And good evening, everybody, and welcome to our Sunday. Mindfulness. We're actually only doing One full meditation today, because I thought, .

I would introduce you to the 3 good things, being mindful about 3 good things, every day. Again, this is something else that we can do to sustain us during times of difficulty. And so, my hope is that you're, you'll really like that because I think it's just a bit incredible actually, because, just because of its absolute simplicity.

So we usually get a few people, log on a few minutes late. So I'm just going to give people a, just a few more minutes and, See where we get to. So, Hoping that you guys are experiencing some of the What is it?

How would I describe this? Some of the sense of Returning back to a bit of normality. Here in Northamptonshire, we are sort of surrounded by Milton Keynes, which I saw on the news earlier, .

That the, the thought was might go into lockdown. And we've got Leicester on the other border, and we have Bedford just off there to the sort of right, which also they're talking about might go into lockdown. So it kind of feels like we're a little oasis of of, of still maintaining a semblance of staying safe, but it, it was rather nice, I was saying to Meg actually, to Dawn, I went.

For a walk with the dog today and then stumbled across, a pub that was open, and there was only about 4 people, other people in the garden and to sit down in a pub garden, with a beer and the dog and, Nothing else actually, just the beer, the dog, and me, and it was really rather lovely to Just come back to a bit of normality. But my hope is that this will stay and broaden and we'll all benefit from that. So let me move to the first slide.

So you've heard me, those of you. Who have been doing the Sundays, no, I'm a big fan of the great Seligman, the sort of god of anxiety, really, I think, and the father of positive psychology. But I don't think I've ever shared this with you because being vets and, you know, having the training that you have, a lot of vets really like it when we have good, hard, excellent quality research to back up some of the stuff we're doing.

And although the research base for mindfulness in terms of stress awareness is very, very good now, the research base for some of the positive psychology mindful practises gets missed sometimes, but this I thought was really interesting. So this was Seligman and Steen, and it isn't even new this and I, and I had never come across it. And then Academia, this website that send me stuff, sent this to me and I thought, right, well, let's have a look, and went and had a deeper look, so I got the research paper and then I thought, you know, I'm going to share this with the vets on Sunday evening.

So it's about being mindful about just 3 good things, but it's a bit more specific than that. So if you look at the quality of the evidence, this is a randomised placebo controlled study. And It it was just, it was one of those studies that you look at and you think, do you know, this is, this is really well conducted, very good research.

And if you look at the slide, all they did was they got, the participants in this cohort to, write down 3 things that went well every evening for just 1 week. That's it, 1 week. And then once they'd written down something that went well, they then go back to what went what went well, and you sit down and think, so why did that go well?

What did I do to make sure that went well? What was that about? And bringing mindfulness to the The, the, the, the stuff that went well and being mindful enough to actually remember the stuff that went well for when you write it down in the evening.

And if you look at the outcomes of that, and remember it's just they just did it for a week, yeah, every night for a week they wrote down 3 things that went well and then a causal explanation for each good thing. And when you delve into the into the research as, as I did, and I love all this stuff and look, it seems to be, it's that processing of the causal information of the causal explanation that Seligman and Stein. Kind of feel, and this has been replicated this research a number of times and with very similar results.

And as long as you have that causal explanation and if you try to do this without the causal explanation, you still, you still get some gains, but not in the same way. And so About 2 weeks ago I came across this and I thought, well, you know, I'm gonna give this a bit of a go because I love this stuff. And I look at my diary and I see that, I, I've written stuff down like, Let me just find it actually.

So if I have, have a look here, I had a lovely evening with the girls because I had both girls living at home. And then underneath I've put the causal explanation is that for once, Mike, you were trying to just do one thing at a time. So I was giving all of my time to my daughters.

I wasn't writing something or doing a little bit of work or something daft like that and spending time with them. It was actually just spending time with them and immediately read that you think, oh yeah, there's some learning there. That's why it went well.

