If you’re feeling down, uninspired or a little melancholy; you may have a mindfulness deficiency. It’s not as conventional or obvious as a vitamin or mineral absence, but this mental shortage is major.

Don’t believe us? Take stock of Dr Tim Sharp’s professional two cents on the matter:

“…many of us spend much of our time engaging in and with the world on auto-pilot, mindless of what we’re doing and what’s going on! This is NOT a good thing; it robs us of pleasure, contributes to us repeatedly engaging in unhelpful or undesirable behaviours, and it detracts from our ability to thoroughly enjoy life and happiness.”

When our world is tinted with the grey of mind-less-ness, we can fall into bad habits like thoughtless snacking which after a while, can lead to a nasty surprise around our waistline.

Being mindful can be a tricky concept to grasp, especially if it feels like your mind never stops. Dr Sharp describes it as “observing with curiosity but without judgement, one’s thoughts, feelings, actions or anything in life (including work and even others)”.

It’s not about an active mind, it’s more about narrowing your focus down to what you’re doing in the moment.

This self-care Sunday, check in by setting aside 10-20 minutes to practice mindfulness.

All you have to do is pick an activity to do for your allotted time, and align your mind to that task. Many people reflect on their breath, an object or listen intently to music.

But because it’s Sunday and we’re all about fun, we urge you to take on some child’s play!

Things like Lego, playdough, colouring books, playing with sand at the beach, kicking a soccer ball around, painting or blocks are perfect. Pick something mildly challenging but also something you will enjoy so that it keeps your attention, but won’t make you stressed.

While you play, think about how the activity stirs your senses. If your mind wanders, set it back on track by thinking about the goal you are working towards.

For example, if you’re playing with playdough, zero in on how it feels in your hands as you mould it, the smell, the colour. Keep your mind in the moment by continually picturing what you are making.

Working on maintaining a mindful state will help you be more present at other times in your life, including mealtime! You might even find that you enjoy your activity so much that it turns into a stress-relieving and fulfilling hobby that does wonders for your body and mind.

What is Self-Care Sunday? It’s your weekly reminder to treat yourself, slow down and make sure you’re taking extra special care of number one. Because the first step to long-lasting weight loss is self-love!