Believe!
When it comes to achieving our dreams, overcoming the obstacles of acceptance, navigating the challenges of our brain injuries it’s so important that we believe we can. Get up if you fall. Try again. BEST is here to stand 
with you!
We’ve got great articles to help you understand your brain injury, grow and heal.
Check out the categories to the right of this post.
#WinningWednesday #empoweryourbrain
Our second mindfulness feature in our #MindfulMonday series is about listening.
I’ll bet there have been times you felt like the person you were talking to was so busy thinking of their response they didn’t listen to what you were saying. Or you’ve been interrupted mid-sentence. Perhaps you noticed that someone was distracted while you were speaking.
You’ve probably even missed what someone was saying to you because you were so focused on your response. You’ve probably even interrupted someone mid-sentence with your own thought that may not have even been related to the conversation. Since we’re being honest, your mind has wandered on occasion and you’ve missed all of what someone else was telling you.
These things are common. They’re even more common after a brain injury as we navigate social situations, business meetings, school lectures and more. Listening is difficult. But there are benefits to mindful listening.
Benefits include
Self-awareness – Mindful listening helps you to become aware of your physical and mental presence throughout a conversation and is a critical part of being mindful because it allows you to be present in the moment.
Empathy – When you are practicing mindful listening you increase your ability to best relate to how the person you are speaking with feels. Taking the time and energy to share what the other person is feeling give you a sense of being in someone else’s position and to really listen to what they are saying to you.
Focus – It takes a lot of attention, and intention, to focus on listening to others when they are speaking. Did you know that the habit of focus will affect other aspects of your life, too? As a result you will gradually become able to focus on tasks, learn how to slow down racing thoughts, and even block out distracting noises to pay attention only to what is being said to you.
The exercise for this week is a little “self-listening.” As you learn to listen to your inner voice, the beat of your heart, the thoughts you have at any given moment, you’ll begin to be a better listener when you are in conversations with others.
Step 1 – Sit upright in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting in your lap.
Step 2 – Center your attention on your heart beat.
Step 3 – Listen to your heartbeat. What is it saying to you?
This exercise can be done at any time and is a great way to get in touch with how your body feels, what messages it is sending you. You can listen to your heart today, your breathing tomorrow, your stomach on another day, and so on.
 | Gloria's career as an independent nonprofit consultant, trainer, and writer spans over 30 years giving her lots to talk about. She has a deep passion for sustainability, both environmentally and organizationally. Enjoy her perspectives on community, development, and tales from her virtual world travels. |
Today our #MindfulMonday focus is a body scan exercise. This simple exercise can be done frequently as you want. As you get to know yourself and become more familiar with what is happening in your body you will be able to better explain things when you meet with your health care practitioner.
This exercise is usually done lying flat on your back with your arms to your sides. You can lie on your bed or comfortably on the floor. You can also do this seated in a comfortable, but supportive chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting in your lap. you want to be as comfortable as possible.
For each step of this exercise, spend a minute or two paying attention to how each part of your body feels. Is there any pain, soreness, stiffness, tingling, or other sensations? Make note of any areas of your body where you don’t feel any sensations at all or that may be hypersensitive. The entire exercise takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
Step 1 – Start by relaxing your body and paying attention to your breathing. Notice the rhythm of each breath and how deep or shallow your breath is. Don’t change the way you breathe. Simply pay attention and experience breathing.
Step 2 – Begin to focus your attention on how things feel. What does the texture of your clothing feel like against your skin? Are your socks warm? Does the carpet feel fuzzy beneath your feet?
Step 3 – Pay attention now to each part of your body, starting with your feet. Focus on any sensations you have in your toes, the arch of your foot, your ankles. Do you feel any tingling, soreness, or stiffness? Is there an absence of sensation?
Step 4 – How do your legs feel? Again, pay attention to any sensations, pain, or sensitivity you may be feeling. Do your legs feel cramped or heavy? Do they feel strong?
Step 5 – How do your knees feel? Do they feel tight? Are they sore? Do they feel stiff or comfortable?
Step 6 – How do your thighs feel?
Step 7 – Pay attention now to your and hips, buttocks, tailbone, pelvic bone, genitals.
Step 7 – How does your abdomen feel? Are you feeling gassy or is your stomach upset? Are you feeling hungry? What about your skin? How does your clothing feel against your skin?
Step 8 – How does your chest feel? Do you feel the beating of your heart? Pay attention to the rhythm of your heart. Notice, too, the rhythm of your breathing.
Step 9 – How does your back feel? Is there soreness in your lower back? Do your shoulders feel heavy or light? As in the previous steps pay attention to any sensations, soreness, stiffness, pain, or sensitivity you may or may not be feeling.
Step 10 – Pay attention to your hands. How do your fingers feel? Are there any sensations in any of the joints? How do your palms feel? What about the back of your hands and your wrists?
Step 11 – How do your arms feel? What sensations, if any, are you experiencing in your lower arms, elbows, and upper arms?
Step 12 – Now pay attention to your neck. Do you notice any sensations; tingling, soreness, ease of motion?
Step 13 – How does your head feel? Your face? Let your attention scan over your jaw, your lips, nose, cheeks, ears, and eyes. How does your forehead feel? How does your scalp and top of your head feel?
Step 14 – Allow yourself to sit for a moment. Slowly open your eyes. If you did this body scan lying down take a moment or two to comfortably sit up.
At this point, you should feel relaxed and have a better sense of how each part of your body feels. As you do this exercise more often you will be able to notice changes in your body that will help you better manage your wellbeing interact with your health care provider.
If you would like to do this as a guided exercise watch this video narrated by Jon Kabat Zinn.
“The things that make me different are the things that make me.” Let’s hang on to that as our #SuperheroSunday mantra and keep in mind that with all our uniqueness and difference we are one community. #BESTcares
Best has offered you many #MotivationMonday images, quotes, and other encouragement over the years. Throughout 2020 we continued to offer these messages and learned that the most important topic of conversation has been self-care.
Hand in hand with self-care is the notion of mindfulness. Mindfulness is more than just being aware of what is going on around you at any given moment, but what is, also, going on inside of you. What are you thinking? What are you feeling? What are you doing “right now”?
When you embrace the moment, allow your thoughts to be just what they are – thoughts – and give yourself time to slow down you are taking care of yourself.
Our goal is to help you carve out a moment of self-reflection, a time to ground yourself and reflect on what’s happening in the moment, what’s good in your life, and how you are feeling. Each week for the rest of 2021 we’ll post an image, video, or article to help you on your journey to living a calmer, healthier, more mindful life.
Here is an exercise you can do anytime you like and as often as you like. This exercise takes about 5 minutes:
Step 1 – Sit in your favorite chair or someplace comfortable.
Step 2 – Breathe in. You don’t have to count. It doesn’t have to be deep. Just breathe in. (Remember to breathe out. Don’t hold your breath)
Step 3 – Pay attention to whether you are taking long breaths of air or short breaths. Neither is better than the other. At this moment you are simply paying attention to the breath entering your lungs and releasing.
Step 4 – Feel your breath as you inhale. Notice if the breath fills your lungs or if it is more shallow and mostly in your chest.
Step 5 – Shift your focus and listen to the sounds around you where you are. Notice if there Is there a breeze you can hear. Perhaps it is outside your window. If so you might see a tree swaying or branches rustling.
This is the earth breathing. Feel her breath blend with yours.
The two become one as you breathe in and slowly breathe out.
How do you feel? Do you feel more relaxed than before you did this exercise? If so, bookmark this page and come back often.
