You may have heard someone talking about mindfulness recently. Maybe your doctor or therapist suggested some mindfulness practices. And you may have said to yourself, “Isn’t that just for people who do yoga? Or practice Buddhism? Or people who are really Zen?” If so, you are not alone in feeling a little hesitant to start doing new breathing and mental exercises. And although mindfulness does have Buddhist roots, my hope is this brief article will help you understand what mindfulness really is, and why so many people are benefiting from it.
The word mindfulness stems from the Buddhist word “[S]ati” which is an awareness of things in relation to things, and hence an awareness of their relative value. Mindfulness was introduced in the United States by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of Medicine Emeritus at The University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness by saying “Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the practice of meditation and other training.” Kabat-Zinn reports there are seven primary attitudes to mindfulness. These attitudes are non-judging, patience, beginners mind, non-striving, trust, acceptance, and letting go. In a nutshell, mindfulness is the practice of being present and aware of your current state without criticism or judgement. Most of us live in the opposite reality where anxiety and depression creep in when we are living in the past or future. Social media and our fast-paced lives encourage the opposite of mindfulness and invite us to avoid our current situation and strive for more/better. This is why mindfulness has become such an important part of slowing down and addressing the patterns that lead to high anxiety.
What are the benefits?
Mindfulness has an ever growing list of benefits for those struggling with severe mental illness or someone simply looking for a way to slow down and be more present. It is shown to decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, improve your ability to fight illness, and enhance your general well-being. In 2012 there were over 500 studies published demonstrating the positive impact of mindfulness practices when recovering from mental health disorders, addiction, and physical diseases. Mindfulness allows us to be increasingly gentle and patient with ourselves throughout the day, leading to less stress and self-criticism. Some other benefits include:
- Reduced rumination
- Increase in working memory
- Less emotionally reactive
- Increased mental flexibility
- Higher relationship satisfaction
A Harvard study showed that practicing mindfulness increased the brains ability to create new gray matter. Increased gray matter in the hippocampus is beneficial for learning, memory, self-awareness, introspection, and compassion. “It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life,” says Britta Hölzel, first author of the paper and a research fellow at MGH and Giessen University in Germany. “Other studies in different patient populations have shown that meditation can make significant improvements in a variety of symptoms.”
So how do I get started?
You can begin mindfulness by simple being aware of your surroundings. For example, find a moment to sit quietly and use your five senses to take in your environment… maybe you notice a new sound in your living room, the smell of clean laundry, rain on the window, or the stiffness of your chair. You can get even simpler by just focusing on your breath. Purely noticing without judgement as your chest rises and falls. Being able to stay focused on the current moment takes lots of practice! Without fail, your thoughts will drift to the day’s tasks or worries about the future. This is where acceptance becomes important, because we need to accept our own ability to be mindful and the process of improving. You can also find hundreds of resources online, including audio recordings of mindfulness exercises. Mindfulness can also be done in counseling to compliment the work you are doing with a therapist. Whether practicing on your own, with a professional, or in a group, mindfulness is an incredible tool that can benefit people of all ages and stages of life.