Zen Wedding Planning... sounds nice huh? Unfortunately wedding planning is often very stressful.

You're getting pulled every which way, with familial obligation, bridal party choices and just the overwhelming number of decisions that you have to make and things you need to get done.

It's no wonder that many couples find themselves tearing their hair out and getting into it over seemingly silly things. Stress is nobody's friend! 

A great way of dealing with the stresses of wedding planning is by using mindfulness. Mindfulness is particularly great for those moments when you are feeling particularly overwhelmed.

Mindfulness can help treat heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, insomnia, chronic pain and soothe stress. So, it will absolutely help you deal with the woes of wedding planning (and is much more socially acceptable than the throat punch you may have the urge to deliver!).

A few weeks ago we published a blog on dealing with wedding stress, but we thought we'd delve a little deeper into some of the finer points we talked about.

There are a lot of great resources out there to help you with your mindfulness practice. Below is one that we borrowed from Russ Harris. Keep reading for a few thoughts on how to mindfully deal with wedding planning stress (sans violence!).

We'll have you gliding down the aisle, the picture of a zen bride (or groom!).

1. Breathe

Stop and breathe! 10 times to be exact! 

1. Take ten slow and deep breaths. Focus on completely emptying the lungs. Take your time and exhale as slowly as possible. Then allow your lungs to completely refill themselves.
2. Observe the process. Notice how your rib cage rises and falls, how the breath feels as it slowly fills your lungs, and then as it empties. Notice how else your body welcomes the breath. Do your shoulders rise and fall? How does it feel? Feel the sensation of the air entering your nose, and leaving your mouth.
3. Try to let your thoughts come and go. Like leaves on a flowing stream.
4. Extend your awareness. While observing the body and breath, take note of your surroundings. What can you see, hear, taste, touch, smell and feel?

2. Drop Anchor

Dropping Anchor is a great and very simple way to ground yourself in the here and now.

1. Feel your feet on the floor and plant them strongly.
2. Push your feet into the floor - note the floor beneath your feet, supporting you.
3. Feel and take note of the muscle tension in your legs as you push your feet down.
4. Expand your awareness to your entire body and the feeling of gravity flowing down your head, spine, legs and into your feet.
5. Now look around and notice where you are and what you're doing. What can you see and hear around you?

3. Take a look around

Notice 5 things.

1. Pause
2. Look around and take note of 5 things that you can see.
3. Listen carefully and notice 5 things that you can hear.
4. notice 5 things that you can feel in contact with your body (ie your shirt against your back, your watch against your wrist, the air on your face, the floor under your feet).
5. Now do all of the above simultaneously. What can you hear, see, feel?

The above three exercises are simple ways to centre yourself and connect with your surroundings. The great thing about each of these exercises is that you can do them any time of the day, wherever you are!

Especially during wedding planning stress! Next time you feel the urge to throat punch a wedding vendor (or your mother in law!), try to take a step back and give yourself the gift of a few seconds of mindfulness. Happy wedding planning!