by Gill Washington | Aug 10, 2022 | Mindfulness Practice, Month Of Mindfulness
This is the ninth in a 15 part series of A Month of Mindfulness Posts.
Open the window of your mind. Allow the fresh air, new lights and new truths to enter.
– Amit Ray
Mindfulness and Cognitive Ability
Studies have shown that even brief periods of mindfulness training can help increase cognitive ability. Additionally it can lead to a decrease in cognitive decline from aging. Studies looking at mindfulness and prevention of Alzheimer’s are promising.
According to an article on nih.gov:
“Recent research on MBI and aging show positive effects on cognitive, emotional, and psychological domains. There is preliminary evidence that mindful meditation may improve attention, memory, executive function, processing speed, and general cognition”.
The article goes on to state:
“meditation influences brain structure and function, particularly in areas involved in attentional control, self-awareness, and emotion-regulation”.
Mindfulness Training
Mindfulness training helps to focus attention non-judgmentally on the present moment. This greatly reduces the focus on negative thoughts. Ruminating on ‘worst case scenarios’ is therefore reduced. This can lead to less stress ( see this post on mindfulness and stress) and lower blood pressure, and much improved sleep and mood. All of these have a beneficial effect on cognitive ability. They can also reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Multiple studies have shown meditation boosts mental clarity, stabilises emotions, increases creativity and improves focus. All of these things can decline in an aging population.
A few simple tips for life: feet on the ground, head to the skies, heart open…quiet mind.
– Rasheed Ogunlaru
Focus On The Breath
Discussing the simple exercise of just focusing on the breath for ten minutes per day, an article on the conversation.com states:
“It is curious that simply focusing on the breath in a balanced way can have such an effect on concentration and working memory. We think this is happening because meditation is a form of brain network training, where the same brain networks are repeatedly activated and so become more efficient. It seems that this form of meditation targets core brain networks, interconnected areas of the brain that work together and play a key role in many cognitive tasks.”
Mindfulness and meditation can both be practiced at home, for free or very inexpensively. It also has little chance of side effects, therefore it is well worth trying.
There are so many resources online, local groups to try, books to read and guided meditations. You have little to lose and much to gain.
Gill Washington does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information
by Gill Washington | Aug 8, 2022 | Mindfulness Practice, Month Of Mindfulness
Mindfulness And Chronic Pain
This is the eighth of a 15 part series of A Month of Mindfulness Posts.
Studies have shown that mindfulness can help with chronic pain and my own experience bears this out. I have arthritis in my right hand, and have used mindfulness meditation to improve this. I have also taken the eight week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme quoted in the mindful.org article quoted below.
If you want to take a look at some of the studies, have a read of this article on NIH website.
In the previous post in this series, Mindfulness And Immune Response, we looked at how stress can raise cortisol levels. A regular mindfulness practice will help to lower these levels.
Lowered chronic stress levels can reduce levels of inflammation, which can reduce the risk for many diseases including heart attack, stroke and cancers, as well as lowering chronic pain.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
This is from an article on Mindful.org:
“Jon Kabat-Zinn, the pioneer who brought mindfulness to the West as a possible psychological intervention, was the first to study the connection between mindfulness meditation and pain. In his 1985 study, 90 chronic pain patients were trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Results indicated statistically significant reductions in measures of present-moment pain, negative body image, inhibition of activity by pain, mood disturbance, and psychological symptomatology, including anxiety and depression. Additionally, pain-related drug utilization was reduced. Since that study, there have been many more with similar findings”.
Not A Quick Fix
This isn’t a quick fix. You won’t get instant relief from chronic pain with a few minutes of meditation every now and again. But taking the time to learn about the stress response and how to lower it can certainly help. As can learning to pay attention to the mind and body with mindfulness exercises.
When pain is chronic, there can be a tendency to worry and fret about it. Mindfulness exercises can help to focus the mind, in a non-judgmental way, which can lead to less focus on the pain. Jon Kabat-Zinn speaks of how our thoughts around the pain are not pain. Such thoughts as ‘this is killing me’, ‘this is ruining my life’ can add to the suffering. So we can learn to distinguish between the pain sensation itself and the total suffering.
When we can learn to accept the pain, rather than resisting it, that itself may cause a reduction in pain.
