Understanding Mindfulness - Essay Example

Full [Lecturer’s number and 15 April 14 Mindfulness and Mental Health UNDERSTANDING MINDFULNESS Mindfulness is an activity that involves intentionally directing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment. It is now being studied scientifically and has been established as a key aspect of happiness. In psychiatry, an area that is frequently critiqued for concentrating excessively on handling disease without adequately handling the campaign for wellness, happiness and resilience; mindfulness could be the instrument that assists us close the gap. First, it can aid encouragement of better mental health practitioners. In a period of time when doctors and other mental health facilitators are experiencing stress in trying to treat substantial problems in too-brief time slots, meditation could aid them to become better at being attentive to their patients and remaining current with their discomfort, instead of hastening to prescribe medication or offer a platitude to assuage our own discomfort. Second, patients can be taught mindfulness, for instance through Kabat-Zinns MBSR courses, or the associated mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). It also has a robust evidence foundation in chronic pain treatment, anxiety treatment and depression treatment. Third, organizations can also adopt it, potentially impacting communities in addition to individuals. There is currently a campaign to incorporate mindfulness in the workplace. Organizations such as Google started offering meditation classes. More importantly, it can also be introduced to our schools. While mindfulness is not an answer to all of our difficulties, it is an influential instrument with considerable potential to assist us all change our association with our problems when it is not likely, or necessary, to eliminate them. Hopefully we are only at the start of what will be a significant revolution for psychiatry and for mental health care as a whole. ANCIENT ROOTS The word sati, which when translated means ‘mindfulness’ or ‘memory’, was at first used by Brahmans in the sense of memorized Vedic scriptures. To successfully remember lengthy bodies of text, you enter a zone of presence and clarity, void of interruptions. This was one of the inspirations in creating what we now refer to as ‘meditation’. The Buddha embraced this Brahmanical convention, and used sati for both memory of texts and presence of mind in meditation. Contemporary lessons on mindfulness are nearly wholly as a result of an uncharacteristic 20th century analysis of one text, the Pali Satipatthana Sutta. This principle states that satipatthana is a practice of ‘dry insight’ – where the one meditating does so without prior practice of tranquillity meditation – is ‘mindful’ of the shifting marvels of experience. This is single-handedly adequate in order to achieve enlightenment. By taking into consideration mindfulness in its historical context, we arrive at a more affluent, more nuanced, and more realistic grasp of mindfulness. This helps us to not only appreciate our tradition better, but also, provides us with a more useful, balanced, and authentic framework for practice. MODERN APPLICATIONS The practice of mindfulness has been introduced to mainstream medicine thanks to Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder and former director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. It has validated that practicing mindfulness can result in developments in both physical and psychological symptoms in addition to positive modifications in health attitudes and behaviours. 1. Mindfulness improves well-being. Growing your capacity for mindfulness holds many outlooks that add to a content life. Being mindful makes it more possible to relish the pleasures of life as they occur and also assist one to become fully involved in happenings. In addition to these, it creates a larger capacity to handle negative happenings. By concentrating on the present, numerous people who practice mindfulness discover that they are less likely to get wrought in worries concerning the future or regrets over the past, are less absorbed with concerns about success and self-esteem, and are more capable of forming intimate relationships with others. 2. Mindfulness improves physical health. If grander well-being isn’t sufficient a motivation, scientists have recognized that the benefits of mindfulness methods aid in improving physical health in a several ways. Mindfulness can: help relieve stress; treat heart disease; lower blood pressure; reduce chronic pain; improve sleep; and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties. 3. Mindfulness improves mental health. In recent times, psychotherapists have inclined towards mindfulness meditation as a significant element in the treatment of a number of problems, including: depression; substance abuse; eating disorders; couples’ conflicts; anxiety disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorder. MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES There are several ways to practice mindfulness, but the aim of any mindfulness practice is to attain a state of alert, focused relaxation by intentionally giving heed to thoughts and sensations without judgment. This permits the mind to refocus on the present moment. All mindfulness techniques are a form of meditation. 1. Basic mindfulness meditation – Sit quietly and concentrate on your natural breathing or on a word or “mantra” that you repeat silently. Allow thoughts to come and go without judgment and return to your focus on breath or mantra. 