Mindfulness is a concept or practice that was founded nearly 2600 years ago. It is a very integral component of the Buddhist faith and is believed to be associated with many benefits including self-control, tolerance, flexibility, objectivity, concentration, mental clarity, emotional intelligence, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and equanimity. Specifically, mindfulness refers to the psychological state of awareness. Within this domain fall the practices that facilitate this awareness. In other words, you can think of mindfulness as a moment-to-moment awareness of both our experiences and our judgment. Keep in mind that mindfulness is not a trait. It is more a state. Many people confuse mindfulness with meditation. The key difference between …show more content…
Mindfulness helps us achieve a balance between the two. For example, many of us develop stress because of things that may have gone wrong in the past OR we may develop stress because we are unsure about the future or if there is something expected to happen in our future that we are not looking forward to or are not comfortable thinking about. What mindfulness does is that it allows us to reduce our stress and anxiety related to issues in our past or anticipated issues in our future. It helps us recognize that it is the present - the now - that is actually more important. If we fail to pay attention to our now, our life can spin out of control making our future even more complicated and our past efforts completely …show more content…
While some people may choose to work with a therapist and there may be others who may invest some money in a paid course or books to acquire more knowledge about the subject but that is not a necessity. There are numerous free online resources for those who do not want to spend too much money on this discipline. There are also free meditation groups in many large cities. In addition, you can utilize several free mindfulness apps to help you guide through the process. In short, anyone can afford mindfulness as it is more or less
This is noted because the words for “mindfulness” themselves are varied and textured and come in many different definitions, as well as narratives. Having noted that, it is interesting to see that the same thing can be found in the Western tradition of understanding mindfulness in the third-wave psychotherapies.
Throughout this book, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about one being mindful. Anyone would define this term, being mindful means to acknowledge what you are doing, why you are doing it and so forth. Alternatively, mindfulness is also an agent of healing, just like The Holy Spirit, also being an agent of healing. It means to be understanding at a new level for yourself, to see from a new perspective and listen more deeply than you had previously. Mindfulness is not just knowing what you are doing and not being ignorant of something that is going on in the world, or not helping others when they are in need. As Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, the concept of being happy to be alive, and being thankful for the world we live on, and being thankful to God by taking care of ourselves is a way of being “mindful.” Being mindful is something that I can relate with my religion and co-relate to. As a Catholic, I already can perceive the Holy Spirit as a healing agent. I can apply being mindful in my life by, praying for the help of the Holy Spirit to help me, when I am in need of help or wisdom. Among other things, like taking care of others and myself both physically and spiritually. I can also take this concept in my faith by praising God, and thanking him for all that I have in my life.
People with GAD dwell on their worries excessively, give to much attention to their fearful thoughts, and respond emotionally to negative images. Meditation can help the person to step back from these thoughts, emotions and images and view them as an observer watching from the outside this helps to reduce the stress response and put negative thinking into perspective. Meditation helps control of physical tension by inducing the relaxation response (Wilson, 2009).
According to Jain et. al. (2007), mindfulness can be traced back to the beginning of Buddhism. The
When these and other questions and uncertainties emerge, you need to flip thorough hundreds of blog posts or books to unearth what you want to know. Several concerns, and doubts awaken in our minds when we start meditating. Unfortunately, there is no book to answer them all. Especially this can be a problem, if you live in an area, where no qualified consultant or mentor is available to help you. On the other hand, it is possible, that you discover a meditating course close to your place, but you don’t have time or you don’t find enough commitment to go there and try
Mindfulness enhances managerial work by improving quality decision-making, workplace creativity and focus, and through its reputation, a placebo effect that improves managerial standards. Mindfulness is the ancient practice of attuning oneself through various meditative methods. Through mindfulness, one is present in an environment and unjudging of their surroundings. Mindfulness heightens situational awareness and is proving to be one of the most useful performance-enhancing applications of modern-day management. Evidence concludes that mindfulness performs a critical role in enhancing decision quality, based on a reduction of negative conflict in the workplace. More so, mindfulness increases creativity and focus among front-line and middle
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
Being mindful means to me is to be considerate when I speak and be responsible for my own actions. My religion and beliefs taught me to be compassionate about others, and to kindly support those that are different from us. Being mindful means to me is to be progressive and adaptable with the world, not against it.