The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction book and workbook are available to buy, and if you are suffering with chronic pain they could be well worth investing in. Or if you can find an eight week course available locally, take a look into that.
Body Scan
A body scan can be particularly helpful for dealing with pain. This one from Jon Kabbat-Zinn on YouTube is excellent: Body Scan Meditation
Whether you choose to focus on your breath, do a body scan, or work through the MBSR programme, I am sure you will find mindfulness helpful in reducing your chronic pain.
Gill Washington does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information
by Gill Washington | Aug 2, 2022 | Mindfulness Practice, Month Of Mindfulness
This is the seventh of a 15 part series of mindfulness posts. One will be posted every other day for 30 days, so keep checking back.
Chronic Stress And The Immune System
Studies have shown that chronic stress can have a negative effect on the immune system. Check out this post about mindfulness and stress
Stress is useful, and we will always have some level of stress. But so often today many of us are in the fight or flight response way more often than is helpful. Adrenaline and cortisol are the two main stress hormones, that flood the body when we are under stress. Helpful in the short term, and ideally levels return to normal when the threat has passed.
You can read more about the effects of chronic stress and how it affects health in this article by the Mayo Clinic
A regular mindfulness practice has been shown to induce relaxation and lower stress levels.
When we are relaxed, our body and mind both have the opportunity to renew and repair. We calm down our system responses (for example overactive adrenal response) and our immune system is able to operate at full capacity.
We will be much less likely to suffer from colds and flu when relaxed. These illnesses are often the body’s way of slowing us down. You can read more about stress and illness here
Just Breathe
I will breathe. I will think of solutions, I will not let my worry control me. I will not let my stress level break me. I will simply breathe. And it will be okay.
– Shayne McClendon
The quickest and easiest way to immediately calm your stress responses down is to breathe slowly and deeply. Just concentrate on your breath. Counting the breaths, or saying in, out on the inhale and exhale can help to focus your mind.
Deep breathing can help to alleviate stress and anxiety, and you can do it anywhere, anytime.
Sit, stand or lie quietly. Place your hands gently on your abdomen. Take a deep breath in through your nose counting to four and feel it fill your abdomen. Hold it for the count of two. Breathe out through your nose to the count of four, and feel your abdomen deflate. Exhale as fully as possible. Repeat twice more.
There are more breathing exercises you can do, and different counts you can work with, but this is a good one to get started.
Three Minute Breathing Space
Another quick and simple but very effective exercise to do is a three minute breathing space meditation. I have recorded one for you, and you can download it here
You can also just set a timer for three minutes and follow your breath or create your own meditation. When you find your mind has wandered, just bring it back to the breath.
Music And Self-Hypnosis
Turn up the volume close your eyes and let the music take over your soul.
– unknown
It is proven that listening to relaxing music for thirty minutes per day can really help to boost our mood. It can lower our blood pressure and relieve anxiety, stress, and depression. Give it a go and see if it helps.
YouTube has some great videos, and you can search for whatever your main problem is. I love to combine listening to the relaxing music with self-hypnosis. Jason Stephenson is one of my favourites, and I often fall asleep listening to one of his meditations.
There are some ideas above to get you started reducing your stress and boosting your immune system. Taking just a few minutes per day to try them can really make a difference.
Gill Washington does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information
by Gill Washington | Jul 28, 2022 | Mindfulness and Mental Health, Mindfulness Practice, Month Of Mindfulness
This is the fifth of a 15 part series of mindfulness posts. One will be posted every day for 30 days, so keep checking back.
There was something I noticed a few years ago, when mindfulness was seemingly everywhere. Lots of articles started popping up on my newsfeed that were anti-mindfulness. This surprised me and I decided to do a little investigation.
What I learned is this is a marketing technique. I found people who were recommending to their clients that they write content dissing something that was extremely popular, such as mindfulness. The theory is this will get lots of hits as there are so many people searching around the topic.
Personally, I find this dishonest and distasteful, whatever the topic.
Genuine Concerns
Are there any genuine concerns about practicing mindfulness? First of all it is important to distinguish between meditation and mindfulness. These articles always seem to address meditation and not other mindfulness techniques.
I have seen various stories recounted, but I would say the possibility of having a really adverse reaction to practicing mindfulness sensibly is very low indeed. Those who do have such a reaction most likely have underlying mental health issues.
