“ To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” Lao Tzu

Mindful Photography, Mental Health & Midlife

Why Slowing Down Matters More Than Ever

There's a particular kind of tiredness that many midlife women like myself carry

Its not just a physical fatigue, ts the tiredness that comes from being needed all the time.

From thinking ahead for everyone else.

From holding worry quietly.

From people pleasing, coping, managing and pushing on even when your inner reserves are running low.

By midlife, many women are:

• running on empty

• sleeping lightly or not at all

• reaching for comfort food because their body is asking for ease

• feeling scattered, distracted or lost

• carrying worry about their partners health, ageing parents, or their own changing body

And often, none of this is spoken about out loud, in fear of being ridiculed, told they are being stupid, and just to get on with it.

When Stress Becomes The Background Noise

Living with daily stress doesn't always feel dramatic. It often feels normal, until one day calm feels unfamiliar, or rest feels as though we do not deserve it because we haven't done enough.

From a nervous system perspective, this makes sense. Let me explain why...

When we spend long periods in " doing mode" such as responding, managing, anticipating, the body often remains in a low level state of alert.

Not the immersion into the survival response of fight or flight, but a constant, what feels like a hum of tension , which is running just underneath everyday life.

Over time, this can show up in our lives as:

• disrupted sleep patterns

• issues with out gut, digestive issues

• eating to ignore our emotions like worry, fear, anger.

• brain fog

• overthinking which can lead to procrastination, self doubt.

• irritability

• feeling disconnected from creativity

None of this means something is wrong , which is an easy trap to fall into and which can easily make things feel worse.

It really does mean your system has been working very hard for very long time.

Why Mindful Photography Helps, Gently

Mindful photography isn't about taking good photos.

It's not about creativity in a productive sense and its not about fixing stress.

It's really about resting our attention.

When we slow down to notice light on a wall, or colour in our everyday surroundings, something important happens in the body.

• our breathe naturally softens without feeling forced

• our eyes slow their scanning the environment for threats ( eye lesson coming up soon on my new You Tube channel)

• the nervous system receives signals of safety, instead of a threat to our survival

• attention moves from worry into the present moment, being here in this moment

This is regulation, this is what I mean when I mention nervous system regulation, we aren't forcing the breath or forcing the feel safe,, or control, but through gentle awareness.

For women who are tired, overwhelmed, or just emotionally stretched, mindful photography offers a way to come back to the body without needing effort or analysis.

Just one photo, and one moment of noticing, without the need to feel as though we need to fix anything or wishing we were somewhere else or to make the moment perfect so others will like us

Reconnecting When You Feel Lost

Midlife can be a time of profound transition.

Our roles shift, bodies change, priorities rearrange themselves and many women notice a sense of disconnection, from themselves, from joy, from creativity

Mindful photography creates a small bridge back, not to who you USED to be, but to who you are now, warts and all, with no apology.

Here's what I found it offered me when I started to practice:

• a sense of presence in my body

• quiet pleasure without performance

• a way to trust my own perception again

These small experiences accumulate, but don't get me wrong, they don't solve everything, but they do soften the edges which creates the capacity to deal with other stresses in life that comes up like the extreme winter weather reports, the unexpected utility bill, life not going our way, our friends ghosting us, our partner being sick and needing hospital treatment...

Winter As Hibernation, Not Failure

This time of year, as I write this in early January awaiting another snow storm, carries its own weight I feel.

The days are shorter, there's less light, I feel more tired..

But yet we often expect ourselves to push on as if nothing has changed with Januarys new years resolutions, the need to push, to do more, to solve it all and be a " better" version or a " new you" in a few days or weeks.

In nature, winter is a pause, a conservation of energy, a gathering of strength for what comes next.

Midlife women often require this permission more than anyone.

To rest without feeling guilty, or to slow down without having to over explain ourselves.

I have found, for me, and I hope for you too, that the practice of mindful photography aligns softly with this seasonal rhythm because it doesn't demand output, or rush growth, it simply asks you to notice what is already here.

And in that noticing, practiced gently and repeatedly, becomes a gentle practice of self care, wellness and mental wellbeing

If you are tired, worried, overstretched or running on empty, you may simple need space where your nervous system can settle, where your attention can settle, and where you are allowed to be human for a few minutes at a time.

Mindful photography , for me, offers that, quietly, accessibly and without pressure.

And you know what? Sometimes that is enough to begin...

Mel

P.S. If you would like to practice this way, you are welcome to join me fpr 4 weeks of practice, as this is the heart of The Calm Practice here

P.P.S. If that seems like too much at the moment and you want to just dip your toe in, try my free gentle guide for beginners to explore a mindful practice , it can be downloaded here

P.P.P.S. You are invited to help support my writings by buying me a coffee, as if we were in a cafe having this chat and it helped you change something in your thoughts , even just for a moment. Please share this post if you feel it could help someone else.