as if breathing from the belly
  • notice if the inhalation is longer than the exhalation, or if they鈥檙e the other way around or if they鈥檙e evenly balanced
  • aim for a longer exhalation to help calm the system
  • keep bringing that awareness back to your breath for a minute
  • if you lose that connection, gently bring it back.

To find a counsellor or psychotherapist who can help you, visit our Therapist directory.