Video Transcript

I’m Heather Hartman-Hall, a licensed psychologist and the clinical director for behavioral health initiatives at the MedStar Health Center for Wellbeing. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are bringing you some short videos to give you information and tools to help with your mental health and in today’s video, I’d like to focus on a brief mindfulness exercise that can give you the opportunity to take just a very short pause in a busy day to see if it helps with your stress. So if you’d like to join me, just take a moment to sit in what we call a relaxed but supported pose. So you’re sitting or laying down, hands and feet are supported and begin to bring your attention inward. So maybe close your eyes or defocus your gaze and just begin to bring your attention into your body. And I’m gonna lead you through a very brief body scan exercise so begin by bringing your attention to the top of your head and just notice any sensations you can feel there. And as we go through this exercise, I’m gonna invite you to just gently bring your attention slowly down through your body one body part at a time and pause if you notice you’re holding any tension in that body part. And see if you can invite it to soften or release even a little bit. So noticing especially those places we tend to hold tension. Your forehead. Can you soften that a little bit? Let your jaw soften, bring your teeth away from each other. Your tongue down way from the roof of your mouth. Notice the neck and shoulders. See if those can soften. Maybe give them a role or a little stretch. Try to release any tension you may be holding in your chest, your belly, your back. Maybe letting your breathing be a little slower and a little deeper, a little more openness with your breath. Soften your hips, let your legs relax. Soften your feet. Imagine each toe releasing tension. See if your arms can release and be a little softer, your hands open soft, each finger releasing tension. And then maybe take a couple of breaths where as you inhale, you imagine you’re inhaling calm, and as you exhale, see if you can release a little more tension from your mind and body. Inhaling calm,(Heather inhaling)exhale, release tension.(Heather exhaling)I hope this has given you a little moment of pause, a little moment to attend to your own needs and I thank you for being with me today for this.