Mindfulness
Guest User
· by miyukiphd
· (Originally Posted) November 18, 2017
It is believed that our thoughts go to the past when we are depressed and to the future when we are anxious. For example, depressed clients tend to show regrets and rumination (thinking about negative things that happened in the past over and over), while anxious clients tend to show ‘what if’ thoughts, worrying about things that have not happened yet. Either way, they miss experiencing joy in the present moment, as they see ‘now’ through their ‘past’ and/or ‘future’ lenses.
Have you heard the word, ‘Mindfulness’?
It is based on a concept from Buddhism, and mindfulness has been widely recognised for its therapeutic effectiveness for depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, and more. The effectiveness has been reported in accumulated research findings, as mindfulness seems to activate a part of brain that plays a role in emotion regulation.
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to our internal (e.g., breath, bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions), or external (e.g., visual, smell, sounds, taste food, touch objects) experiences in the present moment with certain attitudes: non-judgment, curiosity, and open-minded. I believe that mindfulness is more like a way of being, experiencing our lives full-heartedly without judgment. Mindfulness allows us to experience our lives fully. For instance, imagine you see snow for the first time. You are looking up to the sky with snowflakes continuously falling down. You feel a cold and wet sensation on your face, head, and body, as the snowflakes land on you. You notice your thoughts (there is lots of snow), emotions (excitement), and behaviour (collect snow on your palms and taste snow). There is no judgment (e.g., it is dirty to consume snow, and I should not behave childishly).
I have met many people from different ethnic backgrounds, and I still believe Japanese is one of the most mindful cultures. We traditionally practice mindfulness seasonally if not every day. These customs include viewing of ‘cherry blossom in Spring’, ‘fireworks in Summer’, or ‘coloured leaves in Autumn’, and listening to ‘summer bells to cool us down’ and ‘a temple bell at the New Year’s Eve night’. We also have many seasonal foods/drinks to taste the ‘season’. Martial arts, flower arrangement, calligraphy, tea ceremonies, and even cleaning are used to practice mindfulness in Japan. Mindfulness is part of Japanese traditional culture and a way of living albeit Japanese people may not recognise it.
Mental health illness can be worsened by our own judgment. For example, you may think “I am useless” and ruminate about negative feedback from your boss over and over after you made a mistake at work. This may lead to insomnia and depression, as these judgments can create negative emotions and bodily sensations (see my blog on CBT). If you use mindfulness, you see your mistake, and notice your emotions (e.g., upset, down), bodily sensations (e.g., heavy) without judgment. You just notice these – these are valid reactions. Instead of judging your own mistakes, you just notice your experiences. If you cannot stop judging yourself, then you notice it, too. “I notice that I am judging my mistakes by thinking I am useless”. Whenever your thoughts / emotions / bodily sensations come back to you, you notice them, while bringing your attention back to your present moment. Eventually, these thoughts / emotions / bodily sensations will pass.
It is impossible to change the past or predict our future perfectly; what we have is the present moment. Our experiences are momentum and will pass – then there would be more space for you to do something for the better.
Some individuals experience more intense emotions than others. Mindfulness is not only for those with mental illness. Mindfulness can enrich our lives by bringing our attention back to the present moment – a cliché “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why we call it present”.
There are many mindfulness (guided meditation) APPs, You Tube clips and more available. Or you can simply start being mindful of what you do (walking, eating, having a shower etc.).
