Mindfulness
2020 has been really stressful for many of us in more ways than one. The holiday season is here, which, for many people, can cause more stress.
There are 3 types of stress
- Good-life goals, experience rewarded by positive outcome
- Tolerable-manageable stress, able to cope and be flexible
- Toxic-very challenging event, large degree and duration of stress, which can have adverse effects on the body
Effects of stress on the body
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Musculoskeletal pain
- GI issues
- Obesity
- Insomnia
- Slow healing
- Accelerated aging
Types of Meditation
There are different types of meditations that one could try in an effort to alleviate stress:
- Mindfulness
- Spiritual
- Focused
- Movement
- Mantra
- Transcendental meditation
- Progressive
- Loving-kindness
- Visualization
Mindfulness
The American Mindfulness Research Association describes mindfulness as “the state, process, and practice of remembering to observe moment-to-moment experiences with openness and without automatic patterns of previously conditioned thoughts, emotions, or behaviors. Individuals may get a better sense of themselves, their place in the world and their relationships to other people in a more objective way. Mindful awareness training can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
There are 2 types of mindful awareness training:
- Focused attention brings awareness to to a specific object
- Open monitoring: allows for observing sensory, emotional, and cognitive events without judgment
Mindful awareness practices can be formal or informal:
Formal
- Seated meditation- mindful attention of the breath while in a seated position
- Body scan- gently bringing awareness to different parts of the body from head to toe with gentle deep breathing
- Walking meditation
- Mindful movement
Informal
Incorporate mindfulness into everyday activities, such as waiting in line, washing hands
Mindful body awareness techniques can be incorporated while performing exercises and stretches. Mindful movement and body scanning with deep breathing can help individuals pay attention to physical sensations with friendliness and acceptance, which can also aid in reducing stress and pain, and, therefore, improve quality of life.
Helpful Apps/Books
Apps:
- Insight Timer
- Calm
- Headspace
Books:
- You are Not Your Pain: Using Mindfulness to Relieve Pain, Reduce Stress, and Restore Well-being by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman
- Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illnesses by Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg
- Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World by Sharon Salzberg
- Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman
- Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein
References:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body#1
- https://www.npr.org/2020/10/19/925344796/look-inward-to-make-external-change-advice-from-a-meditation-teacher#:~:text=When%20the%20outside%20world%20feels,teacher%2C%20says%20is%20the%20answer.
- https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
- https://www.apta.org/apta-magazine/2017/02/01/mindfulness-how-it-can-help-patients-pts-and-students
- https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body#1
- https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/types-of-meditation
- https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