2. Body sensations – Notice subtle body sensations such as an itch or tingling without judgment and let them pass. Notice each part of your body in succession from head to toe. 3. Sensory – Notice sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. Name them “sight,” “sound,” “smell,” “taste,” or “touch” without judgment and let them go. 4. Emotions – Allow emotions to be present without judgment. Practice a steady and relaxed naming of emotions: “joy,” “anger,” “frustration.” Accept the presence of the emotions without judgment and let them go. 5. Urge surfing – Cope with cravings (for addictive substances or behaviors) and allow them to pass. Notice how your body feels as the craving enters. Replace the wish for the craving to go away with the certain knowledge that it will subside. MEDITATION AND OTHER PRACTICES THAT FOSTER MINDFULNESS Mindfulness can be cultivated through mindfulness meditation, a systematic method of focusing your attention. You can learn to meditate on your own, following instructions in books or on tape. However, you may benefit from the support of an instructor or group to answer questions and help you stay motivated. Look for someone using meditation in a way compatible with your beliefs and goals. If you have a medical condition, you may prefer a medically oriented program that incorporates meditation. Ask your physician or hospital about local groups. Insurance companies increasingly cover the cost of meditation instruction. Getting Started on Your Own Like a new exercise plan, once you’ve decided to try it, you may want to just get going. Should that be the case, you can attempt the following exercise, which is an example of a mindfulness exercise. Choose a time when you have at least 10 minutes to yourself and find a quiet place to sit comfortably. Whether you are at your desk at work or in your home, clear the space of obvious distractions. Put away phones, email and other distractors. If setting a timer would help you stay focused, rather than worried about how much time you have, then set a timer. Acknowledge any thoughts or judgments you have about starting your mindfulness practice. You may be uncomfortable, skeptical or excited. Our minds are constantly thinking, so you may want to notice whether you are caught up in thoughts as you get ready for your practice. If this is the case, simply acknowledge thoughts and emotions that come into your awareness and then refocus on getting settled and comfortable. Once settled and comfortable, you can opt to close your eyes or keep your gaze centred on one point in front of you. Take a few deep breaths and then begin by bringing your attention to your breath, as you breathe in. Notice the tip of the nose as your breath enters your body. Continue to breathe normally, following your inhalations as your breath flows down into your lungs. Notice your lungs expand as your breath fills them and then notice them begin to contract during your exhalations. There is no need to change your breathing. Simply notice it as it flows in and out of your body. Follow your exhalations, with your awareness, as they flow out of your body. Notice your breath flowing from the lungs, up through airways and out your nose again. Continuing following your breath in this manner for 10 minutes. The first few times you practice, you may find that much of your time is spent lost in thought, rather than focused on your breath. The practice of mindfulness is about beginning to notice these internal distractions and mind wanderings and, once noticed, to bring your focus back. You may lose focus and bring your attention back many, many times over the course of several minutes. Don’t be concerned, this is part of the practice. When practising a piece on the piano, your fingers are more likely to find the right notes with repetition. In mindfulness, with continuous and regular practice and repetition, you will probably find that you are better able to keep your focus and are less distracted by thoughts and emotions that come up during your practice. One of the appealing aspects of mindfulness practice is that it can be integrated into daily life, but in order to do that, you need to have times when you formally practice, either with training or by deliberately setting time aside for it on your own. Research studies tend to find positive outcomes with 20 minutes of daily practice. Simply becoming more aware might sound easy, but we often don’t realize how distracted we are in our lives. Retraining our minds takes time and effort, but it’s worth it. And what’s better to focus your awareness on than the everyday aspects of your life? OBSTACLES TO PRACTISING MINDFULNESS Truly existing in the present moment doesn’t come easy, but it is very rewarding. The most opportune way to go ahead on your own path to “here and now” is to comprehend the possible obstacles and strategize in advance how you’ll handle them. 1. Mindfulness takes on-going effort. Mindfulness takes a lot of work, but the good news is that the more you practice, the easier it gets, and the happier your life becomes. Mindfulness is best practiced all through your day. It’s not just for when you sit down and meditate. 2. There will always be distractions. When on your journey to becoming more mindful, it appears as if the universe starts hurling disturbances at you just to challenge you. These are great chances to practice present moment awareness. The problems and challenges we face are teachers in disguise. They are there to help you grow and to realize who you truly are. 3. Progress doesn’t always come quickly. Progress may seem agonizingly delayed. There will be times when you attach to things and situations that you want, which will make it difficult to be fully in the present moment. It’s impossible to be mindful when you’re dwelling on the past or obsessing about the future. 4. You may want to give up. Like with any meaningful journey, you will feel like surrendering and throwing in the towel multiple times. But it is in these times when you feel most discouraged that you are often on the verge of a breakthrough. 5. Your goals may challenge your mindfulness. Having objectives is good, vital even, but when you become excessively attached to them, something bad happens. You know that you’re too attached to something when you start feeling frustrated, angry, and negative. 6. You might forget that the journey is the destination. Most people miss the fact that the reward is in the journey. Humans need goals so they can have a sense of purpose and fulfilment. It is in the journey that we learn, grow, and become better. When you’re practicing mindfulness, remember that there is nowhere to arrive at. If you focus on what is going on right now, the rest will take care of itself. 7. Sometimes you’ll want to be anywhere but in the now. Even the most progressive masters on earth have to deal with challenging situations and disordered thoughts. The difference is they have conditioned themselves to accept the moment for what it is. When you do this, you become the guardian of your inner space, which is the only way to feel good inside and find peace of mind, right now. Read More