He Mindfulness Or mindfulness is the intentional effort to be aware of the present experience.
This ability is becoming more popular and more than a new"New Age"fashion, it could play an important role in hospitals, schools and the physical and mental health of the general population.
Mindfulness is selling millions of books and apps, it appears in major magazines and is increasingly being used by all types of people, from executives of large companies to nurses through sportsmen and children. In addition to promoting wellness, it helps to overcome, control and motivate us more effectively in the face of threatening situations.
According to the definition of Jon Kabat-Zinn
" Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; With intent, in the present moment and without judging ".
origins
Mindfulness has its origins in ancient meditation practices. Its modern founder is Jon Kabat-Zinn , Who founded the Stress Reduction Clinic At the University of Massachusetts in the late 1970s.
Since then about 18,000 people have completed the MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) program, which helps overcome conditions such as chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, anxiety , Psoriasis, depression or sleep disorders .
Something interesting about mindfulness is that until recently it was hardly known and has spread to hospitals around the world.
Kabat Zinn uses the analogy of jogging. In 1960 when he started running, people thought it was strange. Today there are many people running through parks and streets. The welcome that is having the mindfulness is higher than the one that had the footing.
In a decade it may be widely accepted and understood as a way of looking after the mental state. Just as physical exercise is vital to maintaining fitness, mindfulness will become a vital way to cope with a stressful and information-filled life.
The Bases of Mindfulness
Attention with intentionality
In the first place, mindfulness consists in paying attention with"intentionality". Mindfulness requires a conscious direction of our consciousness. Sometimes one speaks of"mindfulness"and"conscience"as if they were interchangeable terms although it is not so.
For example, I may be aware that I am pissed, but that does not mean that I am fully aware of that annoyance. To be fully conscious I have to be aware of myself, not only vaguely and as normally done; I have to experience the feelings of that cabero and the reactions.
For example; eat. Being aware that I am eating does not mean that I am eating with Mindfulness . When we are intentionally aware of what we eat, we have mindfulness in the eating process. We deliberately realize the sensations and our responses to those sensations.
If we eat without mindfulness, in theory we are aware of what we do even though we are probably thinking about many things at the same time and we may also be watching television, reading or talking.
Therefore, only a small part of our attention goes to eating and we will be little aware of the physical sensations and even less of our thoughts and emotions that come off in that process.
Because we are only vaguely aware of our thoughts, there are no attempts to bring our attention to the eating process, there is no purpose.
This purpose is a very important part of mindfulness; Having the purpose of living our experience, whether breathing, an emotion or something as simple as eating means that we are actively working the mind.
Pay attention in the present moment
Abandoned, the mind wanders through all sorts of thoughts, including those expressing sadness, revenge, hatred, desire, etc. As we have these kinds of thoughts, we reinforce them and cause us suffering.
In addition, most of these thoughts are about the past or about the future and according to the philosophy that accompanies mindfulness, the past does not exist and the future will be a fantasy until it happens. The only moment we experience is the present and it seems to be the one we try to avoid.
So in mindfulness it is about realizing what is happening right now. It does not mean that we can not think more of the present or past, but when we do it will be with mindfulness.
By voluntarily directing our consciousness to the present moment-and away from the past and future-we create a space of freedom where calm and joy can grow.
Pay attention without judging
Mindfulness is a non-reactive emotional state. It is not judged whether an experience is bad or good and if we judge, we realize it and let it go.
With mindfulness we do not dislike ourselves because we experience something we do not want or because we do not experience what we would like. We simply accept what emerges and observe it with mindfulness. We realize how it arises, how it happens for us and how it ceases to exist.
It does not matter if it is a pleasurable or painful experience; We treat it the same way.
With mindfulness you are aware that certain experiences are pleasurable and others unpleasant but at the emotional level, you simply do not react.
Benefits and Why Practice Mindfulness
Since the late 1970s there have been more than 1000 publications documenting medical and psychological mindfulness research, which shows its validity and scope of application.
An international team, including Mark Williams, a psychologist at the University of Oxford, have conducted studies on mindfulness as a treatment for recurrent depression. Its results have been so positive that the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in the United States has recommended it as a treatment for it.
Other academics such as Willem Kuyken, a psychologist at the University of Exeter, have wondered if mindfulness could have another additional treatment to that of depression and pain. Specifically what role can be played in schools and adolescents.
Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness, even in weeks, can give a variety of physical, psychological and social benefits.
- It is good for our body: After only eight weeks of training, practicing mindfulness strengthens the immune system.
- It is good for our mind : Several studies have found that it increases Positive emotions While reducing the negative and the stress . In fact, one study showed that it could be as good as Antidepressants In combating depression and preventing relapse.
- Change our brain : Increases the density of gray matter in our brain related to learning, memory , Emotional regulation and empathy .
- Concentration : Helps avoid distractions and improves memory and attention. read this article If you want to learn to Improve your concentration .
- Encourage compassion and altruism : Research suggests that their training makes us more likely to help others and increase neural activity related to empathy and emotional regulation. It also improves Self-pity .
- Improve personal relationships : Mindfulness training makes couples more satisfied with their relationships, makes each person more optimistic and more relaxed, and makes them feel more accepted and closer to each other.
- Good for parents and future parents : Reduces anxiety in pregnancy, stress and depression . Parents who practice mindfulness claim that they are happier with their children and these have Better social skills .
- Helps children at school : Reduces behavioral problems and aggression in students. Improves happiness and the ability to pay attention. Teachers who practice it show lower blood pressure, fewer negative emotions, and fewer symptoms of depression.
- Helps health professionals cope with stress , Connect with their patients and improve their quality of life.
- Jails : Reduces hatred, hostility and mood swings in prisoners by increasing awareness of their thoughts and emotions. It helps rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
- Help veterans : Reduces symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In veterans who suffer from the aftermath of the war.
- Obesity : Practicing mindfulness while eating encourages better eating habits.
- Help to Improve your self-esteem .
- Recognize And stop automatic and habitual reactions.
- Respond more effectively To difficult and complex situations.
- See more situations clearly .
- Be more creative .
- Achieve a balance In work and home.
How to practice mindfulness?
These are some key components of the practice of mindfulness that Kabat-Zinn and others identify:
- Pay attention to your breathing, especially when you feel intense emotions.
- Realize what you feel in each moment; The sights, sounds, smells.
- Recognize that your thoughts and emotions are fleeting and do not define you.
- Feel the physical sensations of your body. From the water that slides on your skin when you shower to the way you rest in a chair.
To develop these skills in daily life, you can try these exercises that are used in the Kabat-Zinn MBSR program:
1- Body exploration : You focus your attention on your body; From your feet to your head, trying to be aware and accepting any sensation, without controlling or changing those feelings.
2- Exercise of the raisin : It is a question of slowly using all your senses, one after another, to observe a passage in great detail, from the way you sit in the palm of your hand to its flavor on your tongue. This exercise is done to focus on the present and can be done with different foods.
3- Meditation walk : You focus your attention on the movement of your body while you walk. You feel your feet touching the ground, the feeling of the legs, the wind. This exercise is often practiced going and coming in a 10-step path, so it can be practiced almost anywhere.
4- Love meditation : It is about extending the feelings of compassion, starting with oneself and then towards other people.
And to you what results has given you mindfulness?