Goldie Hawn is using her huge social media platform to promote mindfulness and mental health in a new Instagram video. The actress encouraged all of her followers to “keep your mind up” and take some “brain breaks.”
Hawn Encourages Followers To ‘Find A Break For Yourself’
“Join me and @mindup every Monday for ‘Keep Your Mind Up Monday,’” Hawn captioned a video of herself. “This week I’m keeping my mind up for doing 3 brain breaks a day! Let me know what you’re keeping your #mindup for.”
In the video clip, Hawn explained that a “brain break” is “when you just quiet yourself, you just sit down, three minutes. You sit down, you relax your body, you breathe deep three times, and you just follow your breath.”
She continued, “You’re going to have thoughts that come on, they’re going to come in, just let them go and find yourself settling in. Do that three times a day, and you will find that you will find a break for yourself.”
RELATED: Kristen Bell Explains How She Compensates For Her Anxiety By Being Bubbly
“I don’t do it every day,” the actress admitted. “But I’m going to do it now every day because that’s my Mind Up Monday.” Mind Up isn’t just a catchphrase for Hawn—it’s the name of her mental health awareness organization.
The Actress’ Mental Health Organization
“Since 2003, MindUP has been helping children globally develop the mental fitness necessary to thrive in school and throughout their lives,” the organization’s website reads. “The Goldie Hawn Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded to help children develop the knowledge and tools they need to manage stress, regulate emotions, and face the challenges of the 21st century with optimism, resilience, and compassion.”
In an essay for AARP about MindUP, Hawn wrote, “In 2003, I established the Hawn Foundation to help children create greater brain health through mindfulness practices. Working with neuroscientists, we’ve shown that meditation offers a way to change brain chemistry.”
“Through our MindUP program in schools, we’ve demonstrated that if students take two minutes for a brain break three times a day, optimism in the classroom goes up almost 80 percent. On the playground, aggression goes down about 30 percent,” the actress explained.
She went on, “Mindfulness can help people of any age. That’s because we become what we think. Research has proven that this practice can lift people out of depression. That’s a powerful force.” Hawn’s MindUp initiative and practice of “brain breaks” is an excellent way for people of all ages to slow down, relax, and take a minute for themselves in a very busy world.
