For most couples planning a wedding can bring a mix of emotions from excitement, happiness, and all the lovely emotions not forgetting wedding planning stress! This is when life coach & happiness expert and The Feel Good Zone host Lydia Kimmerling comes in! Lydia is the founder of Life Cleanse and in this blog she shares her expert advice on how to keep a happy mindset when dealing with the unwanted stress of wedding planning with the help of meditation!
“For so many of us, we dream of this day since being little but the reality of it is, there is so much to do and so many people to please, that it can be easy to let it all get on top of you.
I’m a life coach and happiness expert, on the 30th of September in Birmingham I’ll be sharing my tips on how to have a long lasting and happy relationship but in case you can’t make it, I wanted to share one of my favourite tools for maintaining a happy mindset when you have a lot on your ‘to do’ list.
Planning is something that we do using the front part our brains, (our prefrontal cortex) and when we over use this part of our brain, like planning something as big as our wedding day, it can cause us a lot of stress. Because our body senses stress as danger it produces cortisol which is a hormone we used for running away or fighting against an attacker, but since we are now mostly stressed out by technology, we do not use all of the cortisol that is produced.
This can do two things:
1: Flood the brain so that it feels foggy, making it really hard to think and make decisions 2: Put additional weight on, especially fat around the stomach
These are two things that most brides do not want leading up to their wedding day, so it is important not become overwhelmed, which means giving your mind a break. Even when we are at our busiest, to keep a calm and happy mindset it is essential to dedicate time for stillness.
I realise that meditating doesn’t come easily for everyone, when I first started I used to fall asleep on the kitchen floor, now however, I have made it a daily practice to sit for between 20-60 minutes. You do not have to do the same but even just ten minutes a day will support you in the lead up to your wedding. Doing so will give your body the time and space it needs to recognise that you are not in danger, meaning you brain will not full, stressed out and worried.
If you have never meditated before, you can follow these simple steps to help you get started. Don’t worry about trying to switch your brain off completely, think of this as creating stillness rather than not thinking at all.
1: Choose a time that best suits you, not when you are tired ideally
2: Find somewhere you can sit undisturbed, it does not have to be on the floor with crossed legs, you can sit in a chair if you like
3: Put your phone on airplane mode and set the timer for 10 minutes
4: Close your eyes and begin to breath deeply, paying close attention to the sound of your breath, keep your focus on the sound of your breath
5: Begin to count down from 100, starting back from 100 each time the sequence is interrupted by a thought
6: After you are done and on a page next to your ‘wedding to do’ list, write down how you feel each time you have completed this exercise
7: Eventually your to do list will be mirrored with positive affirmations like “I feel calm”, “I feel happy” or “I feel focused”, reminding you of how you want to feel leading up to the wedding
I believe life is supposed to be fun and if you’re not having fun, then you’re not doing it right, right? Just ten minutes a day can help keep the journey leading up your wedding day be as fun as the big day itself.
I’ll be running a competition on the 30th of September in Birmingham to win one-to-one coaching with me and a holiday in Ibiza for you and your bridesmaids. Be sure to check out the Feel Good Zone and come say hi”.
Join Life Cleanse in The Feel Good Zone this autumn with her exclusive talks “One habit for happiness that will keep you together forever” and “The #1 factor in the world’s happiest relationships” this autumn in Birmingham!
#TNWS