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Posted on February 27, 2012 by admin
Today I am presenting a clinical technique that you can use to improve your health. It’s called mindfulness (though I prefer the word self-awareness). The word mindfulness is thrown around a great deal by therapists and health gurus of many descriptions. Unfortunately this simple and valuable technique for achieving improved self-awareness often gets lost in a sea of jargon. Hearing the term “mindfulness meditation” often makes people think they have to sit on a bamboo mat in the lotus position (legs crossed with hands and feet turned upward) lost in a deep trancelike state while achieving a completely ‘blank’ mind. Often when someone says the word mindfulness people hear eastern philosophical quotations, robes and sandals, incense and little gongs all cloaked in mystery. This really is not the case.
Unfortunately it doesn’t help when you see definitions like this one from Wikipedia which makes it all sound very complicated:
Mindfulness is calm awareness of one’s body functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself. Mindfulness plays a central role in the teaching of the Buddha where it is affirmed that “correct” or “right” mindfulness is the critical factor in the path to liberation and subsequent enlightenment. It is the seventh element of the Noble Eightfold Path, the practice of which supports analysis resulting in the development of wisdom. …A key innovative teaching of the Buddha was that meditative absorption should be combined with the practice of vipassana.
I know that there certainly is this level of enlightenment in the teachings of the Buddha and I admire those who achieve it. For some, the practice of mindfulness does rise to these heights with vast rewards. However, for we regular folks it really doesn’t have to be that complicated to get started and reap some valuable benefit.
Mindfulness can be as simple as pausing in a moment, scanning your body and mind, and observing your reactions to situations, other people, and your own thoughts and emotions. The information you gain by doing so provides a basis for an active and positive approach to coping with life’s day-to-day stresses and for learning about what motivates you.
To get you started, here are some core elements that are shared by the majority of variants of the mindfulness techniques. Many of these have been part of comprehensive cognitive behavioral stress and emotion management programs long before the term mindfulness gained such widespread popularity in psychology so we have plenty of research to support their usefulness:
1) Relaxation-focused deep breathing: Pause and take a long slow breath allowing your stomach to rise letting the air fill your lungs. Try counting to about four silently as you breathe in. Exhale slowly for a comfortable length of time (often a count of 3 or 4). Repeat for several breaths.
2) Awareness of thoughts and feelings: Don’t try to blank your mind. Simply notice your thoughts, then say goodbye to them for this moment. There will be plenty of time later in the day to solve life’s problems. For now just let your thoughts drift in and out of your mind unchallenged.
3) Focus on the present moment: When you find yourself worrying about past or future events or situations, stop and notice your breath as it enters and leaves your body; Notice how your body feels. Notice your emotions and simply try to accept them as they are in that moment. Don’t try to change them – they just are what they are.
Of course setting aside, 5-15 minutes each day to practice will help you increase the benefit you can get from these techniques, but there are also mindfulness training exercises you can do throughout the day using little reminders to have a ‘mindful moment’. The goal is to make mindfulness a continuous part of your day allowing you to stay in a relaxed and focused state and improve your day-to-day experiences. So for example, you might decide to use television commercials, or waiting in line as signals to do a mini-relaxation. With each reminder you simply do a little mindfulness exercise: Take three successive breaths and focus your attention on your body and your current emotional state. Notice, don’t judge. As your awareness of the stress you are feeling increases and your ability to relax in the moment improves, you might find that these mini-relaxations will help you to reduce your overall stress, improve your sense of well-being, and feel a little better at the end of the day.
These simple techniques can do wonders for reducing calories and improving weight.
Posted in Behavioral Health- For Consumer, Health & Wellness | 5 Comments
Excellent post, Dr. BInks. Very helpful techniques on how to practice mindfulness in everyday activities, even without robes and gongs and associated props. that are unnecessary to actual peace of mind. Thank you for your insights.
I liked the part where you make it sound less confusing. Thanks!
This is great, my biggest challenge has always been remaining ‘mindful’ when I feel my emotions going to my lower lobe.
I’ll start off with the mini relaxation exercises and let you know how it goes. Thank you for the useful tips!
Thank you Rachel, Glad to hear you will give the technique a try!
Regards,
Martin
Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was looking for!