Presence -As anxiety is living in the future and depression is living in the past, mindfulness is living centered and focus on the moment. Being mindful in all situations and at all times is not possible, necessary and in some cases productive. Select the times to be reflective, on automatic pilot or daydreaming. Whenever possible, center before starting each day, and each meaningful task; take a moment to be mindfulness and focus.
Mindfulness involves accepting our thoughts and emotions without judgment, and without believing that there is a right or wrong way to feel in a given situation. Our thoughts and emotions are not labeled as good or bad. They are observed as simply happening until they pass. While practicing mindfulness one does not rehash the past or imagine the future. Attention is focused on what is being sensed in the present moment. There is a sense of self apart from things. Mindfulness is moment to moment awareness and purposefully placing attention on things that we wouldn’t normally give a second thought to. Mindfulness can be thought of as a way of being, rather than an activity. It is the awareness of wondering thoughts and purposefully directing them back, rather than letting them
Mindfulness, as defined by the article, is “an individual practice, where one has a heightened awareness of the present moment” (McGill et al., 2016). Mindfulness is typically brought on by using meditative techniques by being aware of breath, practicing yoga, and engaging in focused activities such as mindful eating and walking. The most well-known mindfulness training program is the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed by John Kabat-Zinn in 1979 (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). MBSR improve the ability to act skilfully (as opposed to reactively) in stressful situations through the development of understanding thoughts and feelings in the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Although mindfulness is practiced by an individual it has relational components; it encourages connections, unity, and closeness with a partner (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Research has shown that mindfulness can actually have positive influences on social connection, perspective taking, social skills, and prevents negative reactions during a conflict (McGill et al., 2016). The Positive outcomes of mindfulness on physical and mental health can act as a moderator of stress during a relational conflict (Grossman, Nieman, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004). Overall, the research shows that there is a significant
There are 3 essential components of mindfulness: intention, attention, and attitude which are not separate, but intertwined (Shapiro, 2006, as cited in Marchand 2012). Zen meditation focuses on awareness of breathing pattern. MBSR incorporates mindfulness, education about stress, body scans, yoga, and becoming an impartial witness to one’s own experience. (Kabat-Zinn, 2005, as cited in Marchand 2012). MBCT consists of meditation and recognition of deteriorating mood with the aim of disengaging from self-perpetuating patterns of ruminative, negative thoughts that contribute to relapse (Segal, Williams, and Teasdale, 2002, as cited by Marchand, 2012). Yoga and breathing exercises shift the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic
It provides the necessary tools for you to be successful in listening to your inner self and in becoming more aware of the moment you are in without passing judgement on yourself or others. It is not a “one size fits all” book. It offers a variety of tips and techniques that even the worst skeptic of mindfulness may find beneficial. Authors: S.J. Scott & Barrie Davenport have produced this book in an instructive format. Each mindfulness step begins with the reasons why it is important and the benefits one may receive from practicing it.
In a study by Zimmaro et al., (2016), mindful undergraduate students were found to have less stress than students who did not practice mindfulness. In addition, the mindful students also had a great psychological wellbeing. In another study by Solhaug et al. (2016), psychology and medical students that practiced a 7-week mindfulness program reported “…increased curiosity, affect tolerance, patience and self-acceptance, and improved relational qualities.” In a study by MacDonald and Baxter (2016), female college students with a greater sense of mindfulness practice were better able to cope with negative thoughts, and become more aware of their emotions and their ability to control them. Not only do these research findings demonstrate exactly what I am searching for to improve my mental health, but they assure me that it can be done with mindfulness-based strategies. My motivation to become more aware of the present moment, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase my psychological well-being has been directly correlated with mindfulness, which furthers my belief that mindfulness is an excellent target behavior for my
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several