How mindfulness can help you fight stress in UAE

  DUBAI - Stress can take off up to 6 years of your life, experts believe. So how do you stop the years from slipping away? Through the art of mindfulness. In the UAE, as many as 80 percent of people are suffering from stress, according to a survey earlier this year. In fact, office stress in the UAE has increased from 35 percent to 45 percent since 2018, the Cigna health insurance survey found. "Roughly 20 percent of anyone over the age has felt enough stress to have a major effect on your life... sometimes even take up to 6 years off your life,” said TV personality Dr Mehmet Cengiz Öz during a summit in Dubai in February.

Stress reliever

Practicing mindfulness can benefit your health and well-being and combat stress, said Jackie Greenwood, Head of Counselling at Fairgreen International School. Earlier this week, the school launched a series of therapeutic activities for students, teachers and parents to help raise awareness about positive mental wellbeing. "Mindfulness is a compassion-based practice that helps people build their capacity for attention around present-moment living. More now than ever, we hear from students about anxiety and stress in their daily lives. It's almost as if we have forgotten to take note of the small, yet significant aspects of being alive," Greenwood said. "Mindfulness programs help steer people back into being present and having choices about how they respond to the situations they face," she added. Mindfulness techniques are often incorporated into other practices, such as yoga or meditation. According to recent research, mindfulness has several benefits for physical and mental health, including the improvement of moods to reduce depression and anxiety. Mindfulness can also help reduce stress, lowering one's body temperature and strengthening the immune system. It also helps people to cope with chronic pain and improves one's memory and mental performance. Here are some techniques for mindfulness, according to the University of Washington: Mindful breathing – One of the simplest exercises is mindful breathing. Simply spend a few minutes focusing your awareness on the movement of your thoughts and your breath in and out, without trying to change them in any way. Body scan – While seated or lying down, gradually focus your attention on one body part at a time, noticing any physical sensations without judging or reacting to them. A typical body scan might start with the soles of the feet and then progressively move awareness to the knees, hips, back, belly, chest, neck, and head. Mindful eating – This exercise involves eating very slowly and deliberately while paying attention to the sensations of holding the item, smelling, tasting, chewing, and swallowing it. Loving kindness meditation – An exercise in which you direct positive thoughts and wishes first to yourself, then to your close family and friends, then to more distant acquaintances, and finally to all humanity. Mindful movement – While walking or rolling, pay close attention to your breathing, your body movements, and your surroundings. You can also practice mindfulness while doing familiar exercises, such as yoga, focusing on the physical sensations as you enter and hold each pose.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