Follow Ian Jones as he embarks on a month of mindfulness

The world feels a little chaotic. While time is the most valuable tool we’ve got, we’re all busy and we tend to cram and overload our days. My moments of mindfulness help me reset and declutter my head, especially when I’m moving from one activity to the next. This means I can be present and give each thing – whether it’s meetings, family time or training – the attention it deserves.

Being mindful can be as simple as connecting with your breath, having a drink of water, or even focusing on a spot on the wall – whatever works to bring you back to the present.

Through Mindfulness Month, I want to learn that it’s okay to prioritise my needs and take some time out to sit, reflect and reconnect with  myself. That’s not being selfish. Ultimately, the more you look after yourself, the more you can give to those around you. 

The best part about mindfulness is that you don’t have to change who you are to practise it. We all have it in ourselves to live in the moment and focus on the task at hand.

The key is making a commitment to yourself. Write your goals down and add them to your schedule. Small steps ­– five or ten minutes a day of mindfulness ­– can make a big difference. I’m hoping my month of structured mindful practice will be simple and sustainable, so it’ll become a habit.

In preparation for my journey in August, I downloaded a guided meditation app – Groov by Mentemia – and drew up a routine. I’ll start with five minutes every morning, which may grow as the month goes on – and, of course, I’m looking forward to earning AIA Vitality points when I extend them to ten minutes each.

Mindfulness Month is an initiative by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, with support from The Kindness Institute. These are two organisations I really believe in.

The Mental Health Foundation gives us all the tools and knowledge to handle the stresses and anxieties of life, and I also love that I can use my AIA Vitality points to donate to this important cause.

The Kindness Institute is particularly important to me. It’s based on Te Ao Māori (the Māori worldview) and what we can learn from it. Not just here in New Zealand, but Indigenous cultures all around the world can teach us so much about mindfulness – there’s so much to learn about caring and sharing. By encouraging your network to sponsor your month of mindfulness, you’ll be helping these organisations on their shared mission to better support the mental health of all New Zealanders. 

Those of us who have registered for Mindfulness Month receive valuable tools to help us through the programme.

The free mindfulness journal will help to keep us accountable and to schedule that time into our daily routines, as well as let us see our progression. The email prompts will keep us engaged, and the Facebook group will help keep us connected. Like so many others out there, I get inspired by hearing stories of people achieving their goals. When you build a community of like-minded people, amazing things can happen.

I invite everyone to join me and take part in Mindfulness Month. I’m really looking forward to hearing your stories, sharing everyone’s journeys and being part of an important community.