And so it's just, just over the course of a week. So I tried to do it every day for a week, and actually you're talking about 1015 minutes once a day in the early evening when you first sort of stop work and if you look at the outcomes, the depressive symptoms after just one week came down, they sort of levelled off. For a little bit post test, and then one week after they went down a tiny bit, then they went down, then they went down.

So at 3 months' time the depressive symptoms were still going down, and the evidence seemed to say that you might need to start your 3 good things again, sort of about 5 months because they started the problems or the depressive symptoms started to go up a bit at 6 months. But look at the happiness curve. That's the interesting thing for me, and that would be the interesting thing for Seligman.

So really this is just about bringing mindfulness every day for one week, and I love the fact that we're doing this on a Sunday. So I was going to suggest that me, Dawn, I don't mind doing it for another week. I think it'd be good.

And you guys, why don't we try it and just see, whether we can write down three things that went well, every, every night this week, and, and then a causal explanation. And, and let's see, and, and get it, get back in with you next week. And that just leads me to, point out that I got my dates wrong.

I am going away on holiday, but not. I, I will be able to do the Sunday meditation next Sunday. It's the Sunday after that I won't be around.

So, next Sunday I'm hoping we, we'll be able to do a bit of a call in and see what people thought of three things that went well. So that was the thing I wanted to start with, and I suppose I love it when, when it's easy. And I just looked at this and thought, this is something to take back to your, your colleagues because, it's, it's, it's quick, it's easy, and there's an evidence base for it.

And I just wondered about whether people could take this back to their veterinary practise and we could say to staff, you know, let's all have a go at the three good things because, you know, take my slide, you know, I know the webinar that sends the, sends the recording out. But yeah, share the slides, see what people think, because when it's as easy as this and as quick and as, and it's not time consuming, and it makes just so much sense. So I'm going to ask you all to be mindful of those three good things, write down the causal explanation, and let's see where that takes us for the next week.

And I think, The wonderful Dawn from the webinar that is going to give it a go as well. So we'll see where this takes us by next week. So The meditation that we're going to do tonight.

Is the quiet and the mind and My mind has not been quiet during COVID. I found it really hard to properly switch off cause I'm working from home and me and Dawn were talking about this earlier, and when you're working from home, you sort of finish and But you never really quite finish because the phone goes or text messages come in or you get emails or reminders and you've always got that sense of tomorrow and the room that you were working in, you find yourself in a bit later. So there's there is a a sort of tendency to get the mind to stay a little bit too busy.

And so as the slide says, the answers you seek never come when the mind is busy. They come when the mind is still, and I think there's enormous truth to that. I get some of my absolute best ideas in the middle of a meditation, and then, you know, I smile, I bring my attention back to the breath, but I don't bring my attention back until I sort of, sort of stuck that in a pending drawer in my mind, because if it's a great idea, you don't want to lose it, and the stillness of mindfulness sometimes.

This is something that we need to capture more. So maybe this week we can use this opportunity to really capture some lovely stillness and record 3 things that went well. That's certainly my hope for all of us tonight because .

You know, most of the research studies show that meditation has the opposite effect to the fight flight response, and you know what we know from very good research are that the physiological effects of meditation are this lowered bodily tension, this Improvement in heart rate and respiratory rate as As well as lowered. And consumption of unhealthy foods, there's some evidence base for that, and these effects, you know, have proven to be very good for the body, but there's also the immediate psychological effects of practising meditation, and one of those is certainly that destressing agent that so many people are looking for at the moment. So practising a meditation that just allows us to quiet the mind.

Can be an effective, very effective approach for, promoting emotional balance as well as well as just kind of living a happier life. And so this meditation that I'd like us to really enjoy tonight is a kind of mixture of the meditation of the breath and the body scan, but it's very much about. And finding the compassion and warmth for ourselves.

And recognising that, you know, this is us just finding time. And valuing the importance of ourselves and a moment every day to just quieten. The mind So I am going to record this one again, the quality of these recordings because I'm just doing them straight onto the microphone.

