Latest news with #Mindfulness
Khaleej Times
12 hours ago
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Dubai Sports Council and Anis Sajan unite for International Yoga Day celebration
An energising evening of wellness, mindfulness, and community awaits as Anis Sajan, vice-chairman of Danube Group and a devoted yoga enthusiast, has joined hands with the Dubai Sports Council and the Ministry of Sports to host a special International Yoga Day celebration on June 21 at 7pm at Danube Sports World. Open to all, the event welcomes participants of every experience level to unite in the spirit of global harmony and personal well-being. This year's International Yoga Day is themed ' One Earth. One Health ', highlighting the profound connection between personal wellness and planetary balance. The event will include a calming yoga session designed to help participants relax, refocus, and rejuvenate both mind and body. Attendees will also receive a complimentary yoga mat and goodie bag, enjoy a nutritious post-yoga snack, and take part in an exciting raffle draw for a chance to win a Milano Water Purifier. "Yoga is not just a form of exercise; it's a way to reconnect with yourself, your surroundings, and the world at large," said Sajan. "This year's theme reflects the power of yoga to foster harmony not just within individuals, but across entire communities. It's about peace, balance, and collective healing." The Dubai Sports Council also expressed its strong support for the initiative. "The Dubai Sports Council and UAE Yoga Committee are pleased to partner with Anis Sajan and Danube Sports World for International Yoga Day," said Ahmad Ibrahim Busherin, head of sponsorships and partnership at the Dubai Sports Council. "This collaboration aligns with our mission to promote wellness and healthy living across the UAE. Yoga enhances physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and we're proud to support initiatives that inspire our community to embrace such practices. We look forward to seeing residents come together for an uplifting and meaningful celebration of health and mindfulness."
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Health
- Forbes
2 Habits That Quietly Sabotage Your Emotional Growth, By A Psychologist
Often in life, you can be stuck in your ways without even realizing it. It's not about doing something 'wrong.' However, the patterns you learned to survive difficult times may end up limiting your growth more than supporting it. Often, they're disguised as being practical or assumed to be the 'right thing to do.' While there are many ways to cope or heal, not all of them serve your well-being in the long run. They might have been an urgent way of managing your life while protecting yourself and making sense of the world at a time when emotional survival was hard — and that's something to honor, but gradually let go of. It's important to slow down and reflect, to ask yourself if the ways you've been dealing with pain or trying to heal are helping you grow or keeping you stuck. Even though these habits may now feel almost like second nature, bringing awareness to them can help break the pattern. Here are two habits that might be keeping you emotionally stuck. With awareness about healing and mental health on the rise, there has also been a growing obsession with making everything meaningful. You may have unconsciously absorbed the belief that pain must have a purpose or that every low moment should lead to a lesson, a glow-up or some kind of breakthrough. However, research suggests this isn't always the case and that the process of healing can be more complex than simply finding meaning in pain. A 2022 study published in Cancer Reports explored the impact of an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy program tailored for cancer patients. It was conducted across six cancer care centers with 22 participants. The researchers assessed changes in coping patterns, types of rumination and self-compassion. These are the two types of rumination studied in the research. Exactly 82% of the participants showed clinically significant improvement in at least one area, including reduced negative coping, brooding rumination and fear of self-compassion. However, the study also found that not all introspection was helpful. In some cases, reflective rumination (which usually seems productive) was linked to increased depressive thinking and a few participants experienced heightened distress after the intervention. Researchers found strong correlations between fear of self-compassion and both types of rumination, especially brooding. This suggests that individuals who struggle to receive or show compassion to themselves may also be more likely to ruminate in distressing ways. So, while reflection can be helpful in most cases, constantly analyzing or assigning meaning to distressing thoughts can sometimes deepen emotional distress. We often feel it more intensely when it's coming from a place of fear or self-judgment. Even though self-reflection and different coping efforts are often seen as essential to healing, they don't always impact everyone in the same way. Mindfulness and introspection can reduce harmful rumination and fears of self-compassion for many, but for some, excessive or fear-driven reflection may increase distress. Emotional growth is complex and healing is deeply personal, influenced by individual experiences and intentions. This means coping strategies need to be flexible and tailored to the individual's needs, precisely because what works for one person may keep the other person stuck in life. So, instead of rushing to assign meaning or force a breakthrough, give yourself permission to simply be and understand what will help you. Sometimes, the most powerful healing comes from noticing what truly serves your growth in different seasons of life. When the present feels difficult, many people turn to the past, looking for some comfort. Nostalgia has the power to provide a temporary escape, and it can easily, and unconsciously, become a stubborn habit. You may often find yourself idealizing the past, reminiscing about how joyful those times were. What you might be forgetting is these periods also had their struggles. Nostalgia is a bittersweet experience, one that can evoke varied emotions. However, whether it is going to help you cope or make you feel worse depends on many individual factors. A 2018 study published in Personality and Individual Differences highlights exactly that. The researchers were especially interested in seeing how rumination and coping styles influenced the emotional impact of nostalgia. This was done by conducting two studies. The first study was a survey of 213 participants that assessed their levels of nostalgia, rumination, depression and coping styles. In the second study, 664 participants were asked to self-select a piece of music that made them feel nostalgic. The goal was to compare the perceived emotional benefit of nostalgia with actual emotional outcomes. The findings reveal several key insights. This brings attention to the fact that while nostalgia may seem to provide solace, its impact is different for everyone. It's not just about what you remember, but how and why you're remembering it. When nostalgia comes from a place of avoiding the present, it can block emotional processing and delay growth. This is why, instead of asking whether the past was better, you should try shifting the focus to the present and understand why it feels so hard to sit with. What you must remember is that healing is not about finding your way back to how things were. The process of emotional growth and healing happens in the now — by gently facing what is with honesty and compassion. Emotional growth does not always look loud or dramatic. It is the quiet shift that comes from seeing yourself with more honesty. Pausing and reflecting on your patterns with compassion instead of judgment will help you create space for real change. Is nostalgia clouding your present-day judgement? Take this science-backed test to find out: Nostalgia Scale
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Ready for a Mental Reboot? Sign Up for Our 5-Day Creativity Challenge.
