It was dreary today. I didn’t make it outside for a proper walk and the promise of yesterday’s spring seemed very distant all of a sudden.

Instead I found myself thinking about a corporate training programme where we discussed mindfulness and the tactics that we can use in everyday life to engage it.

I’m honest enough to say that I struggle with meditation, just eyes shut. It’s rare that I can completely empty my mind of thoughts unless I have something firm to replace them with. And that’s when I discovered that for years, in finding my ‘happy place’ I had actually been practicing a form of mindfulness.

The idea is that you take an image, a screensaver of sorts, that you can bring up in your mind as you close your eyes. An on-demand moment in time that’s guaranteed to calm your brain. 

Very quickly, I went from feeling embarrassed that I couldn’t meditate to feeling fortunate that I had so many of these mental images to draw on. A lovely mixture of moments from my adventures – waters, mountains and skies and loved ones. Pop one of these images in my head and I can calm my mind relatively quickly.

We all need a good screensaver at the moment. 

So today, my theme was screensavers. Whenever I found myself reaching for the news apps or getting frustrated with the fact my current work desk is a coffee table resting on two chairs, I brought up one of my favourite screensavers.

I suppose the idea is that they’re most effective if its a memory bespoke to you but I thought I would share some anyway. Some inspiration at best. At worst, a few pretty pictures!

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If the next few weeks get somewhat overwhelming, perhaps try this technique!