I have a little microphone attached to the iPad and so they're, they're OK, but they're not brilliant. So, but I think sometimes I think that it's nice just to have, Just to have the recordings. So I'm just waiting because The family are a bit noisy at the moment so I'm just waiting for them to quieten down a bit.

And there's Mrs. Scanlon shouting. Harriet.

Excuse me, everybody. Patty. I think they've gathered that I need them to be quiet.

OK. Yeah, thank you, darling. I do apologise, everybody.

My daughter just walked in and said she's just told Mom to shut up. So, I'm probably going to be in deep trouble for that one, but there you go. So let's, I definitely need to quieten the mind now.

So let's, quieten our minds. And if we can get ourselves into a comfortable but not too comfortable position. Gently just begin the process of letting the eyes soften.

And see if you can find that mindful half smile. And it's, it's just a little sort of, I think a mindful half smile sometimes feels a bit like a chuckle. And so there's just a little bit of a smile, the beginnings of a smile.

So That's quiet in the mind. So we just Begin this meditation. By Just beginning to shut our eyes, actually.

And Notice that as we begin to close the eyes, we just start, just closing the eyes, cutting off some of that stimulus. Just begins the process of Starting to relax. And today I'm going to ask you in a moment to take in a really deep breath where we breathe into the, all the way into your tummy and then into your chest.

So it's into the tummy and fill the reservoir of space that's there for the chest. And then we'll just do that in a second and then I'm going to ask you to just empty your lungs. Completely.

So let's try that. So let's just take in a lovely deep breath. And breathe out.

Just empty our lungs. Let's go again. Another lovely deep breath right into the tummy.

Filling the reservoir of the chest. And let go. And these are deep breaths, but they're never strained.

And then never rushed. And again, A really lovely deep breath in. And let go.

But in our minds we're just breathing in. Strength And breathing out any tension. So let's breathe in.

I'm letting go of any tension that we have. And continuing Breathing our way. To a greater Level of muscular relaxation.

And as we continue to breathe right into the tummy. And then filling their lungs. And letting go.

And beginning now to allow your breath to discover its own natural. Unhurried Pace and softening. On returning So just breathing.

Following the breath. All the way in And all the way out we're anchoring our attention. To that breath recognising that with each breath we're contacting a new Unique moment in our lives.

Each breath Just returning us. To the present moment. And present moment focus.

And if ideas Start to empty your mind or thoughts or feelings or Just ideas, really, whatever comes. We just allow them to. Come And to float away.

Without attachment. So we're just being really aware of. The stuff that it comes in.

And we notice it We observe the urge to attend to whatever shows up. And we let it go. We just let it go.

Like clouds passing. Light leaves on a string. Just stuff.

And we breathe. And now You just begin to quieten. And soften And we Move to the sense of hearing.

And we listen To the world that just exists inside us. Here the Chattering of your mind. The thoughts, the Internal dialogue that Sometimes feels like it will never switch off.

And just sit with it. And listen to it. Acquainting ourselves with Any patterns we might find.

Any habits of the mind. Becoming aware of any urge to start planning. Or calculating time or time left or.

Any judgments. Any judgement starting in our own minds. Looking for Or making us aware of never looking.

Just, what am I comparing? I'm finding worries. And just observing them.

Not attending to them. Just observing this stuff, these patterns and habits of the mind. And if your mind.

Dwells on something. Bringing awareness to and a curiosity, why is my brain dwelling there? Perhaps just reliving this stuff over and over.

Like an addiction to thought or memory. And just let yourself let all of that thinking. Yeah.

Just for a moment. Reassure yourself, you know, even if I. Stop thinking.

For just a few moments. It'll be OK. I'll be fine.

I don't have to have this. Attention to my chattering brain. And now let's give ourselves permission.

To just love this moment of quiet. To love this moment without. Calculating.

What we could be doing instead. Just finding That sense of letting go. And Quiet.

Encouraging yourself that You deserve this time out. From this hectic mind of yours. And their frantic thinking.

