Mindfulness
If there was only one wellness habit I would recommend, it would have to be a practice of mindfulness. Working with clients over the years, I’m often discussing sustainable behavior change. Basically, most of us desire a life free of pain and with optimal function. And we would like to achieve this without taking a lot of ‘stuff’. This means that we need to change some behavior in our routine.
Whether you are taking control with Mel, radically accepting with Tara, switching with the Heath brothers, or seeking unlimited power with Tony, there seems to be one common underlying theme – awareness, surveillance, and the ability to pause. *And if you don’t know any of these wonderful folks, please follow the links.*
Now, everyone has a different interpretation of mindfulness, which is perfectly fine. I think mindfulness practices promote your observation of self – our mental chatter, our default narratives, our internal dialogue. When we cultivate mindfulness, we are exercising a type of awareness of these patterns without judgment and without reactivity.
Many folks I work with assume mindfulness is synonymous with meditation, and they visualize monks sitting peacefully on mountain tops without stress and with a quiet mind. And while that is one version of mindfulness, it is not the only one. When we dedicate time to observing our mind and our patterns of thought, we are practicing a pause between stimuli and response.
Mindfulness can have a positive impact on the stress responses we have (naturally) to the everyday demands of our life. Without going into too much physiology, when our brains perceive stress (aka danger to the system) a whole cascade of hormones are mobilized to allow us to either fight the stress or run away from it. And the activation of this pathway reduces any complex or seemingly excessive activities in our body – which means access to more critical thinking and higher-level decision making is inhibited.
Both modern research and ancient wisdom suggest a mindfulness practice can reduce the negative effects of our stress response by allowing more inner peace and calm in the face of adversity. While mindfulness does not reduce the demands of family, work or finances, it does give us time to decide how we want to respond and promotes access to the mature executive functions of our being.
What does this practice look like? For some, it’s dedicating a set time to sit quietly and observe our thoughts. To track my time, I use an app called Insight Timer; really, any timer will do. Some people prefer sounds or guidance and use apps like Headspace, Unplug, Calm or 10% Happier. Others find sitting uncomfortable, so they turn to a moving practice – either walking with intention, qigong / taichi / yoga, or a home stretching routine. (The trick here is to be sure you are dedicating time to observe the mind in a quiet space, not just mindlessly exercise.)
And there are classes that can guide your practice in a group setting. A few years ago, I attended my first Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, which was an 8-week class, that met weekly to discuss skills that can improve and deepen our practice. *MBSR is based on the teaching of Jon Kabat-Zinn.* Truth is, there are so many resources available as our culture has found this to be a missing practice for many of us and the benefits are limitless.
In conclusion, while making healthy diet and lifestyle choices can improve our quality of life, a mindfulness practice can further facilitate changes in habits and patterns. I personally found increased self-awareness and self-compassion with my mindfulness practice, which has really helped me maintain and sustain routine meal prep and self-care regimens – I’m aware of when I need to be a bit more attentive to my eating habits and then find kindness when I am not able to be the superwoman I think I need to be.
Leave a comment and let us know how mindfulness has impacted your life!