Mindfulness And Meditation
Some people start off and think mindfulness is all about meditation. It isn’t. Some think we have to battle our mind to completely silence it. We don’t. Some people start off sitting for 20 minutes, 40 minutes or even hours at a time. I wouldn’t recommend this if you have never meditated before, and you are very likely to give up very quickly.
Mindfulness And Mental Health
If you suffer from clinical depression or have other mental health conditions, speak to your doctor before you start any meditation or breathing exercises. Check with them that it is ok for you to start. A caveat, ask someone who isn’t anti any kind of self-help or alternative therapies. A lot of doctors are more open minded now, but some still have very closed minds and think the only answer is a prescription. Don’t stop taking any medication without discussing this with your GP or consultant. However, medication is not the only help available.
Start Slowly And Mindfully
There is no doubt that mindfulness brings about big changes. And let’s face it, is usually because we want things to change that we begin a mindfulness practice in the first place.
Meditation in particular can bring up a lot of unexamined past experiences and possibly traumas. This is very, very unlikely to happen if you start off as I suggest. Just a few minutes meditation per day is enough to feel the benefit, without bringing up major issues. And you can steadily progress.
Journaling as an accompaniment to meditation can help you to get your thoughts onto paper and out of your head. I recommend this. If you want help getting started, download my FREE PDF workbook Introduction To Journaling.
If at any time you feel panic or fear, just stop immediately. Speak to a mindfulness or meditation teacher who can help you with what you are feeling. Speak to your doctor about what came up for you. Consider joining a group in person or online, where you can discuss your experience with others.
If you have deep seated, unhealed trauma, meditating alone, especially for long periods, is not recommended and you will likely need some form of therapy.
However, if you feel low, lack self esteem, suffer with anxiety and stress, there is every chance mindfulness will be extremely beneficial, as it has been for millions of people.
Take a look at my post Mindfulness Practice – How To Begin and consider signing up for my course Mindfulness For Busy People. It is a gentle introduction to mindfulness, with an email delivered every day for 21 days helping you integrate mindfulness easily into your busy life. It’s just £47 and includes support from me. Learn more here.
Start slowly and sensibly, stop if you have any adverse reactions while meditating, and you can reap the rewards of mindfulness as so many have.
Gill Washington does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information
by Gill Washington | Jul 26, 2022 | Mindfulness and Mental Health, Mindfulness Practice, Month Of Mindfulness
This is the 4th in a 15 part series of Month of Mindfulness posts
With mindfulness we are able to be aware of our emotions and observe them without being overwhelmed by them.
Being mindful enables us to take a step back from the emotion and understand it without fearing it or struggling with it.
This can also help to lessen distress, although the aim is to simply observe the emotion non-judgmentally rather than lessen it.
Know Yourself
When working with emotions it can be helpful to observe desires.
From: “I AM THAT” by Nisargadatta Maharaj
19.
“Use your mind. Remember. Observe.
You are not different from others.
Most of their experiences are valid for you too.
Think clearly and deeply,
go into the structure of your desires
and their ramifications.
They are a most important part of your mental
and emotional make-up
and powerfully affect your actions.
Remember, you cannot abandon what you do not know.
To go beyond yourself, you must know yourself.”
How Are You Feeling
When you are feeling an emotion, try to take some time to just focus on your breath. Take your attention to where you are feeling the emotion. It could be in your tummy, your chest, your throat or elsewhere. Don’t try to change it, just be aware of what and how you are feeling.
What emotion is it?
It may be anger, sadness, anxiousness, irritability, fear, frustration.
Accept the emotion. We all have emotional reactions, it’s normal.
Try to understand how it came about. Did something happen, or someone say something? Maybe an old memory popped up and you were triggered.
Just observe the emotion, and how it is making you feel.
Once you’ve named the emotion, investigate it.
How intense is it?
Is your breathing fast or slow?
What are you feeling in your body? Where do you feel it?
Observe your posture. Has your head dropped, or have you crossed your arms?
Are your muscles tense? Where?
What’s your facial expression? Does your face feel tense?
Is the emotion changing? Getting stronger or lessening. Remember to observe without judging or trying to change anything.
Watch Your Thoughts Come And Go
Watch your thoughts come and go without judging them. Remember it’s normal human behaviour to have these thoughts and emotions.