That we've become so accustomed to. Yeah. So just notice now.

Look, your breath is unstrained, there's calm. And Lovingly Curiously Holding on to this. Quietness.

Just gentle your attention down. And soften. Her toes and their feet.

And Relax if you can. Your ankles. And your knees.

Bring awareness and soften. The muscles. Of the la.

And if you notice your mind beginning to chatter again or to compare. What's a plan, what's a hope. Just let it go again.

Smile at it like an errant child that. Little smile of the eye. Get it, you're back again, but.

Off you go, don't need you at the moment. Just one, just one. And your breathing is still deep.

And relaxed. Bring your attention to your fingers and your hands. And allow them to just soften.

No comparing. No judging. Just so.

Loosening up your wrists and your elbows. So we just begin to relax and soften. Those arms Back to the brass.

Noticing it slow. Peaceful and quiet. Just Feeling your feet and your legs become heavy and warm.

And letting your arms and your hands become. Warm and heavy. My thoughts come just breathing with them.

And letting them go quiet. Focusing on the breath again. Just breathing.

And relaxing Any tension in the body. As we begin to enter a state as peaceful, quiet. Unclench your jaw.

Let it go. Relax your face. Let go of your tongue.

Your heartbeat is now. Joined with the breath and its serene and steady. Just void your mind.

Of all thoughts. Just like Just find quiet. Noticing that your abdomen is soft and warm.

And sitting with that and. Should thoughts come? We watch them go in the way that we watch a cloud guide across the sky.

Your hands are warm. And your breathing is deep and relaxed. We just feel our breath sink lower.

More relaxed and our shoulders drop. We feel our breath. As we breathe, Deep and relaxed.

Hearing the silence grow. As your mind crushes. I relaxed.

Oh. And scented. Your heart rate and your breathing.

But calm and steady. Enjoy the quiet. So.

Allow. And when you know But it's time to leave this place. Of peacefulness and quiet.

Begin to return. Let your breath bring you back. So gently now.

Let's go back to where we started. Let's take a couple of really good deliberate. In this moment, breaths right into the tummy.

Fill the chest and let go. Pause a moment. And again, another deep breath all the way into the tummy.

And the chest and causes. And remember You can return to this place any time you wish. It may only be for a moment.

But in that moment you can find. The sense of peace. That's yours.

This peace belongs to you. Just hold it lightly. And enjoy it and smile at it and remember it.

You keep coming back to it and find it. In the frantic moments. But the days in the week to come.

Very gently open your eyes. Bring yourself back to the room. And just feel the goodness.

That you found in this meditation. Just for a few moments just allow that sense of I'd done good, you know, I. I found time.

I gave myself time. I liked myself during this difficult time we're in now. To just find.

Quiet. Well done. And it's quite a long meditation, but I think And such an important thing to do is to Quiet in the mind, and that's what I've been doing myself, .

And I know you, the very, very busy bets might how you find time. In working from home, if I stop, and every now and then you get a do not attend or you finish a session early and sometimes just stop this last week and that's just quieting that mind for 5, 10 minutes. And it can be as long and as short as you like, that meditation.

But it's, I think it's a nice thing to do, is to just quiet the mind. So be really curious to see how you do with the 3 good things that people. Can bring themselves to do that.

Just looking for anyone, any comments today. Anyone got any thoughts about whether they're gonna find, be able to find 10 minutes, every evening starting tomorrow. To write down your three things that went well, maybe take it back to the practise where you work and maybe one of the good things that you can find is.

Yeah, finding quiet went well today, and why did it go well? Because I found the time just to do it. That'd be rather marvellous, wouldn't it?

So thank you all so much. Thank you, Dawn, for setting it up as always. And, just to repeat, we are here next week.

It's the week after that we're taking a break on the Sunday. So I have lovely evenings, turning into a beautiful evening here. A bit blowy, but rather beautiful still as I look out the window, and enjoy your Sunday evening and see everybody.

Next week. Good night now.