Mindfulness tips

Mindfulness for a more joyful and satisfied life

Mindfulness promises more satisfaction and joy in life. But what exactly is driving this trend?

Mindfulness means being fully in the present, both physically and mentally. A mindful person focuses on what happens at the moment, without judging it. Many of us find this difficult. We tend to constantly weigh and evaluate things. At the same time, we think a lot about the past, or often worry about current and future issues. This prevents us from being content with where we momentarily are and from concentrating on what lies beyond the scope of our thoughts. When we succeed in distancing ourselves from our thoughts and feelings, we can increase our wellbeing and satisfaction.

Mindfulness for a more joyful and satisfied life

Three short exercises for everyday

Mindfulness exercises can help you to lead a more thoughtful life. You can easily include them in your daily routines because they don't require any aids.

  1. Breath meditation
    Find a quiet place and sit upright. Try to focus on your breathing, for example by counting your inhales and exhales. If other thoughts come up, don't judge them, just stay focused on your breathing. Do this exercise for a few minutes.
  2. Snapshot
    Close your eyes and imagine inwardly that you're moving slowly through the room or landscape. Now open your eyes briefly and imagine that you're taking a snapshot of the moment with your eyes. This way you can concentrate on the images that you snap with your eyes, so to speak, rather than on things that may be bothering you.
  3. Body scan
    This exercise aims to get you to mentally scan the entire body. Lie on your back and concentrate on your breathing. Direct your attention first to the toes, then the feet, moving gradually up the body to the top of the head.

Relaxation can be learned

The ability to relax through mindfulness is an important part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. SWICA supports a number of offers in this area. Regardless of which method you choose, it makes sense to learn it in a course under professional guidance. This will help you to succeed quickly and to deal with stress more effectively in everyday life, thanks to the relaxation exercises. The following methods enable you to become more mindful:

MBSR

MBSR stands for "mindfulness-based stress reduction," a method designed to help you manage stress in everyday life more thoughtfully by calming the mind and learning to relax. MBSR is usually taught as an eight-week course, during which many participants said they learned to become more relaxed and better at enjoying life.

TLEX

The mindfulness exercises in the TLEX courses are designed to help you gain better control over your thoughts and fully live in the present. The aim is to help you become more resilient and strengthen your wellbeing. You will learn breathing techniques and discover new energy sources and ways to reduce stress. The seminars and coaching sessions take between six and ten hours, spread over 30 days.

Progressive muscle relaxation (MPE)

Edmund Jacobson, an American physiologist, developed the voluntary muscle relaxation method back in 1929. He found that muscle tension increases significantly when we become restless or excited. But the reverse also applies: learning to reduce our muscle tension can make us less anxious. As a rule, we can use MPE to positively influence our wellbeing and manage pain relatively quickly.

Autogenic training

This method has also been around for ages. It was developed in the 1920s by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz and involves putting yourself into a kind of trance without any outside help, for example by repeating phrases to yourself that have a calming effect. Autogenic training can make you feel calm and relaxed after practising for a few weeks.

Meditation

Meditation is a form of mental training that can help you become calmer and more relaxed inwardly – not only while you practice, but also when you face stressful situations in everyday life. There are many meditation methods, but they all require you to keep your concentration on one thing. In addition, paying attention to your breathing plays an important role.

Relaxation and mindfulness in everyday life

The pressures and strains of everyday life can take a toll on us. That’s why it’s important to lead a balanced life and boost your wellbeing and health competence. SWICA supports your steady commitment in this area with generous contributions from its COMPLETA PRAEVENTA and OPTIMA supplementary insurance plans.

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SWICA – Because health is everything

Being active pays off. SWICA – unlike many other health insurance companies – supports your personal commitment through a wide range of activities and offers relating to health promotion and preventive healthcare. Whether it's yoga, tai chi, fitness classes, swimming lessons, breathing exercises, personal training, nutritional advice, mindfulness training, tennis or one of the other available options, you enjoy attractive contributions of up to 1'300 francs* per year from the COMPLETA FORTE, COMPLETA PRAEVENTA and OPTIMA supplementary insurance plans (*see detailed information).

Incidentally, supplementary insurance always provides valuable additional benefits above and beyond those available under basic insurance. It can be taken out with SWICA at any time, regardless of which insurer currently provides your basic insurance.

 

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