What if we told you there was an antidote to burnout and brain fog? A secret code for a mental reboot? There is, and it's called creativity. Creativity isn't a rare gift reserved for artists. Everyone is creative in some way, whether or not they think so, and research has shown that creative pursuits can improve your well-being and sharpen your mind. You can get better at it, too. Cultivating creativity is like warming up before you exercise, said Jonathan Schooler, a psychologist and director of the Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As you practice creativity, your brain becomes more limber. You become more open-minded and curious. Your mood lifts. Next week, we're going to help you stretch and strengthen your creative muscles. Each day, you'll spend a few minutes completing a stimulating and fun expert-backed exercise, with an explanation of the creativity principle behind it. By Friday, you should feel refreshed and inspired. We hope you'll join us! How to get started To receive each day's challenge, make sure you're signed up for the Well newsletter. You can sign up here or below. If you already receive the Well newsletter, you don't need to do anything. What you'll get An email will arrive in your inbox each morning from Monday, June 2 to Friday, June 6. Once the challenge ends, you will keep getting our weekly Well newsletter, which features guidance to live your healthiest life.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Dancing & gaming among top skills Gen-Z pick up from social media
DANCING and gaming are among the top skills Gen-Z are picking up from social media. A poll of 500 teens aged 13-17 and their parents found budgeting and meditation also made the list of new skills they've picked up. While core life skills such as cooking (66 per cent) and cleaning (62 per cent) are still being passed down from parents, 35 per cent of teens say they're more likely to turn to social media for quick tips and tutorials. It found almost three-quarters (72 per cent) agree social media is a good place for learning new skills, and 10 per cent have used platforms to try out techniques like mindfulness. A further 35 per cent would be willing to try meditation or mindfulness (33 per cent) to relax. The research was commissioned by TikTok, which is rolling out a guided meditation experience to prompt users to wind down for the night with calming music and breathing techniques. The feature will be turned on by default for all under-18s past 10pm. Val Richey, global head of outreach and partnerships - trust and safety, at TikTok, said: 'There's never been more opportunity for young people to discover, learn, and share their creativity. 'But the ability to step back and slow down is just as important. 'More and more, we're seeing teens taking an interest in finding the right balance for them, and we want to help support those decisions.' The research found two-thirds (66 per cent) said it's important to know when to switch off, while 50 per cent agree that trying a new skill improves creativity and builds confidence (49 per cent). And 35 per cent said it makes people feel happier. At the same time, 25 per cent of parents are impressed by their child learning new skills through social media. More than half (58 per cent) say they start exploring a topic simply after coming across it while scrolling. And 91 per cent are likely to use social media as a place to learn new skills in the future. TikTok is also expanding its Mental Health Media Education Fund by donating over £1.7 million in ad credits to over 30 mental health organisations around the world. Val Richey added: 'Whether it's learning a new skill or connecting around shared interests, young people are using platforms in creative new ways. 'Creating space for that kind of growth - online and offline - is something we're proud to support.' A poll of 500 teens aged 13-17, commissioned by TikTok, has revealed the top 30 skills they're learning from social media: 1. Gaming 2. Exercise routines 3. Cooking 4. Doing hair styles 5. Apply make-up 6. Dance routines 7. Drawing 8. Baking 9. A foreign language 10. A musical instrument 11. Coding 12. Painting 13. DIY 14. Self-defence techniques 15. Presentation skills 16. Budgeting and finance tips 17. CV writing 18. First aid 19. Mindfulness 20. How to recycle properly 21. Cleaning 22. How to do CPR on a person 23. Meditation 24. Breathing techniques 25. Sign language 26. Handstands 27. What to do if you fall through ice 28. Crochet 29. How to get yourself out of quicksand 30. How to do CPR on a dog
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Detroiters recognize Mental Health Awareness Month in Campus Martius
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and organizations in Detroit are embracing the many ways we can feel our best. Organizers say the downtown area is a perfect location to remember your mindfulness. On Thursday, Rachel Simone taught a yoga class at Campus Martius. "I think the biggest thing today was connection," she said. Practicing yoga in a place as busy as Downtown Detroit is an important reminder that mindfulness can happen anywhere. "The great thing about technology is you can pop your headphones on and just listen, just breathe, and just take some time to be in your own space, love on yourself, that's one of the things I like to do. Put them headphones on and get into it." The event was organized by the Rian Ryelee Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on serving low- and middle-income people through housing help programs and family stability. This month, in particular, is Mental Health Awareness Month. "Social media makes it seem like we're connected in a really wide way, but there's nothing like being in the energy of other people. Being connected, being able to sit with someone, give someone a hug," said Simone. She said that this month and every month, it's important to remember that it's okay not to feel OK, but good vibes and support go a long way. "Healing and caring grows no matter what," said Simone.
