Mindfulness 101
“Wherever you go, there you are…” - Jon Kabat-Zinn
By now, we’ve all heard the term ‘mindfulness’ in many places, contexts and with a myriad of definitions. Even though the amount of coverage given to mindfulness has grown in recent times, the concept itself has been around for thousands of years - dating back to as early as 1500 BCE. So it’s a time-tested tool for improving life experience that has gone through many transformations and been seen through many different lenses over a vast amount of time.
I often find that my clients hear a lot about mindfulness from articles, the internet, at work, etc… but often have rather vague definitions of what it means and difficulty connecting it with their own lives. Although mindfulness can be experienced in different ways for different people - here are a few basics on what mindfulness generally is and isn’t:
Mindfulness is….
-a ‘state of being’ rather than an activity.
-like a muscle that you strengthen by repetitive exercise... the more you practice mindfulness, the better you become at being able to shift into it.
-being present with what you are doing right now.
-intentional, a choice we make. In the movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, the characters of Richard and Liz are practicing meditation/mindfulness at an ashram in India.. and Liz is struggling to settle into a mindful state. In a pivotal scene, Richard is guiding Liz and tells her that “You must pick out your thoughts in the morning like you pick out your clothes from the closet”. We show intention with how we get dressed in the morning… let’s try to do the same with our thoughts to start the day.
-a practice that can be embedded in our daily tasks. We can be mindful when doing daily activities - eating, driving, reading to our kids, working, walking, laundry, washing dishes, etc.
-a habit that has both mental and physical health benefits.
Mindfulness isn’t….
-the same as meditation (although there is mindfulness within meditation).
-turned on/off like a light switch. As mentioned above, mindfulness is more of a muscle grown and strengthened through practice and repetition.
-present when multi-tasking. So yes, we all multi-task at times (life is life)…. but limiting this habit as much as possible is healthy. Studies continually prove that we don’t function our best at tasks when trying to do multiple things at once.
-something that has to be mastered to be practiced. Simply practicing being mindful is being mindful.
-a practice that requires long periods of time or requires sitting still. Taking a 1-2 minute mindful break during the day has benefits. Mindfulness can also be practiced when walking, working, washing dishes, playing with your kids, creating art, doing laundry, etc.
Seven Key Attitudes of Mindfulness
(per Jon Kabat Zinn, MD and Jeffrey Brantley, MD)
1) Non-Judging: being an unbiased, attentive witness to your experience as it happens in the present moment; try not to get caught up in thoughts, comparisons, opinions that pop up in your mind; don’t judge yourself if your attention wanders - just bring your mind back to your breath and be in the moment.
2) Patience: is a form of wisdom; is accepting that things sometimes unfold in their own time, have a ‘life cycle’ of their own - allow for this; give yourself permission to simply be.
3) Beginner’s Mind: remaining open and curious to new experiences; cultivating curiosity in the moment; channel the wonder of encountering something for the first time - the smell of a flower, a sunrise over mountains, first taste of a new food; recognize each moment is unique - you may have experienced a thousand sunsets but you’ve never experience this one; look at things with a clear and uncluttered mind - don’t let past events or thoughts keep you from experiencing and seeing this moment now for the first time.
4) Trust: learn to trust yourself in the moment and your feelings; know it’s OK to make mistakes and be imperfect; trust your own authority to know yourself rather than look outside yourself for validation; be your own person and live life authentically - be receptive to others but also trust yourself and your own internal compass.
5) Non-Striving: being with yourself right here, right now; pay attention to the moment and what is going on right now - without trying to change it or fix it; practice ‘being’ or ‘non-doing’ rather than ‘doing’; similarly, while ‘striving’ is trying to change things / make them different / be somewhere else… ‘non-striving’ is being where you are and paying attention to the moment without judging or striving to change it.
6) Acceptance: allowing things to be as they are; accepting the situation as it is right this moment…. doesn’t mean that you agree with it or that you are taking a passive stance or you are stopping altogether trying to change things for the better; practicing acceptance of the situation/moment and allowing space to see it holistically can help set the stage for taking next overall steps in a healthy and grounded way.
7) Letting Go: also non-attachment; allowing yourself to release thoughts, judgments you are tending to cling to; ‘letting be’ and stopping your own interference with letting things be … allows thoughts/judgments to go - for you to let them go; letting go doesn’t mean that you let go of who you are and your values… it’s simply releasing the ‘contractions’ of a stressful thought/feeling and letting it be without pushing it away… soften and gently release it instead.
4 Components of Mindfulness
In ACT Therapy, there are four components of mindfulness. They are a simplified and somewhat shortened, easy to recall version of the above:
CHOICE - having intention for mindfulness, making a choice to practice and work on the strategies of being mindful… mindfulness doesn’t just happen without practice - set intentions for practicing and making choices daily to implement mindfulness.
AWARENESS - establishing non-judgmental awareness; shift into your ‘observing self’ gently and without judgment of yourself - come back to the moment and your breath; repeat, repeat, repeat.
OPENNESS - open your mind with curiosity from moment to moment; non-attaching, letting go; being receptive to the experience as it is here and now.
FLEXIBILITY - give yourself patience and grace to be imperfect… start again the next moment, the next breath or the next day; accept that mistakes and doing things ‘wrong’ is ok; each new moment and day is a gift to start again.
Potential Health Benefits of Mindfulness:
-Can reduce anxiety and depression symptoms.
-Can help with lowering blood pressure.
-Can improve sleep.
-Can help to cope with chronic pain.
-Helps to retain consistent healthy practices in daily life.
-Can help to manage gastro-intestinal difficulties.
-Can help to reduce OCD thoughts and compulsions.
-Can facilitate recovery from addiction.
-Stress reduction & improved working memory.
-Shows positive results in heart health & reducing cognitive decline.
*Sources:
https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner
*Additional Books & Resources:
‘Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, by Jon Kabat-Zinn, MD
Best, Jenn
*The information presented in this blog is intended for general knowledge and use only. It should not take the place of medical, clinical advice or licensed therapy. To find a licensed practitioner in your area, the Psychology Today Directory is an excellent resource.