Just notice whatever is happening, and bring your attention back non-judgmentally to your breath, and to the physical sensations of the emotion. If it helps, you can say something like, ‘it’s just a mind full of thoughts’.
It can be helpful to use this technique with lesser emotions at first, such as a bit of irritation or with happiness. When you are more experienced, you can use it with intense emotions.
As you bring mindfulness to your emotions you learn that emotions themselves are not the problem: your difficulties come from your relationship to them. You can bring a mindful and kind attention to them all, even the difficult ones such as fear, grief, hatred and jealousy. But focusing on difficult emotions alone can become one-sided. Notice the happy ones and the beautiful ones as well as the painful ones.
– Jack Kornfield
Rumi The Guest House
Rumi wrote some wonderful words about emotions. This version is by Coleman Barks in The Essential Rumi:
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
You can find more poems from Rumi on allspirit.co.uk
These words are really useful for understanding that whatever comes is just part of the human experience. Welcome whatever it is, and learn the lesson it has to share.
Gill Washington does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information
by Gill Washington | Jul 23, 2022 | Mindfulness and Mental Health, Mindfulness Practice, Month Of Mindfulness
This is the third of a 15 part series of mindfulness posts. One will be posted every day for 30 days, so keep checking back.
Stress happens when your mind resists what is… The only problem in your life is your mind’s resistance to life as it unfolds.
– Dan Millman
How mindfulness reduces stress is what we will look at in this post.
The British Safety Council state, ‘15.4 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2017/18 (Labour Force Survey)’. A massive 57% of all work days lost to ill health were due to stress and anxiety.
What Is Stress?
Stress is how the body reacts to danger or pressure. It can be useful in protecting us from danger (the fight or flight reaction). And can motivate us to get things done. Think of how much work gets done with a looming deadline.
It becomes a problem when our bodies are continually flooded with stress hormones. and can lead to overwhelm and burnout. That is where mindfulness comes in.
You can find out more about stress from the NHS here.
How Mindfulness Can Help
We all tend to think that if we had more money, a new car, a great relationship or other ‘things’ that we would be happy and stress free. In Buddhism, this is the realm of the hungry ghosts. As soon as we have one thing we begin to desire another. Once we see this, the allure of getting more and more ‘things’ begins to lose its appeal.
When we practice mindfulness regularly, we realise that our thoughts and attitude have great bearing on our mental wellbeing. We realise that we are not trying to ‘fix ourselves’. We are just observing, compassionately and non-judgmentally how it is.
In any stressful situation, it is beneficial to just bring the attention back to the breath. Even three deep breaths can help us to focus on what is happening, and our own reaction to the situation. If you are dealing with a difficult person, this can help to calm things down.
Once Mindfulness becomes regular, one of the benefits will be that you will recognise feelings or stress or anxiety before they have had a chance to take hold, and before you have reacted from ego. What we are looking for is a Mindful response to the situation, not an egoic reaction. Again, if you do react, don’t be harsh with yourself, just come back to the breath and concentrate on the present moment.
Paying Attention To The Present Moment
“Focus on opportunities not setbacks. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Focus on the present moment, not the past or the future. Empower yourself!”
― Akiroq Brost
According to an article on apa.org, “Researchers reviewed more than 200 studies of mindfulness among healthy people and found mindfulness-based therapy was especially effective for reducing stress, anxiety and depression”.
If you can become fully aware in the present moment, stress will not be able to take hold. Train yourself to notice your own reactions to stress. You may feel it in your abdomen, or shoulders. Maybe you get tight muscles or butterflies in your tummy. You may flush red or well up with tears. Whatever happens for you, become aware and when you feel those feelings know that you are getting stressed. Focus on your breath until the feelings have passed.
You can then calmly figure out what is causing the stress and work out how to alleviate it. Ask for help if necessary.
Clear Your Clutter
Clutter in both home and workspace can be a major cause of stress. Download my free PDF
to help you clear it.
Practice Makes Perfect
At first it may seem impossible to be aware of impending stress, but the more self-aware you become, the easier it will be to spot the signs. Just like driving a car seems impossible at first, but you are soon steering, changing gears, adjusting your speed all effortlessly. It is the same with awareness.
Try to do at least a few minutes meditation every day. Journal if it helps you to become more self-aware and get to the root of your stress. Adapt and adjust, and enjoy your less stressed life.
Gill Washington does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information
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