A few attempts at mindfulness
In the next few months, I will be making a few attempts to become a more mindful and centered person. As the name of my blog implies, Meshugganah (a crazy person/woman), being in the moment and being calm is not something that comes naturally to me. As a result, I have decided to actually follow through on a New Years resolution to become more mentally present, self aware, and to focus on gratitude.
This blog was one of my ways of achieving this goal. As I mentioned to my dear mother on the phone, the reason therapy hasn't worked for me in the past is that I get so wrapped up in the excitement of being able to voice my thoughts and feelings that I tend to lose sight of my real goal. As well, some may say I just really like to hear myself talk. All jokes aside, I figured by getting my thoughts out in print I would be able to release a lot of the feelings I encounter throughout the day. This is especially helpful before or after a time that can cause more than average anxiety in my day, such as my current location onboard a crowded flight.
My resolutions also seemed to have coincided with my new job's initiative to increase mindfulness among its clinicians and staff. Along with a coworker, I attended a seminar on increasing mondfness and mindfulness training to reduce stress in the workplace. This included a free subscription to Headspace, an app that guides and trains the listener to practice daily mindful meditations. Currently on day 6 of this training, and I'm already finding the exercises to be a little easier than on day 1. I haven't noticed a big difference in my day, however I do feel calmer after each daily session, so that's something.
In addition, I am currently reading a book by TV news anchor Dan Harris titled "10% Happier." This book was one of the focuses on the mindfulness seminar and ended up on my to-read list on Goodreads. Luckily for me, this book wax handed out to those who attended our recent integrative health fair at work. I love working in healthcare. I do not have much of an opinion on this book as of now, and will be able to give an updated review as I continue to read.
That's all for now, touching down soon (hopefully!)
Hi Jen, Judi sent me the link to your blog.
ReplyDeleteKudos to your openness to the mindfulness experience. My colleagues and I have done some research with respect to mindfulness and eating--through the research process and scholarly literature, I started to delve into the subject personally. I, too, have general/social anxiety, have been to therapy, and medicate. However, when working on the paper, I felt I needed to understand what I was researching, so I went through the 8week MBSR class and found it helped substantially.
All the research--clinical and social psych, neuropsych, and now, marketing, is finding positive benefits of mindfulness practice. And as I'm sure you're finding, there are ways to do mindfulness that are non-esoteric and feel as though you're with yourself, rather than consciously judging the language of guidance.
One of the things we find in the literature is that mindfulness is both a practice (doing the meditation), a state ("however I do feel calmer after each daily session"... the immediate change in disposition), and a trait ("haven't noticed a big difference in my day"... a long-term, sustained disposition). Therefore, the more you practice, the more of these states you have, the more longer-term the effects hold. Current research on the subject is looking at how long it takes for that trait to start to take root. The typical MBSR course is about 8 weeks, and by the end, you should see noticeable differences, particularly in the realm of gratitude. However, it since it's a practice to be nurtured, alternate mindfulness forms can help.
I'm co-track chairing a "mindful consumer" workshop at the Transformative Research Conference. My colleagues and I are also hypothesizing it as a decision-making processing model. Traditional processing models follow either conscious or non-conscious decision routes. We're hypothesizing that due to mindfulness's ability to be practice, state, and trait--to be aware of the present moment, to not judge, to observe, and to not react, it actually follows BOTH conscious AND non-conscious decision decision routes, simultaneously.
Like you, I use the Headspace app. I've been using it about a year (having previously used Buddhify) and paid for a year subscription. Some of the additional meditations are well worth it. Spire (www.spire.io) has a mindfulness wearable that I'm curious to try (though it's about $150 retail and iOS only--which counts me out as an Android). Mindfulness tech is likely one of the next directions of my own research.
Good luck on your journey! :)
Thank you so much for reading my blog! I highly recommend you read 10% happier, as I felt it gave a look to meditation that speaks to those with high anxiety. I find mindful practice to be easiest when i'm away from distraction, as I have tried it on a busy train and find it to be too distracting. I wonder how those who practice often or for a long time have when surrounded by distraction do it!
ReplyDeleteAs far as mindful consumerism goes, I can imagine that someone who meditates is less likely to make impulse buys, as well as make purchases of expensive and "trendy" items. I feel that when we connect to our mind and our consciousness, we discover that materialism is less important than the time we spend with those who are important to us.
I wish Headspace was free for everyone, as I would recommend it to more people if it was. Lucky for me my company is on a mindful kick and gave away free year subscriptions. How long have you been using it for?
Thanks again for reading and reaching out!
Jen