Often described as the 21st century Prozac, Mindfulness is a technique you can learn. You will make a special effort to notice what’s happening in the present moment (in your mind, body and surroundings) and that includes any difficult thoughts you may be experiencing. It has roots in Buddhism and meditation, but you don’t have to be spiritual, or have any particular beliefs, to try it.

It aims to help you:

• become more self-aware
• feel calmer and less stressed
• feel more able to choose how to respond to your thoughts and feelings
• cope with difficult or unhelpful thoughts
• be kinder towards yourself

Many people find practising mindfulness helps them manage their day-to-day wellbeing, but it doesn’t always work for everyone. It is a skill that has to be learnt and is more of a general tool.  If you have a specific, difficult issue you need to address then it may be better to resolve this using a more focused treatment such as counselling.

There are a number of online resources available as well as Mindfulness apps available for download.  This guided meditation produced by Your Pace Yoga was created to help those suffering from pelvic pain and focuses on your breathing to help calm the nervous system.