Aisling McDonnell, 34

Unemployed

Coming to the end of week eight of the first of three cycles within this programme, I have been really surprised and interested, in what I’ve already learned about myself, my strengths and how to get more out of each day when it comes to being more focused and mindful.

The most impact from these eight weeks for me has been the concepts of mindfulness and ‘flow’ in my everyday life.

I’ve had an interest in mindfulness over the last number of years, but have never really given myself the opportunity to practise. Week five gave us a number of examples of how to start, very easily practising mindfulness, and this is something that I’ve continued daily to undertake.

What I’ve found is that this has brought a level of focus and clarity to me that I didn’t previously have. It’s made me more aware of the present, given me a level of calmness, and consciousness in what I’m doing.

I’ve found that previously, I would anticipate something, spend time over a number of hours or days coming back to this thought, worry myself on trying to work out the different outcomes or ways this would resolve itself. All of which would be out of my control. Now I find, I realise very quickly what I’m doing, check myself and move forward.

Alongside this, through taking note of how I’m feeling during the day, I have a gained a greater understanding of what restores and depletes my energy daily. The idea of disengaging periodically in order to relax and refresh myself, allows me to recharge and then fully engage in any challenges that come my way.

Through the LifeMap App, and the initial data that I uploaded, I have been examining and discovering new things about myself every week. I’m looking forward to whatever challenges the rest of the programme brings, as already I can see the positive impacts of changes that I have made in my everyday life, as a result of taking part in this programme.